You simply cannot afford to miss a trip to Aeolian Islands, if you are planning to visit Italy in the summer. This breathtaking archipelago is off the northern shores of Sicily. These Italy islands are fairly recent, fashioned by nature out of volcanic eruptions. All volcanoes, except one at Stromboli, are extinct though. Keep an Italy map by your side for finding out exactly where these islands are situated for planning your trip better, (it’s not absolutely necessary, though).
Vulcano is one of the most popular islands of the entire group. Chances are that this will be your first stop as you take a ferry from Milazzo. Do not forget to indulge in a mud bath once you reach here, followed by a shower. The sulfur odor will cling on to you for a couple of days, at the least, but you wouldn’t care less.
Lipari is the biggest island of the group. It also has the richest history. You can spend hours in its museum - the citadel. You can see various significant phases of the history of Italy unfold before your very eyes in the form of pictures and artworks from the Stone Age onwards! If museums give you the creeps, do not be disappointed. Climb up the Mount Sant’Angelo, and catch an unbelievably beautiful view of the island from the top. The sand is white, and the beaches are great for sunbathing. Hire a boat to the sea - which takes on a conspicuous pale-blue hue over here. Enjoy a swim as the boatman prepares an excellent fare of pasta and fresh fish for you on board. On land, you will find numerous shops, restaurants, lodges - everything, in short, that you need for a great summer holiday.
Panarea is decidedly up-market. Its milk white houses and foliage are extremely attractive. Be not surprised to spot the residences of some of the most rich and famous from the showbiz and the fashion industry over here. There is something typically ‘Greek’ about Basiluzzo, an island which appears like a spec in the Tyrrhenian Sea on Aeolian Islands map. But looks can be deceptive: this island is absolutely Roman.
Salina is lush, and gifted with great natural beauty. Stromboli (remember Rossellini’s film of the same name with Ingrid Bergman: it was actually shot over here) is remotest island; it is also the most picturesque island according to me. Being the youngest of the Aeolian Islands, its beach is darker than the other island beaches. Stromboli has the only active volcano in the archipelago. This volcano has been spitting fire from as long back as human history can care to remember. Take a night trip and see the magma pouring out of its crater (from a distance, though!).
The Aeolian Islands is the ultimate summer destination, and more than 200,000 visitors come here every year. It is usually sunny and bright between May to early October, but be ready to brave a little rough weather at times: do not forget that this is where Odysseus accidentally took the lead off the bottle which contained all the winds of the world, gifted to him by none other than the mighty Aeolus, the Greek God of wind: after whom the archipelago is named.