The Aeolian Islands are located north of Sicily in the Tyrrhenian Sea; they are part of a volcanic archipelago and two of the islands have active volcanoes, Stomboli and Vulcano. The largest island is Lipari and the smallest is Basiluzzo, there are eight islands in total. The islands fill the gap between two well-known active volcanoes, Mount Vesuvius and Mount Etna. The islands are also part of UNESCO’s world heritage site listing.
Lipari is not only the name of the largest of the islands; it is also the name of the main town on the island. The island’s year round population is just 11,231 but during the summer months this can swell to 20,000 with tourists. The main villages that are inhabited all year round are Pianoconte, Quattropani, Acquacalda and Canneto. The city has the St. Bartholomew Cathedral, the Museo Archeologico Regionale Eoliano, which is a history museum, as well as a number of boat tour companies that will take you around the islands. The old city still stands with its walls and fortifications.
Vulcano has several volcanic craters, as well as one of the four above water volcanoes in Italy. There are old stratovolcano cons at the southern end of the island, the most active area is the Gran Cratere, which is at the top of the Fossa cone and has seen 7 major eruptions in the last 6000 years.
Salina is the second largest island in the chain and is made up of six volcanoes; the oldest are located at Pizzo di Corvo, Monte Rivi and close to Capo Faro, although the last eruption on the island was some 13,000 years ago. Some of the sights other than the old volcanoes include the salt lake in Lingua, the slopes of Fossa, where Roman tombs have been found and the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Terzito.
Stromboli is home to one of the active volcanoes in the chain; due to its regular minor eruptions the island has been nick named the ‘Lighthouse of the Mediterranean’. Panarea has become a very popular tourist destination in recent years, especially with the celebrity world. The volcano here is inactive, but it does boast some wonderful hot springs near the village of Punta di Peppe e Maria. Scuba diving is very popular and you can even swim out to a shipwreck, which lies just off the rocks of Lisca Bianca and Bottaro.
Looking for self catering holiday accommodation in the Aeolian Islands? Then below is a selection of Apartments in the Aeolian Islands and villas in the Aeolian Islands that can be rented direct from their owners. You can either click on each listing for further details or you can use our search engine on the left if you are looking for something in particular.
