May 4, 2010
The Aeolian Islands are a group of small volcanic islands off the north coast of Sicily. The largest island is Lipari, and rather confusingly, the archipelago is often referred to as the Lipari Islands.
Whichever name you wish to call them, the islands are worth a visit. It is curious that they would be named in honor of the Greek God Aeolus, because he was the Greek God of the wind, and when there is much wind, the islands are not a good place to be with a boat.
If Aeolus is in a good mood, and not getting ready to exercise his lungs, there are plenty of anchorages to be found. However, there are a dearth of well-protected harbors and the anchorages are, for the most part, quite deep, so if Aeolus is being a bit frisky, it is best to look at cruising elsewhere.
The best-known island is the northernmost one, Stromboli, which is an active volcano. In Europe, only Stromboli, the nearby Etna on Sicily and a couple of volcanoes in Iceland are classed as active.
Stromboli has been erupting pretty steadily for more than 2,000 years. In antiquity, it was nick-named “The Lighthouse of the Tyrrhenian Sea” and its continuous glow and regular small eruptions undoubtedly helped the ancient mariners find the entry into the Strait of Messina when coming from the north. Stromboli has a height of 3,038 feet (926 meters), so on a clear night, its glow can be seen for many miles. Often by day, the smoke can be quite conspicuous.
Most of the time, Stromboli has several small eruptions every hour. These small regular eruptions, when exhibited by other volcanoes are said to be “Strombolian Eruptions.” When Stromboli is in this state, it is spectacular to sit off the northwest coast in a boat and watch the red-hot rocks come tumbling down the lava slope. It is called the Sciara del Fuco, the Stream of Fire.
By night, if the volcano is active, the whole face of the mountain glows. If you have a night-scope on board, look at the volcano through that. Usually the whole of the Sciara del Fuco glows, as do many otherwise unseen fumaroles around the crater.
By day, you can often see the lava rocks landing in the sea in a cloud of steam. There is a poorly marked, rarely policed exclusion zone in front of the lava field. You go close at your own peril. From time to time larger rocks -- so-called lava bombs -- are thrown far into the air. These can be as big as a car or even larger, so you do not want one landing on the foredeck.
The volcano went through a long period of stability, with regular small eruptions, but in 2003 there was a major eruption that blew out the side of the crater and caused a small tsunami. After this the eruptions were less regular and a lot less spectacular. There was another big eruption in 2007 and again in early 2009, so it is hard to predict the level of activity you may find.
The main town of Stromboli is on the northeast coast. Sometimes you can anchor off the town on a ledge running between the town and the islet of Strombolicchio. There is good diving off Strombolicchio, but you are not allowed ashore as it is a nature preserve. From time to time the authorities chase you out of that anchorage and then you have to anchor further to the south, off the tiny ferry quay at Scari. The town is worth a visit if only for the tiny narrow streets and old stone houses. You can buy the locally produced wine here and find several good restaurants, as well as basic provisions.
If you want to go to the top of the mountain, it is essential to take a guide. The authorities are much stricter now than they used to be, as a few tourists have been killed by sudden eruptions.
Small stone shelters have been built near the crater. These give a degree of protection in the event of a sudden eruption, but can house only a few people in each, so numbers of visitors are severely limited at any one time. Normally the climbs are done in the cool of the evening with a descent in the dark. Not for the faint-hearted or weak of lung. Ask in town about getting a guide.
There is a second small town on the southwest side of the island called Ginostra. It can be reached only by boat, but really it is too deep to anchor off the town. There is a small dock for the ferry where you could land from a dinghy.
One of the best websites giving fairly up-to-date information about Stromboli is run by a Swiss group at www.swisseduc.ch.
The next island south is Panarea. Compared to the rocks and lava fields of Stromboli, Panarea feels like a garden. The population of Panarea is less than 300 and most live in and around the main town of San Pietro on the east coast. There is a small port and you may be able to go stern-to with a smaller yacht. There is a lot of room to anchor off the town in reasonable depths of water.
Do note the exclusion zone around the underwater volcano to the east of the island. It is a protected area, but also it could be dangerous to sail over the top of it. In November 2002 it suddenly became more active, and large volumes of gas vented. If you were unfortunate enough to sail over the top of the volcano as it vented, your boat would sink, since the aerated water is not dense enough support the weight of a boat.
Panarea is obviously volcanic in origin but is not classed as active. It is a delight to walk across the island, along the narrow, twisty lanes. If you have a taste for history, you can walk along the cliffs to the southeast corner of the island, and visit the remains of a Bronze Age Village at Punto Milazzese.
The last time we were on Panarea, on the spur of the moment, we chartered a helicopter from Air Panarea. The so-called airport is perched precariously on the edge of a high cliff above the town. The air field has just enough room for a single helicopter. It is a fairly stiff walk up the hill, but if you do not fancy the walk, they will take you up in a golf cart.
We flew over the underwater volcano to the east, which was clearly visible, but the highlight was to fly around the rim of the crater on Stromboli. Looking down into the crater, Dante’s Inferno came to mind. Flying over the lava field of the Sciara del Fuco we could feel the heat even through the windows. It was an amazing experience that I cannot recommend highly enough. (www.airpanarea.com)
About a dozen miles to the south of Panarea is the island of Lipari, the biggest and most populous island in the group. Once again it is easy to anchor off the main town, which is about halfway down the east coast.
Compared to the tranquillity of Panarea, Lipari is a bustling metropolis. There is a variety of shops here and it is a good place to restock provisions. There are several small marinas in the bay. Marina Lunga has a quay that can take boats up to 60 meters and it is right in town (Phone: 090.9811926, e-mail: info@yachtharbourlipari.it). Porto Pignataro is on the north side of the bay (Phone: 090.9814233, e-mail: info@eolmare.com). It is further from town but gives better shelter, if there is space.
A visit to the castle overlooking the town is a must. It houses a fantastic museum that covers not only the history of the Aeolian Islands from prehistoric times to the Romans, but there are sections on vulcanology, palaeontology and maritime history. It is a world-class museum.
Lipari has been important since ancient times as a source of obsidian, a naturally occurring kind of volcanic glass. Even before the Bronze Age, it was used to make knives and spear heads, as it can be flaked to form an amazingly sharp edge. I was fascinated to learn that the edge can be sharp to a thickness approaching a single molecule, some hundred times sharper than the finest steel surgical scalpel. Indeed many plastic surgeons and some cardiac surgeons prefer to use obsidian scalpels for delicate work as they feel that the extra sharp blade causes less scaring and allows the cuts to heal more quickly than those from normal metal blades.
Toward the southern end of the west coast there are several nice bays where you can anchor. The snorkeling and diving is excellent.
Lipari is separated by a narrow strait from my favourite island, Vulcano. The Romans named the island, believing it to be the chimney to the God Vulcan’s workshop, where he made weapons for the other Gods. It gave us the word volcano. It is classed as dormant and has not erupted since 1890. To me though, it seems to be pretty active, as all around the crater there are many little fumaroles that smoke.
There are two main anchorages there, Porto di Poniente on the west side and Porto di Levante on the east. Levante is where the hydrofoils berth and occasionally you may be allowed to lay on that quay if none is expected, but generally you will have to anchor in the bay.
Levante is slightly more convenient as there are a few shops and restaurants close by, but if you anchor in Poniente, it is only a short walk across the isthmus to Levante.
The population of the whole island is something less than 500, so there are not too many shops, but you can find basic provisions and a few restaurants. On the north side of the Levante bay are the famous mud-baths. You can wallow in the hot mud for the princely sum of 2 euros. The mud is supposed to cure rheumatic pains and skin problems. Be warned though, as one of our stewardesses found, the sulphurous mud will strip the gold plating off any jewelry, and the sulphur smell is likely to linger in your clothes for weeks to come. They do also say that the mud is radioactive and that you should not stay in it for much more than 15 minutes at a time.
If the wind is offshore in the anchorage, you will smell the sulphur and we have found that the fumes take the shine off the stainless steel deck fittings.
The highlight of any visit to Vulcano is to walk up to the crater. It is possible to rent quad bikes and motorcycles to explore the island, but for me, the walk up to the crater is the favorite. Take the road to the southwest out of Levante, and follow it for a few kilometres until you see the track on the left winding its way up the side of the volcano. From time to time they make a modest charge to visit, but it is well worth it in my opinion.
As you reach the lip of the crater there are signs warning you not to sit down, as the sulphur fumes are denser closer to the ground, and there is the possibility of suffocation. You will see many smoking fumaroles, mostly rimmed with bright yellow sulphur deposits. Pass to windward of them as the “smoke” is choking and hurts the eyes.
From the lip it is awe-inspiring to look down into the crater itself. I have seen some brave (or is that foolhardy) souls climb down into the crater, without apparent harm. I prefer the views from the lip.
There are three more inhabited islands. Salina looks like it would be possible to anchor off, but the other two, Filicudi and Alicudi, appear to be surrounded by rather deep water. Maybe one day I will get the chance to go and have a look, and see if we can find a spot to anchor at either one.
If you ever find yourself off the north coast of Sicily, and Aeolus is holding his breath, do go and visit his islands. You will not regret it and you will probably have some strong memories of your visit.
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