Self-Guided Tours
The Aeolian Islands : Volcanoes and Cinema
Travel Type: Self-drive Itinerary
Transportation: hydrofoil + rented car or rented scooter
Dates : spring – summer – autumn
Duration: 5 nights/6 days
Short description
An itinerary designed to introduce you to the Eolian Islands focusing on the two most fascinating.
Can be extended adding nights in Panarea, Vulcano, Lipari, Alicudi, Filicudi.
Main Stages: Salina - the bucolic island- and Stromboli - the volcano rising from the sea.
Highlights
Visit the locations of world well known movies “the Postman” and “Stromboli Land of God”
Climb Monte Fossa delle Felci in Salina
Enjoy one of world’s most beautiful sunsets at Pollara
Visit the Emigration Museum in Salina
Have a guided tasting of Malvasia and local products
Climb Stromboli, one of the few volcanoes of the world in continuous activity
Dine under the stars with “Stromboli’s firelights” in the background
Have a night boat excursion to admire “La sciara del fuoco”
Programma
First day : Salina – The Green Island
Arrive by hydrofoil from Milazzo , about 1 ½ hours navigation, pick up your rented car or scooter and reach your selected accommodation.
Twin-peaked Salina, famous for its starring role in the movie Il Postino, with Philippe Noiret and Massimo Troisi, is the greenest of the islands, and home of seven villages and hamlets: you will be spoilt for choice!
We suggest to start your personal discovery of the island in Santa Marina, the main port, with a long, traffic-free main street, where chic boutiques occupy the ground floors of the 19th-century houses built by those entrepreneurs who made their fortune selling sweet Malvasia wine.
Only 3,5 KM away you’ll find Lingua, a small fishermen’s village, recognizable by a picturesque light-house, where one of the few pebbles beaches of the island is located just in front of a small lake of salty water, once part of a salt pan -“salina” in Italian- here’s where the island’s name comes from!
Visit the tiny Ethnographic Museum and at the end choose among two of the most famous specialties of the island : a huge “pani cunzato” (a plate-shaped bread dressed with tomatoes, tuna fish, olives, capers, etc) or the best granita in Salina, da Alfredo.
Evening at leisure.
Second day : Salina
Spend the day on the opposite side of the island, in the pretty village of Malfa, with a main square dominated by the church of Sant’Anna and a number of small shops and restaurants. Here you will find the Michelin starred restaurant of 26 years’ old chef, Martina, one of the youngest Michelin appointed chefs in the world and the Hotel Signum SPA , the best in the whole archipelago.
Do not miss the Museum of Emigration, illustrating the story of the island and of the massive exodus to Australia and the USA in the late 19th century, when Phylloxera aphid annihilated the vineyards of the precious local Malvasia wines, causing the collapse of the archipelago’s economy.
Consider a visit to a local farm producing Malvasia wines and capers (and may be take part to the harvesting!) and have a guided tasting of the island’s world famous wine accompanied by local products like sun dried tomatoes and capers.
Drive to Pollara, a small hamlet on the edge of an antique crater partially collapsed. The name of Pollara is linked to Massimo Troisi, who set there the most suggestive scenes of his last film, Il Postino (The Postman). The beach of Pollara, situated under the steep reef, shaped as an amphitheatre, is one of the most fascinating places of the whole Aeolians .From this beach you can admire a spectacular sunset, considered one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world: imagine a dramatic red sun gently sinking in the blue sea with the islands of Alicudi and Filicudi in the background.
Evening at leisure to discover the local restaurants.
Third day : Salina
Spring and autumn are the best times to climb Monte Fossa delle Felci, the highest peak in the archipelago: dedicate the morning to a 2/3 hours climbing, reach the top and sit in solemn silence in front of such beauty: the whole archipelago floating on the glittering sea with Mt. Etna in the background!
After descending drive to Rinella, a small village of fishers, situated along a steep valley, leading down to the sea and to the second port of the island. Here you’ll find a beach of black sand, of a half-moon shape, with caves dug in the rock, once used as boat shelters. The fans of snorkelling can observe the volcanic activity consisting in gas and vapours rising from the depths of the sea.
Evening at leisure.
Fourth day : Salina – Stromboli “The lighthouse of Mediterranean”
After breakfast check out and take the hydrofoil to Stromboli.
The northernmost island of the archipelago, Stromboli is one of the most active volcanoes in the world since ever and is famous not only for its small but regular explosions, throwing out glowing lava from several vents of its summit crater, the so-called strombolian activity, but also for its spectacular incandescent night-time explosions.
No doubt : You will instantaneously fall in love with the strong contrasts of this black rock rising from the blue sea: the white Mediterranean houses, the green palm and olive trees, the bougainvillea fucsia flowers and the sweet-smooth fragrance of the figs ripening on the tree branches.
Arrive at Scari, meet your driver and transfer to your accommodation by the typical “taxi” of the island, the so called “ape-car”
Dedicate the rest of the day to discover the island strolling along the narrow paths (the island is only pedestrian, except for authorized vehicles and motor scooters) or, depending on the season, relaxing on the typical black sandy beaches.
Do not miss, at the end of the day, the climb to the top crater with an authorized guide, along a fascinating route surrounded by unique landscapes. The climb lasts around 2,5 hours and once reached the peak you will admire the red explosions under a terrific starry sky.
As an alternative, if you can admire this amazing show from the sea: before sunset leave by boat towards the “Sciara del Fuoco”: the lava materials of the eruptions will sink in the sea in front of you. At the end, before coming back, enjoy an aperitif in the small village of Ginostra, reachable by boat only.
Fifth day : Stromboli
Day at leisure to continue your discovery of the hamlets on the island: San Vincenzo, Ficogrande and Piscità, and eventually pass right in front of the house where Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini stayed during the filming of “Stromboli Land of God” in 1949, (giving great scandal being both married) and now remembered by a plaque.
Suggest to have dinner at the Osservatorio, an old building “converted” into a restaurant-pizzeria, enjoying the lights and the “roarings” of the volcano while dining at the candlelight under the stars.
Sixth day : Stromboli – Milazzo
After breakfast check out and leave by hydrofoil to Milazzo where you will arrive after approximately 2 ½
hours.
Date & Quote
Quote: on request
Including:
3 overnight stay in Salina in 3* or 4* hotels
2 overnight stay Stromboli in 3* or 4* hotels
5 breakfast in hotel
4 days car or scooter rental in Salina
Hydrofoil tickets Milazzo – Salina - Stromboli – Milazzo
Arrival and departure transfers in Stromboli
Not Including:
Flights
Personal Expenses
Meals and Drinks not specified
Local city taxes to be paid on spot
Museum and archaeological sites entrance fees
Everything not mentioned as included
Booking & Cancellation Policy
HOW TO BOOK
contacting us on the phone +39 091 583728, or sending an enquiry online at our website formwww.privatesicily.it . You will be contacted by a member of our staff within 48 hours (working days). We will send you a proposal and quote for the services required. Once we have receiced your written confirmation we will confirm all the service by issuing and sending via e-mail a pro-forma invoice. Please check this pro-forma invoice carefully as soon as you receive it and contact us immediately if there is any wrong information about you or the services confirmed.
GUARANTEED DEPARTURES
The tours marked as guaranteed departures will depart as scheduled with the minimum number of participants specified in each tour. We will confirm the tour 30 days before the scheduled day. We try to make every departure work and only cancel when absolutely necessary and we may decide to operate a tour with less than the normal minimum number of people.
If your tour is cancelled because the minimum size group is not met, you will have the option to either transfer to another tour or receive a full refund of the deposit paid.
PAYMENT
Usually to confirm your booking, we require a deposit of 30% of the total quote, and the balance is required 30 days before departure ; we will specify when different conditions apply in your pro-forma invoice.
CHANGES
Any changes to your confirmed booking, must be notified us in writing. Whilst we will endeavour to assist, we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet the requests. Changes in party size which result in a decrease in the overall cost of the booking will be treated as a partial cancellation and our normal cancellation charges will apply.
CANCELLATIONS
Any cancellation should be made in writing (by e-mail). Following penalties (% of total invoice) will be applied for cancellations made:
Up to 60 days 10%
from 59 to 31 days 30%
from 30 to 21 days 50%
from 20 to 01 days 100%
before arrival date
no show 100%
If different conditions apply, they will be specified in the booking process.