Aeolian Islands
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A group of islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north of Sicily in southern Italy. They are of volcanic origin and two have active volcanos, Vulcano and Stromboli, the latter being the world’s most regularly active volcano and the prime attraction for many, especially dark tourists. But there are a couple of other dark aspects too.
>Combinations with other dark destinations
More background info: The archipelago is part of the ‘Aeolian Arc’, a string of volcanic islands plus a number of submarine volcanoes (including the huge active Marsili), all part of a larger volcanic area, which also includes Mt Vesuvius – see Naples and Pompeii – and Mt Etna – see Catania. This activity (just like associated earthquakes) results from the subduction of the African continental shelf with that of Europe, which brings up magma. Volcanic activity has been ongoing here for ca. 250 millennia, but with that they are still young islands, geologically speaking. Some islands are much younger that that. And others haven’t yet broken through the surface of the sea yet. Marsili is just 450m short of that, being wider and taller than Etna when calculated from its base on the seabed! … and is regarded as active and unstable, so a major eruption could cause deadly tsunamis …
There are seven major islands; in order of size: Lipari, Salina, Vulcano, Stromboli, Filicudi, Alicudi and Panarea. In addition there are several uninhabited smaller islets and sea stacks.
While all the islands are of volcanic origin, marked by steep cones, most are extinct or dormant now, except the highly active Stromboli and Vulcano, which hasn’t erupted since 1988. The latter was named after the Roman fire god Vulcan, whose abode the island was believed to be. And of course the generic term volcano derives from this particular one and has been applied to all other volcanoes ever since.
Human settlement of the Aeolian Islands goes back thousands of years to before the Bronze Age, when the obsidian (a type of sharp volcanic black glass) that was mined here was a prized commodity used for making tools (and possibly weapons too).
Over the centuries, the archipelago came under various outside rulers, from the Greeks to the Romans, and from the Vandals and Visigoths to Byzantine.
The massive east Sicilian earthquake of 1693, which also levelled large parts of Catania, caused havoc on the Aeolian Islands too, killing tens of thousands of people.
The Norman conquest of Sicily also included the Aeolian Islands and later they came under Bourbon rule, until, like all of Sicily they became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.
During the fascist era, the Mussolini regime attempted to use the islands as a penal colony, against the protests of the locals, who pre-emptively destroyed what remained of a Bourbon-era penitentiary. So the fascists converted part of the Castello (castle of Lipari – see below) into a prison for political prisoners (the building now houses the Archaeological Museum).
The eruption of Vulcano’s Fossa di Vulcano in 1888 killed a large number of people, especially in a nearby sulphur mine. The eruptions didn’t end until over a year and a half later – but since then the volcano has been “sleeping”. It’s still regarded as active though, and steaming fumaroles along its crater rim and hot mud pools at foot of the mountain are testimony to that.
In WWII, the Aeolian Islands, like all of Sicily, were occupied by Allied forces in 1943 following the landings in south Sicily during “Operation Husky” (see Catania’s WWII Museum).
In subsequent times tourism was developed increasingly, and the islands have also been used as film sets (see Stromboli).
Other than tourism, agriculture is the main source of income. Wine has been grown for centuries and especially the Malvasia wines from Lipari and Salina are highly prized, as are the capers from Salina, other vegetables and local cheeses and meats.
Administratively, the islands are part of the municipality of Messina, the port city on the mainland at the northern end of the important shipping route that is the Strait of Messina. But Lipari and most of the other islands form a ‘comune’ with the local government seat in Lipari (only Salina has its own ‘comune’).
In 2000 the Aeolian Islands were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This clashed with the continuing operation of the large pumice mine on Lipari. UNESCO apparently threatened to take the World Heritage title away again unless the mining was stopped. Against considerable local protests (many jobs were at stake), operations were indeed halted in 2007 and the site has lain abandoned ever since. It’s still a controversial subject on the island.
What there is to see: The main reason for a dark tourist travelling to the Aeolian Islands is to see its by far the most active volcano Stromboli. Hence, the island of the same name has been given its own separate entry here:
The second-most important destination within the archipelago has to be Vulcano with its active but currently “sleeping” volcano Fossa di Vulcano. The island is the southernmost of the group and easily reached from neighbouring Lipari or from the mainland (Milazzo – see below). I visited it as a day return excursion from Lipari.
I came with the intention of climbing up to the crater rim, so from the ferry jetty I made my way straight towards the trailhead for the crater climb. Unlike on Stromboli, you are free to go up without a guide on Vulcano. I also knew about the safety rules and the warning signs that come with a traffic light system: when the light is flashing green you are good to go, but when it’s flashing red, you are prohibited from climbing up to the crater. Nominally, that is. When I got there, the light was indeed flashing red. Yet I could see several hikers along the track and on the crater rim. And a couple of other hikers walked straight past me towards the trail as I contemplated whether to do the same or obey the rules. What shifted me into the decision to stay downhill and not hike up was not so much the breaking of rules (I have done on other occasions) but more the thought of having the very strenuous hike up to the 400m viewpoint of Stromboli ahead of me the next day (a hike of five hours there and back), and since that was my main reason for coming to the Aeolian Islands in the first place I decided that jeopardizing that plan through sore muscles or even a sprained ankle was perhaps not such a good idea after all.
So instead I carried on along the country road leading away from the trailhead. I knew that at the next turn-off I would come to another little unique thing (not dark, I know, but quirky) on Vulcano: Caseificio La vecchia Fattoria, the last cheesemaker on the island, using the local goats’ milk to make very distinctive varieties with low yield (apparently it’s hard work so the industry has declined to just one last survivor). I bought some cheese and then made my way back through the town towards the ferry terminal. Fortunately it was possible to bring the return journey forward so I didn’t have hours to kill on little Vulcano, especially since it was low season and most shops, bars and restaurants hadn’t yet opened. So I only had a salad at the waterfront hotel (which came with Vulcano cheese) and then got the boat back to Lipari.
In Lipari Town there’s also an interesting cemetery, quite centrally located, opposite the ferry port, with a view of the sea and the mountains. Some of the larger tombs are rather unusual in being almost brutalist in architectural style.
One intriguing thing I found out too late about to be able to visit it on this occasion is the huge pumice quarry and associated processing plants and loading pier. I just saw them from the sea, namely from the ferry coming from Palermo (and again en route to Stromboli). The pier and plants looked abandoned and a prime urbex attraction. It’s quite a dramatic site even from a distance.
When I researched the site later I also found that there is a white “pumice canyon” (you can find photos on Google Maps). Going on Street View I could not make out any access points from the main road though (it’s all fenced off either side of the road). Then I found out from some online reports that you can get at least to the coastal parts of the pumice processing plant and pier head by walking along the coast from Spiaggia di Porticello just north of the pumice operations and in season a popular beach. Weather permitting you can apparently carry on south along the rocks and lesser beaches to get to the end of the loading bridge and some of the abandoned pumice plants. Not all of them may be reachable that way, though, since they are flanked by steep cliffs. You’d need a boat to get there. How to get to the “pumice canyon” I could not find out, and to what degree the huge white hills and craters of the actual mine can be accessed is also unclear. Some people must have managed it, though, going by the few photos from up there that I found. If I ever get the chance to go back to Lipari, these intriguing urbex-potential relics of the pumice industry would be my top priority!
I’ve not visited the islands of Salina, Panarea, Filicudi or Alicudi and don’t know of any dark aspects on those islands (except perhaps Alicudi’s end-of-the-world remoteness).
But I very much enjoyed my time on Lipari, Vulcano and especially Stromboli. They were definitely highlights of my 12-day trip to Sicily in April 2026.
Location: Between 20 miles (30 km) and 50 miles (80 km) off the northern coast of Sicily, south Italy; the nearest town on mainland Sicily is Milazzo.
Google Maps locators:
Pumice quarry and works on Lipari: [38.512, 14.960]
Lipari Town cemetery: [38.4707, 14.9527]
Castello de Lipari: [38.467, 14.957]
Lipari ferry port: [38.4710, 14.9551]
Vulcano ferry port: [38.4154, 14.9610]
Fossa di Vulcano: [38.4045, 14.9625]
Trailhead for crater hikes: [38.40734, 14.95207]
Caseificio La vecchia Fattoria: [38.40533, 14.94958]
Salina: [38.562, 14.848]
Filicudi: [38.5675, 14.568]
Alicudi: [38.5393, 14.3542]
Panarea: [38.6388, 15.0670]
Milazzo ferry port: [38.2184, 15.2409]
Access and costs: easy in season by fast ferries, very restricted off season; prices vary greatly.
Details: The only way of getting to the islands is by boat. Local operator Liberty Lines runs hydrofoils and other fast ferries for foot passengers between all the islands and to mainland Sicily, mostly to the nearest mainland port at Milazzo, but there are also connections to/from as far away as Palermo. In season there are daily connections, out of season there may be only one a week (that was the case when I went in April 2026). They are very practical and reasonably comfortable too (although the onboard snacks-and-drinks bar was unstaffed and unstocked when I used the ferries in April). And being on a hydrofoil at full speed is also a little adventure, especially if you sit on the lower deck right next to the “wings” on which the boat glides above the water once it’s picked up speed. I only had that on the ferry between Palermo and Lipari, the other boats were non-hydrofoil ones, but still pretty fast, but I saw several other hydrofoils coming in at Vulcano and Lipari. It’s quite an experience.
Alternatively there are larger and slower car ferries from various ports, including Messina and Naples. These can also be used by foot passengers.
NOTE: most of the islands effectively shut down out of season (winter) and ferry connections are much reduced. The best times to go are therefore spring (from April) and autumn (until October), when it’s not so busy yet and the temperatures are more tolerable than in the blazing summer.
For getting around on the larger islands you can hire two- or four-wheeled vehicles for larger distances, or else hike. Walking is fine in Lipari Town and on Vulcano, though you could rent scooters and bicycles, but on Aliduci, there are no roads, just steep paths and many steps, so using your own legs is the only option.
For accommodation, options vary greatly by island and just as with ferry connections get limited out of season, especially on the smaller islands. Lipari, naturally, has the widest choice, including some really good ones. I don’t normally pick out particular businesses, but for Hotel Oriente in Lipari Town I have to make an exception: it’s a super-quirky museum-cum-hotel whose public areas are stuffed full of artefacts, mostly old agricultural tools, but also furniture, sculptures, kitchen utensils, waggons, paintings, toys, a gramophone, plane models, watches, stuffed turtles and lots more. The guest rooms are fairly comfy and not too pricey for what you get.
Salina and Panarea also have various choices, but on Filicudi they are a bit more limited, and on Alicudi especially so. Yet it is no longer the case that “you have to ask around for a room”, as the 2025 edition of my guidebook still claimed. These days you can book rooms online even in that remote place. On Vulcano you can find a harbourside hotel that is good value for money and a couple of pricier and classier ones further inland, as well as various private rooms.
The Aeolian Islands are rightly famous for food & drink. Thanks to the fertile volcanic soil, high-quality agricultural crops can be grown. Salina especially is famous for its capers. Wine is also grown on the islands, especially on Salina and Lipari, but even on a tiny scale on Stromboli. The grape variety of choice here is mostly Malvasia that typically yields sweet dessert wines, but there are also a few drier varieties.
Note that, unlike in most other parts of Italy and Sicily, tap water is not potable in many places on the islands. Ask before you fill your water bottle. You may be forced to buy commercial bottled drinking water.
Restaurant choices are a bit more limited on the outer islands, but Lipari Town offers great choices and top quality. My choice was Osteria Liparota, which was very good, and their menu offered so many tempting options that my wife and I went back there for a second evening … which is something we seldom do, normally we seek variety and go to as many different restaurants as possible, but in this case there was so much to try from the mouth-watering menu that it warranted a return visit straight away.
Time required: I had only two nights on Lipari, which I mainly used as a springboard for Stromboli (where I also had two nights), but also on my full day for a day return excursion to Vulcano (see above). I could have used a little more time to try and explore the pumice mine relics, though I cannot say how long that would take (if it is possible at all – see above).
Combinations with other dark destinations: On clear days you can see the massive hulk of Mt Etna, and if Stromboli and Vulcano haven’t been enough for you, going up Europe’s largest and second-most active volcano is also a popular part of Sicily’s volcano tourism portfolio – see under Catania.
You can also get to Palermo by hydrofoil so Lipari/the Aeolian Islands can also combine well with that city’s dark attractions!
There are also car and passenger ferries connecting Lipari and some of the other islands with Naples.
See also under Italy in general.
Combinations with non-dark destinations: a lot of the attraction of the archipelago is of a non-dark nature, such as hiking (some of it a bit demanding), boat tours, both sightseeing tours or including sea fishing. There are also archaeological sites and various museums. Panarea is where well-off holidaymakers enjoy ‘la Dolce Vita’ in summer. The westernmost islands of Filicudi and especially Alicudi are for those who want to get away from it all (and on Alicudi that includes no roads/vehicles and a largely off-grid experience). Salina is known for its hiking opportunities and also for its agricultural produce, including winemaking and highly regarded capers.
In Lipari, the largest of the islands and the only one with a proper town, also called Lipari (pronounced [‘lee – pari], accent on the first syllable) you can find Castello di Lipari, an ancient castle/fortress, which features several museums (two archaeological ones and a volcanological one) as well as excavated ancient ruins, an amphitheatre and a field of old tombs, plus a church and a cathedral.
Marina Corta, the old harbour south of the Castello (the current main harbour is to the north of it), is a nice place to hang out, especially in the evening. The main tourist drag, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, has plenty of restaurants, tourist shops, jewellers and grocery stores where you can buy Aeolian specialities (from classy wine and excellent capers to very good cheeses).
