The Aeolian Islands (Isole Eolie o Lipari) have been inhabited for more than 3,000 years, in spite of volcanic activity that even now causes the earth to issue forth sulfuric belches, streams of molten lava, and hissing clouds of steam. Lipari (36 sq. km/14 sq. miles) is the largest and most developed island, Stromboli (13 sq. km/5 sq. miles) is the most distant and volcanically active, and Vulcano (21 sq. km/8 sq. miles), with its brooding, potentially volatile cone and therapeutic mud baths, is the island closest to the Sicilian "mainland." The remaining islands (Salina, Filicudi, Alicudi, and Panarea) offer only bare-bones facilities and are visited mainly by day-trippers, if at all.
Despite the potential for volcanic activity, the area attracts visitors (mainly Germans and Italians) thanks to its crystalline waters that offer prime snorkeling, diving, and spearfishing and its photogenic beaches composed of hot black sand and rocky outcroppings jutting into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The volcanoes themselves offer hikers the thrill of peering into a bubbling crater.
Ancient Greek sailors believed that these seven windswept islands were the home of Aeolus, god of the winds. He supposedly lived in a cave on Vulcano, keeping the winds of the world in a bag to be opened only with great caution. "All the winds of the world" do seem to converge here at times. Until tourists began to arrive, the Aeolian Islands were one tough place to make a living. Many of its inhabitants long ago emigrated to a better life in the United States or Australia; even today, the islands remain sparsely populated.
Because of frequent ferry and hydrofoil service, the Aeolian Islands are easy to reach from the Sicilian mainland. The conquering hordes descend here in summer, with much overcrowding because of limited accommodations (hence, reservations are important). We prefer the less crowded times of late May, early June, and September. We've also made several winter visits, when most tourist businesses are closed and the island is sometimes bathed in brilliant sunshine. At other times the winds blow furiously, and the islands can be lashed by storms, especially between October and March. The sea can be so turbulent that ferry and hydrofoil service to mainland Sicily is suspended, and you may find yourself stranded.
