a few notes & tips from alicudi, aolian islands

Alicudi is a tiny volcanic island surrounded by the sea and clouds. Isolated and raw, it is the most remote of the seven Aeolian Islands.

It is a magical place, for sure. The woman who walked up the hill with us told us that the island has a way of choosing its visitors, and I really hope it can stay like this, veiled by a thin layer of protection.

Throughout the hour it took us to arrive at the house, hiking away from the tiny port, she showed us a few landmarks, the pebble beach, the few restaurants on the island, and the two churches on the way up. We stopped by a house to get a takeaway dinner, a homemade traditional meal by one of the not-much-more than a hundred residents.

As the sun went down and we walked through ancient stone paths as the sounds of the sea and people by the shore got lower, the sea shimmering in the distance. She reminded us of how precious water is here. The properties close to the shore can be fuelled by ships that bring water, but the houses closer to the top depend only on rainwater, which is not frequent in Sicily. It rained on our first night. The storm woke me up to darkness, the only light coming from the open window that framed the lightning between clouds. Nothing but the smell of damp earth and the not-usual happiness caused by rainfall.

This text and the couple of videos I made during the trip are my way of telling you that I really hope you can understand and respect the island.

That you can come with an open mind and appreciate the beauty and rawness of this place. But that you can also let yourself listen to the stories, talk to people, and be surrounded by silence. That you can be able to detach from a few things that might seem essential and notice what really matters.

Food

There are a few restaurants and bars by the shore. We loved eating the traditional salad and the grilled swordfish.

There are a few houses scattered around that offer lunch or dinner, and a few that let you order meals to take away, just like we did on our way up. It is a really nice experience!

The way up

Depending on where you will be sleeping, the hike can be a bit challenging. We were told to wait until the sun was behind the hill and to have a water bottle with us, and both were necessary during the end of summer in Sicily.

The house we stayed at was one of the higher houses, very close to the top of the mountain. Our legs were hurting for a few days after we arrived.

Since there are no roads, mules are used as a way to transport most things. You can hire them to take your luggage and groceries. And a small reminder to plan your groceries accordingly, especially if you are staying somewhere high up on the mountain, since it is really not an option to go for a quick walk to grab something you ended up forgetting.

My advice is to take as little luggage as you can, make sure you have the essential medicines and a good book.

Beach

There are two beaches on the island, and even though we love exploring new places to swim and we could spend basically every day by the sea, we ended up visiting only one beach. And one time only. The one-hour hike each way from the house on top of the mountain made us feel like it was enough.

Take my advice and don’t use the red trail if you really don’t have to, it will kill your legs for days. The only pros to that would be that you would be able to see many goats.

The beach itself was very peaceful and quiet. The silence was broken every once in a while by the seagulls and once by the loud ferry that brought the short-lasting presence of a group of seniors who briefly joined us in the cool water.

How to arrive

You can arrive from a few different cities, like Palermo, Messina & Napoli by ferry or hydrofoil. My advice is to keep an eye on the weather conditions, especially when traveling to Alicudi or Filicudi, because if the sea conditions are bad, the stop at these islands can be cancelled.

And to get to know a bit more

You can watch the full vlogs from the Eolie here: