Aeo;ian Islands and Milazzo, their mainland port

It would be good to see Stromboli which was puffing merrily away on the flight into Catania. It would be good to do a longer trip round the islands. It would be good to get a bus trip round Lipari, which means two buses with the bit between walkable. It WAS good to go up to the archeological museum at Lípari.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

This could be a real choice; for me lack of time decided it. The aliscafo [hydrofoil] is much faster but the ships lend the possibility of going around on deck and, of course they are much cheaper.

There are a number of small hotels in Milazzo and the truth is probably that there is little to choose between them.

Certainly this one is quite reasonable for a short stay and probably most people only stay a night on their way to the Aeolians.

It is a place without much character to the extent that I have no positive memory of it but then I have no bad memories either, and it is conveniently placed in a road parallel to the coast.

Aliscafi have a depressing effect on me. I suppose it is being expected to sit still - it seems a bit dehumanising. Here the natural scenery is so powerfully evocative that it overcomes any feelings of this sort, though given the time I should prefer the ordinary navi {boats}.

Vulcano is a dying volcano - it being possible to walk safely right up to the crater. Puffs of smoke still come up but nothing dramatic. I was not tempted to get off, even though it would have given me more time on shore.

So to Lípari, which probably attracts more visitors than any other island. It is very scenic with the harbour lying in a steep-sided cove. Buses run both ways around the perimeter of the island and there are a few miles which can be walked between the two termini. Going up the main road steeply you come to a long flight of steps to the right. If this seems daunting, as it did to me, it is possible to get to the same point by continuing up the hill a bit further before going right. One way or the other it is a good place to go, because it leads to the excellent archaeological museum and the largest church on the island. The views back over the harbour are something else.

There are two buildings, one containing pre-classical remains, from stone to bronze to iron, and the other containing the classical section. Both are laid out very well indeed and finds from the Sicilian mainland can be seen as well as those from the islands. It was a far better museum than I could have envisioned finding on what is actually quite a small island.

It has to be admitted that Milazzo owes most of its visitors to its being the port for the Aeolian Islands, and such is the plethora of beautiful towns and natural sights on Sicily that this will probably remain true.

Yet when one strolls around it, more or less perforce, it is an attractive and interesting town, though marred by some smelly and unsightly indutry nearby. The citadel, which is largely a remnant of the time of Spanish supremacy is formidable and impressive from a distance although I did not use my limited energy getting up to it.

It is a lively port and the evening walkabout seems to give more cheer than in some other towns.

It is possible to eat well and cheaply in a couple of self-service cafeterias at the opposite end of town to the port.