the eolie islands

The Eolie Islands or Eolie Archipelagus is a set of seven islands of volcanic origin in the North of Sicily, belonging to the province of Messina, located in the Tirreno Sea.

The Islands are: Lipari (the main island), Salina, Stromboli, Vulcano, Alicudi, Filicudi and Panarea. There are also a series of smaller islands and rocks.

The islands features two active volcanoes: Stromboli and Vulcano.

Their history is very ancient, being inhabited already 4 thousands years before Christ. What historically made the islands popular was the abundance of mineral resources, like obsidian (a stone used in the prehistorical time to create sharp objects) and sulfur (a typical product of volcanoes). For this reasons they were known and colonized by the Greeks. According to the Greek myth, the islands were home to the god of wind, called Eolo, who could interpret the wind looking at the smoke of an active volcano.

After the Greeks, the Romans used the islands for their commerce, followed by Arabs, Normans and Spaniards.

Today the islands are mainly famous for touristic reasons, due to the beautiful natural resources they have, and they have been added to the UN World Heritage list for their natural beauty.

The spectacle of the volcanoes Stromboli and Vulcano at night is unique and can been seen from a boat in the sea, offered by the many companies that operate in the islands.

The islands are connected to the main cities in Sicily, Calabria and Campania.

Especially convenient to reach the islands is Milazzo.