Elite Traveler Spring 2023

Salina is the second largest island in the archipelago

The islands

Of the islands, Salina is themost verdant and picturesque, with bougainvillea climbing against the whitewashed houses and villages. The wonder you feel stepping onto the island’s ocher volcanic landscape, sprinkled with cacti and vibrant purple fl owering caper plants, turns to delight as you discover boutique hotels with in fi nity pools and Michelin-starred restaurants. Panarea, meanwhile, is the white hot party destination, favored by Italian aristocrats, rock stars and designers — partly because it’s so hard to get to without your own means of transport. Aside from a handful of boho cocktail bars, there are shipwrecks and the sunken Roman settlement of Basiluzzo for diving, and various lava beaches to explore. The island is car-free, so hire a boat and anchor o ff Cala Junco beach for aswim.

In contrast to Panarea’s white beaches, Stromboli and Vulcano are still active volcanos, the beaches an other-worldly black color. Stromboli has bubbled away almost constantly throughout history; a natural fi reworks display that can be watched from the deck of your yacht. In Vulcano, meanwhile, mineral-rich mud baths and hot springs at Faraglione della Fabbrica add another dimension to your vacation. To avoid island fever, Lipari —the largest island — has a decent-sized town with restaurants and boutiques, as well as Malvasia vineyards and organic caper farms to visit. Lipari has been inhabited for at least 6,000 years, and relics from Neolithic, Bronze and Hellenistic ages remain. At the north of the island, the unique white pumice beach and luminescent aquamarine water of Spiaggia Bianca make it a destination in its own right. Last but not least are Filicudi and Alicudi, the wildest and most remote of all the islands. With little to do there other than walking through ancient vines and olive groves and swimming in the crystalline waters, these are places to hole up without outside distractions and pen that novel you’ve always wanted to write. In Filicudi, take a boat past La Canna rock and the Blue Grotto, which is home to monk seals and sea turtles.

The small island of Filicudi is one of the most remote

Panarea is a car-free island that’s favored by Italian arisocrats

Photos silky/shutterstock.com, Emilio Messina/shutterstock.com, Giongi63/shutterstock.com, Frank Lambert/shutterstock.com