Blue waters, beautiful beaches, unspoilt nature, years of history and culture, caves and volcanoes of irresistible charm, one of the tastiest cuisines in the Mediterranean and a wide range day and night entertainment: these are the reasons why the Aeolian Islands have always attracted tourists from all over the world.
And if a “normal” holiday will leave you ecstatic, a trip by sailing boat, powerboat, luxury yacht or catamaran will be even more memorable and exclusive and will allow you to discover gems, coves, bays and beaches that are generally tricky to get to from the land. The Aeolian Islands, also known as the Seven Sisters, are an archipelago of volcanic origin, located in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, facing the coast of Messina.
Enjoying the Aeolian Islands on a sailing boat is definitely a unique experience: you will visit places full of history that has been heavily influenced by the Greeks, the Romans, passing through Arabs and Spaniards; everyone leaving some wonderful traditions and heritage into the soil of these islands. The presence of two active volcanoes and the typical nature ‘isolana’ (that is typical of Mediterranean islands) makes this archipelago special and magic.
In Salina, you absolutely must not miss the beautiful beach of the bay of Pollara, which rises in practice in what is a partially collapsed volcanic crater.
From Salina you can move on to Vulcano which, as its name suggests, is also formed by the union of some volcanoes, with many activities that are still present nowadays such as ‘fumarole’ and steam jets. Not to be missed are the baths in the thermal mud puddle, the fascinating Black Sands Beach and finally the exclusive climb to the crater for a breathtaking view of the entire archipelago.
The island of Stromboli is completely dominated by its volcano, which is almost a thousand meters high and still active. It certainly deserves a special excursion. Heavily recommended to get there at night: on board the sailboat or motorboat you can enjoy the spectacle of lapilli lit against the darkness of the night sky, a unique event.
Full of coves and small bays, caves and spectacular stacks, Filicudi is perhaps the island that lends itself to be enjoyed from sea and is a real paradise for those who love water sports and snorkeling, but also offers great opportunities for walking and hiking, with significant weather changes due to ‘monte Fossa Felci’, a volcano that is almost eight hundred meters high.
Alicudi is located right after Filicudi (if you move away from the Sicilian coast): very few inhabitants, extremely clean sea and pristine beaches for what is the westernmost of the Aeolian Islands and also the ‘wildest’ and less touched by tourism, a great reason to reach it by sea and enjoy a spot of total peace and utter tranquility.
And after visiting the quietest island, we arrive to what could be the opposite of Alicudi, a livelier, trendier island: Panarea may be the smallest of the Seven Sisters but it has achieved incredible tourist success since the seventies and is now known as the “VIP island”. It is a unique place that can offer some of the trendiest and most interesting ‘night life’ of the entire archipelago and which, if visited in low season, produces one of the most exciting natural and precious landscape totally worth exploring.
Last but not least, the Spiaggia delle Pomici on the island of Lipari with a sandy seabed with a five meter depth only seabed and a large bay where you can easily anchor.