Isole Eolie

We based ourselves in Milazzo off the Coast of Sicily and the closest port to the Isole Eolie (Aeolian Islands) for Day trips. Our visit to the islands consisted of a long day trip to 2 of the closest islands being Lipari and Vulcano. We utilised Liberty Lines being local ferries around the islands rather than undertaking with a tour company. Ticket prices were reasonable with a lot of flexability for ferry times, and we could take our Boston Terrier dog with us. Lipari was more urbanised with a lot more infrastructure, activities and sites. We particularly enjoyed the old castle area with the Basilica di Dan Bartolomeo and the archaeological ruins in the area. The islands are inscribed due to their volcanic landforms, activity and the continuing study of volcanology through history. They are also home to a number of unique and threatened bird species, reptiles and mammals. Which we found interesting as there were numerous cats on both islands wandering around, which we thought would be a threat to these unique and threated species themselves. That being said, we spent about 4 hours exploring Lipari town before catching another ferry to Vulcano. On volcano, the sulphur "rotten egg" smell immediately hits you and is present for most of your exploration of the Vulcano Porto. The volcano on Vulcano is active and rising above the town you can see the smoke constantly coming from the top, although you don't feel threatened in any way. We explored the mud pools …

I just read this thread for the first time to find that all previous 6 posts mentioned only the island of Vulcano, so I would be glad to add my experience on 2 more islands: Lipari and Stromboli. 

Toward the end of my 2 month-long trip to Europe in summer 2012 I took a ferry from Milazzo to the city of Lipari (on the island of Lipari), which is considered to be the capital of Isole Eolie, and stayed there for 2 nights. In the evening when I arrived, I booked a volcano-viewing tour to Stromboli in the following day. 

Beside this tour, another reason I stayed somewhat longer in the Isole Eolie was because I was sort of looking for an ideal island in the Med, an island more developed than Greek islands but less developed than Capri, and, knowing nothing about Isole Eolie, I thought one of the 7 islands could be it. 

I do remember walking around in the city of Lipari but do not remember what I saw besides souvenir shops in the center, so, I probably did not see much. 

Anyway, the tour, which lasted for several hours and with perhaps 15 participants onboard a small boat, first took us to an underwater volcano near Stromboli where you could see bubbles coming up to the surface of water and where we were allowed to swim out of the boat in the warmer water due to the volcano. 

Then we arrived …

Following in the footsteps of the previous reviewers, I visited Vulcano as a day trip from Milazzo. It's the southernmost island and fastest to reach from Sicily by virtue of being closest to the coast. Luckily, it's also very representative example for the islands. It has a large, somewhat active volcano that is well within reach for persons with normal fitness levels. From the top of the volcano you get great views of the island itself as well as the whole island chain. Timewise, it's well within the time window awarded by the return ferry.

Looking back I feel the islands would have deserved more time. My father had been to the islands decades prior, ending up staying overnight by coincidence. He said it was one of the best experiences he had on his Italy trip. And I think I get it. Tranquil Vulcano felt like a place apart from a bit too busy and - sorry to say - a bit too dirty Sicily. I can only image the peaceful mood after the day tourists (like me) had left ... A true vacation.

Staying overnight would also have provided me with the opportunity to explore more remote corners of the island, e.g. by bike. The views of the Southern part of Vulcano (Gelso) and the Western coast looked promissing and piqued my interest. And yeah, to see more islands would have required even more days.

Getting There

There are ferries from both Naples and Milazzo …

March 2019 - day 3 we arrived in Milazzo. Next morining we took the fastboat to Vulcano. Seems to be the first choice for WHS enthusiast. Although it was only March this day was quite warm. Nvertheless, what sahll you do on Vulcona during off-season. Climbing the Vulcano was the only option. We followed the sulphur aroma and took the steep climb to the top. Nice views even to Stromboli and down the caldera. The natural environment is beautiful, maybe a bit to many houses on that island. Maybe thats different on the more remote islands. However, we enjoyed the trip to the island.

I visited only Vulcano island as also other reviewers did. We traveled by ferry from Milazzo in October 2013 (be aware that train station in Milazzo is far away from the town and ferry port, and that there is infrequent or no bus connection between train station and the port during weekend and one has to take a cab), climbed the crater (very strong experience to see sulphur crystals + wonerful view over other islands of the archipelago), visited thermal baths nearby the port (I could smell suplphur on my skin even one week after), spent pleasent time on beaches (there are mineral spring directly underwater on the beach close to the port and thermal baths - Spiagga delle Acque Calde, while the beach just on the opposite side had black sand, which made water warmer - Spiagga delle Sabbie Nere), and - what was the most appealing - stayed overnighted directly in the nature in sleeping bags in the northernmost part of the island enjoying beautiful views to Lipari island.

Photo - view from the northernmost part of Vulcano towards the crater.

The Vulcano island was very tranquil (it was off the season in October) and literarlly warm. My dream is to visit also other island of the archipelago.

Unfortunately this was a disappointing visit for us. We had booked two nights in Milazzo on the Sicilian mainland to use as a base for visiting the Islands, but on our first day the weather was perfect and the seas horrendous - no boats were running! The second day, the weather was horrendous but the seas perfect - boats were running but in heavy rain. In the end we managed the ferry out to Vulcano, visited the sulphur vents just near the docks, and managed to climb up the crater as well. The hike was about as enjoyable as any hill-climb hike in heavy rain can be, which is to say not especially! We eventually admitted defeat in the early afternoon and returned to Milazzo, hoping to return another time in better weather. It does seem like a nice spot, but not one I can really leave an honest star-rating for.

I visited this WHS in May 2015. Unfortunately I only set foot on one of the seven islands but I managed to get a great panoramic view of all the islands after climbing the volcanic crater of Vulcano. The climb is not a very strenous one and it only takes around 45mins of uphill hiking. The panoramic view is magnificent and well worth the effort. The trail is well marked and the terrain changes from earth to clay to old volcanic ash/lava to rocky which is quite remarkable for such a short hike. The trail is about 15 mins distant from the hydrofoil port and I had to make my way through a herd of local goats which were climbing the few trees and bushes beneath the volcano. The volcano's sole activity now are the toxic sulphuric fumaroles which cause the rotten eggs smell close to the crater rim. Several forms of yellow/orange/white crystals can been seen and it's a great experience to walk round the crater to view them. I walked down the crater and then up a zig-zag trail to a higher vantage point over the volcanic crater to take some pictures. I'm happy with the photos I took but believe me no camera will beat the beauty and awe seen through your eyes. From the high vantage point the other side of the fertile island can be seen and the weather was so clear that I could see the snow capped Mt. Etna in the distance. Next …

There are basically two options to get a glimpse of the Aeolian Islands in one day: join one of the mini cruises that take in most of them, or organize a trip yourself to one of the closest islands to the mainland (Vulcano or Lipari). I opted for the last possibility and checked in at 9.30 a.m. in the rather scruffy city of Milazzo for the hydrofoil to Vulcano.

There's no sign, but the smell tells you that you've arrived: Vulcano = sulfur. I choose this island because it could give me the opportunity to observe a sleeping volcano from close range. There's not much else to see, besides wonderful views of some of the other islands.

The climb to the crater takes about one hour. There's little shade and the first half-hour is very tiring because of the steepness and the lush sand one has to wade through. Once at the top, not the crater but the fumaroles catch the attention: cracks in the ground that let off sulfurous steam. Other visitors even brought gas masks to be able to withstand the smoke of these fumaroles! I just stood watching from a careful distance, enjoying this natural spectacle. I walked on the edge of the crater too, you can even follow a trail that leads to the bottom of the crater.