Fiery charm of volcanic Italy
From the Daily Mail
Black sand, a sea bath hot with sulphurous steam, the orange flashes of regular nocturnal eruptions - these are some of the surprises to be found in the Aeolian islands, the bizarrely beautiful volcanic archipelago that rises starkly out of the sea just north of Sicily.
Once the home of a tiny population scratching a living, and a haven for pirates and exiles, the seven islands in this remote group are now slowly opening themselves up to the juicier rewards of tourism. Their geography, fortunately, doesn't make it easy for them.
Even Lipari, the largest, has no airport. Access is by hydrofoil from Sicily or Naples. Long may it remain that way. For, stepping off the boat at Marina Corte, I found myself in one of the most charming little Mediterranean harbours I'd ever seen.
The tiny ticket office on the stone mole nudges up to a beautifully crumbling church. A few steps beyond, brightly painted fishing boats jostle for space in the narrow harbour. Cliffs of off-white lava rock rise sharply to the Castello, a picturesque jumble of churches, houses and a museum within 16th-century walls.
Beyond is a little square with a trio of cafes. Here I sat while my luggage was taken up on one of those toy-sized Italian vans to my hotel, the Rocce D'Azzurre, perched on a low cliff above the blue-green sea.
Heading out to discover the wider island in the morning, I found it similarly unspoilt. Eventually, I found the track I wanted, which led out to the open coastline: a spectacular sweep of low bushes, cacti and strewn stones plunging to a silhouetted pair of rocks.
The next morning, I made things easier for myself by recruiting a guide. Together we sped round the narrow backroads of the island. The rocks I had seen the evening before turned out to be the celebrated faraglione, the centrepiece of a famous view from the observatory at Capistella. Through a nature reserve of squat gum trees, olives and broad-leaved cacti on the far side of the island, we came to San Calogero, where you can swim in hot springs.
Travel guide: Sicily