6 days in the Aeolian islands: Boats, beaches and volcanoes
5 min read
On the advice of our Italy expert Giuliana Di Venti, we skim over azure seas on a multi-stop island hop from Sicily through the Aeolians, volcano hiking and celebrity spotting, bathing in jacuzzi seas, eating classic Sicilian food and digging our toes into warm, restorative mud.
Itinerary at a glance:
- 2 nights in Catania
- 1 night on Vulcano
- 3 nights on Panarea (with a day trip to Lipari on the way)
Days 1 & 2: Catania
Two nights in Catania is almost not enough. It’s a lovely port town with Etna looming behind it, which was once a centre of the Renaissance and is still packed with beautiful buildings in its historic centre, although most of those are of the Sicilian Baroque style and date from after the earthquake of 1693 which caused massive destruction. Depending on when you arrive, you may have time to see some of the sights on your first day, but we’ll assume that by the time you’ve checked in and got settled, it’s late afternoon/early evening.
You should still be able to fit in a stroll round the old town and a visit to the Piazza del Duomo, where the Palazzo degli Elefanti (the town hall) and the Cathedral of Saint Agatha stand on opposite sides, symbols of political and religious power. There you’ll find the Elephant Fountain, on which a statue of the animal, carved from a single block of black Etna lava stands with an Egyptian obelisk on its back. The elephant is the symbol of Catania, thanks either to links with the god Dionysus, contact with the Carthaginians, or a wizard who used to fly around on the back of one, depending on which story you put stock in.
As the sun sets, head for the San Berillo / Via Crociferi area. Once the city’s red light district, before the brothels were all closed down in the late 50s, it has now become the centre of a street art movement which has seen it transformed into a living gallery, with murals and decorated altars at every turn. After exploring for a while, round out your first day with a visit to Trattoria da Antonio, for authentic Catanese cuisine like pasta alla Norma, which will leave you in no doubt that you’ve truly arrived in Sicily.
On your second day in Catania, you’ve got walking to do. If you get up early, you can head for La Pescheria di Catania, the famous fish market which is still very much a local favourite and maybe pick up some things for lunch, then it’s time to get sightseeing. If you didn’t come across them on the previous evening, some of the old town’s sites are a must. From north to south, these are the Villa Bellini gardens, Roman amphiteatre, the Benedictine monastery of San Nicolo and Ursino Castle. From the gardens, the Via Etnea runs down to the Piazza del Duomo and while it’s a pleasant promenade, it makes more sense to zig zag a little and make stops along the way than to walk the whole thing in a line. Over the course of the day, you’ll walk through history, from the Roman ruins to the squat fortress which was once home to the Sicilian parliament and the 16th century monastery which is one of the largest in Europe.
Cap your stay in Catania with a trip to Il Sale, an Art Café and restaurant which serves a superb selection of modern dishes with a fitting specialisation in fish and wine.
Day 3: Catania to Vulcano
After some urban wanderings it’s time to head for the fearsomely named Vulcano. The Romans believed the island to be Vulcan’s chimney, hence the name, from which we take the word volcano, of course. It’s still home to an active volcano, smells quite strongly of sulphur in several places and has so much geothermal activity going on that there’s a beach known as Acque Calde, where fumaroles heat the water to the point that you feel like you’re sitting in the world’s most scenic jacuzzi. There’s no need to worry about the eruptions though, there hasn’t been a serious danger since the mass evacuation of the harbour way back in… 2021.
Hikes to the many craters are an otherworldly experience, especially around sunset, as you climb a stark rocky landscape in the heat, looking across the sea to the rest of the Aeolian islands. For a gentler experience of the terrain, find one of the thermal baths or mud pools and laze in the waters and pungent ooze, both said to have hugely beneficial properties.
Getting to Vulcano from Catania takes a simple 2.5/3 hour train journey to Milazzo, with the station a 40-minute walk or 10-minute bus from the port, although there are plenty of cabs around too. Ferries run from about 7am to 7pm, with the crossing taking 50 minutes or just under two hours, depending on which sailing you book on to, so you can get a full day on Vulcano even if you decide not to stay the night.
Days 4, 5 & 6: Vulcano to Panarea via Lipari
Now for some island hopping, as we leave Vulcano and head north through the Aeolian island chain, taking a quick stroll on Lipari before settling on Panarea for a couple of days. Vulcano and Lipari are separated only by a short channel, so the crossing is only 20 minutes and sailings of the zippy hydrofoils are frequent. Depending on how much time you’ve got until you head for Panarea, you could simply wander the harbour town for a very pleasant couple of hours. The fortified citadel which has watched over the waters for centuries carries reminders of the many owners and occupiers, from Roman stonework to its Baroque facade. There’s another warm water beach on the north of the island (although Canneto is much closer to the port if you just want to bask between boats), some fabulous views to be had from its hilly interior and a great museum near the port which takes you through the history, both ancient and more modern, of the Aeolian islands. Whether you linger for a couple of hours or explore Lipari for the whole day, eventually it’s back to the port to bounce over the water on a 1-hour voyage to Panarea.
Panarea, as well as boasting awe-inspiring natural scenery, offers another form of idle pleasure – star spotting. Its tiny area (under two square miles) and UNESCO World Heritage status which has kept development to a minimum, make this place an exclusive (and often expensive) playground of the rich and famous. But it’s not all bad. Cala Junco cove and Zimmari Beach are rightly iconic and the prehistoric village of Capo Milazzese is a fascinating spot worth the approximately 45-minute hike out of town to the narrow promontory on which it sits.
Boat trips (if you aren’t all boated out) can whisk you round the sharp point of Dattilo, take you in search of wildlife or land you on Stromboli for the day, where you can make an evening hike of the often-smouldering volcano.
Panarea, as is the case with every stop on this trip, is not a place you need to rush. All the sights, attractions and trips suggested in this itinerary should be taken with a lot of dilution. Pick one or two, maybe over the course of a couple of days, leaving yourself plenty of time for doing not very much. The joy of simply boating from island to island and finding yourself struck, time and again, by the beauty of the scenery, is really all you need.
Getting there
We hope there are some dedicated slow travellers who will ride the rails or ferry hop all the way down to the very tip of Italy’s boot, but it’s most likely that you’ll fly, perhaps offsetting the impact of that with EV hire or taking buses and trains. Catania airport is well served from the UK, with budget airlines running direct flights from most big city airports, especially in spring/summer.
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Giuliana Di Venti
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