When it comes to traveling in Italy, there is a well-worn path consisting of a few destinations that seem to always be a part of any itinerary, and with good reason. There’s Florence, along with the entire region of Tuscany, and its beautiful landscapes. There’s floating Venice with its many islands and interconnecting canals. Of course, there’s Rome with its ancient ruins scattered throughout the city, along with the Vatican. Even more frequent these days are itineraries that include Cinqueterre or the Amalfi Coast, both beautiful and stunning cliff-side villages set along the Mediterranean. So how did we end up on Lipari, one of the eight islands that make up the Isole Eolie (Aeolian Islands)?
View of Lipari from the ferry
Well, four years ago we made our first visit to Sicily, specifically a small beach town by the name of Castellammare Del Golfo. This beautiful place is the ancestral home of the Mortifoglio family. After connecting with one of Chris’s father’s second cousins on Facebook, Chris discovered there are quite a few relatives still living there today. We had the chance to spend a week meeting them for the first time while discovering this amazing place. It was a very powerful and fulfilling experience to learn more about the family roots. We were so blown away with the beauty of the town and humbled by the hospitality of the relatives that we knew we had to come back.
Castellammare del Golfo
We also knew that we wanted to discover more of what Sicily has to offer. After reading an article about the Aeolian Islands, we decided that we had to go and visit. Lipari is more or less the capital of the islands and a great base for island-hopping. Getting there on a budget resulted in us having a very long travel day (roughly 19 hours) that looked something like this:
• Overnight train from Venice to Rome
• Train from Rome to Villa San Giovanni (the last stop on mainland Italy)
• Train onboard a ferry to cross into Sicily (there is no bridge)
• Another train in Sicily to Milazzo
• A bus from the train station to the port of Milazzo
• A ferry from Milazzo to Lipari
• A short car ride courtesy of our new friend Giovanni at the Casa Vacanze Valle
Despite all of that, upon arrival at our €40-per-night rental, we were pleasantly surprised to find a large, clean, fully-equipped apartment, and a huge private terrace with this view:
Looking down at Lipari
After getting some much needed rest, we spent the next day wandering around the town of Lipari a bit before hopping on a ferry to the neighboring island of Vulcano. The main attraction on the island is the geothermal hot spring that exists courtesy of the dormant volcano towering over the island. You can pay a small fee to go in the mud baths at the base of the volcano, but we opted instead to go to the beach next to them. There we experienced the unique sensation of hot springs in the ocean water. Literally, it’s like an all-natural hot tub with bubbles ascending from small holes in the ocean floor to the surface. It was incredible, and you had to watch your step as the stones next to these holes were incredibly hot to the touch.
Beach day on Vulcano
Our third and final day in the islands, we had planned to head to Stromboli which is the furthest from Sicily. For us, this was going to be the main highlight and attraction of the Aeolians. On the island, there is a volcano that is still active today. We had arranged to take a night trek up the volcano where you are able to view active lava shooting out from the crater. However, when we showed up at the tour guide office, we were devastated to learn that the seas were too rough from the severe thunderstorms the night before and that it was not safe to go anymore. We have been lucky in that this was only the first activity on the trip that did not go according to plan for us, but we were still disappointed nevertheless.
Dinner with the family in Castellammare
The next day we left the islands to head back to Castellammare Del Golfo on mainland Sicily. We spent a full week in town, and managed to meet even more of the family than we had on our previous trip. Their generosity was limitless, with us being treated to a home-cooked meal of handmade maccheroni, a great pizza dinner with multiple extended families, a boat ride up and down the incredible coastline, and even a place to stay for a few nights. During our time in town, we were able to discover even more of the city and really get a sense of culture through the various discussions and meals shared with family.
Fresh maccheroni
One of our favorite places on the trip so far that we’ve visited is without a doubt Favignana (pronounced Fah-vin-ya-nah). One of the three Isole Egadi (Egadi Islands) and situated just off the west coast of Sicily, we took a ferry there from the port city of Trapani. As soon as we arrived, we rented a scooter for €20, filled it up with gas, and took off to explore the island. Within 30 minutes, we had arrived at a cliff-side beach with a jaw-dropping view. The water was crystal clear yet also shades of blue that we had never witnessed in person before. We just could not stop looking at it. After a quick dip in the water, we headed off to the next beach/lookout where the views were equally as impressive. This scenario replayed itself all throughout the day as we scooted along the narrow and hilly roads discovering new parts of the island. No pictures can do this place justice, but here’s one we took that day:
Breathtaking Favignana
We wrapped up our stay in Sicilia with two nights in the capital Palermo. The city has a very gritty feel to it, perhaps the result of the history with the Mafia and the various cultures that have ruled the city over time. Still, it had some beautiful buildings, including the Catedrale di Palermo which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the best meals we had during our entire stay in Italy was a €4-a-plate dish of fresh pasta that we had at a random café we stumbled upon. If you ever travel to Sicily, the fresh Busiate pasta with Pesto Trapanese is a must-try.
Palermo Cathedral
After having spent two weeks there, we still managed to see only a small part of this beautiful region. There’s no doubt that we will return again to explore more. Next stop, Lake Como and Milan with the Rainies!
-The Morts