Aeolian Islands: Is last wk Sept too late?
 

Hi,
I really want to visit the Aeolian Islands...preferably four nights in Salina with a day trip to Panarea and Stromboli, but I'd have to be there the last week of September. Are things shut down by then....boats, restaurants, etc? Would it be better to be in Lipari for more to be open? Will the weather still be warm enough for the beach? Thanks for any insights you can give me!

No !

Late September is not too late to visit the Aeolians. Stay in Lipari town if you want more activities, hotel/restaurant choices and shops. The other islands will be quieter. Four days on Stromboli or Panarea might be too much for some. I'd choose either Lipari or Salina.

Thanks bob & GAC....which island would you pick to stay on for four nights...Salina or Lipari? Is one more beautiful than the other?
We would just do a day trip to see Stromboli and hopefully Panarea.

Best time to visit. Weather "should" be perfect and the crowds gone. The rain usually starts later in October.

Nights can be much cooler than the days.

You can easily do daytrips to the other islands from either Lipari or Salina. Lipari has more "going on" and a better selection of hotels and restaurants, plus a wonderful Cathedral and Archeological Museum. Salina is quieter, more rustic and with far fewer inhabitants and tourists. Lipari town is the only real "small town" in the Archipelago. Everything else are just hamlets. If you want more of a "small town feel", stay in Lipari. If you want more seclusion, stay on Salina or in the more remote parts of Lipari. Both islands are very beautiful, but Salina is more "lush".

We've stayed on Lipari very early in the season, and had a lovely time with almost no one about - the restaurants etc were open and running, both there and on other islands.

But oddly enough, when we went to Vulcano, there loads of people around... must be the hot springs and mud that attracts them - like here on Ischia - and I'd imagine the same may very well happen into October?

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/aeolians

Salina had the best red prawns, by a mile, but if you intend to do some exploring then perhaps Lipari is better served by the hydrofoils and ferries... especially once any peak-season services are withdrawn?

Peter

Thanks to all of you for your good advice. Salina seems to have several great hotels to stay at....I liked the looks of Capofaro Malvasia, Principe di Salinca, and Hotel Ravesi. Plus, I like the idea of "lushness" I haven't found one on Lipari that hit me, yet I think that may be a better choice given the lateness of the season and the desire to see Stromboli and Panarea too. Any ideas of where to stay in Lipari? I think I'd rather be a bit outside the main town for some tranquility...and a balcony or terrace with a killer view is a must.

I've been to the Aeolian Islands twice in the last few years--both times in May, before the high season kicked into gear. Fabulous! Click on my name above for my trip report from last May, which will give you some details. We loved it so much that we are returning yet again, this time in September for 3 weeks. The first trip we based in Lipari and took day trips to Panarea, Stromboli, Salina, and Vulcano. Last year we based for a week each on Panarea and Salina. This year we're returning for a week each on Panarea, Lipari, and Salina. We're addicted!

Lipari is a great base that gives you the best access to the other islands because there are many private companies that run boats to the various places, as well as the Siremar and Ustica hydrofoils that ply between the islands. It has lots of good restaurants and a lively shopping area, as well as some historical sites. Late in the season it might actually be the best base. We stay at Diana Brown's B&B in Lipari center--not what you are looking for (in town, no killer view), but a bargain price and quite comfortable. We'll make an excursion from there to Stromboli so my husband can climb the volcano. I might even try it myself!

Panarea is simply wonderful. Small, compact, a totally walking island (except for the golf-cart taxis and the 3-wheel utility vehicles), with beautiful accommodations and also some good restaurants. We just love the ambiance there, which is why we're returning for another week. (Definitely wouldn't go in July or August, though, when it is reputed by the local shopowners to be a hysterical playground for the rich.)

Salina has several small-scale commercial centers spread out around the island. It's the biggest of the main islands--very nice. Easy to rent scooters or a jeep there or take the local buses to visit everywhere on the island. We based in Malfa last year--it was friendly, low-key, quieter than Lipari town. This year we're renting a place in Pollara, which is more isolated but beautiful. I wouldn't say that Salina is any "lusher" than any of the other islands, but if you mean lush in terms of the hotels, you might think about Hotel Raya on Panarea.

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong in the Aeolian Islands, no matter where you end up.

When I mentioned that Salina is more "lush" I meant to say that it's greener than the other islands. Perhaps it's the wooded twin mountains on Salina that contribute to this perception on my part.

Lipari is the largest island in the Archipelago: 37.6 square kilometers, followed by Salina (26.8), Vulcano (21) and Stromboli (12.6). Panarea is the smallest (3.4)

Thanks again GAC and aprilliacs....your trip reports are part of what sold me on the Aeolians.
However, now I got so frustrated yesterday trying to get information on how to get to Millazo by train from Palermo, I've decided to simplify our trip and not go. The trentitalia website kept telling me I couldn't get a train from Palermo to Messina, which I know is wrong, and then we'd need the train to Millazo. If we were going before Sept 15th, we could just go from Palermo. I thought of renting a car, driving to Millazo and parking the car for the five days, but that seems like a big waste of money.

As a bit of background for this trip, we'll have spent two weeks in Corsica and one in Sardinia before we hit Sicily. I think to ease our travel burden, we'll just spend the time exploring Sicily,
unless someone has an easier suggestion on how to get from Palermo to the islands.

I think your problem is the spelling: "Milazzo", not "Millazo". Here's how:

1. Trenitalia train from Palermo Centrale to Milazzo;
2. Taxi (15 Euros), or local bus from Milazzo train station to Milazzo hydrofoil dock
3. Hydrofoil or car ferry from Milazzo dock to Lipari (or Salina).

www.ferroviedellostato.it

www.usticalines.it

www.siremar.it

http://www.aziendasicilianatrasporti...rioInvMe06.htm


Here is an example of a possible itinerary:

1. Trenitalia regionale train from Palermo at 8:08, arrive Milazzo 10:31. Fare: 10.20 Euros. Unreserved train.

2. Taxi or local bus from Milazzo train station to dock.

3. Siremar hydrofoil from Milazzo at 12:15, arrive Lipari 13:20. Fare: 14.70 Euros Reservations optional and likely not essential for late September.

NOTE: The train and hydrofoil schedules have not yet been published for late September. Schedules above are estimates and need to be verified closer to departure.

Thanks GAC. I too found out from TA that my problem was that the train doesn't list any schedules that far in advance (and I realized I had misspelled Milazzo). So, it now looks more doable, especially if there are early trains like you cite.

I knew GAC would come through with accurate and helpful information. One of the charms of the Aeolis is that they are hard to get to--keeps most people away! But that said, it was easy to get from Catania to Milazzo by train, and likewise from Milazzo to Palermo. So I'm sure you can work it out. It seems harder than it actually is.

Salina for ever! Greener, nicer, simply more! Especially if you love nature and september will be the best period to appreciate more people and sights still enjoying the perfect temperature of the Tyrrenean sea, heated up during the summer.

Thanks to all of you for great advice, but with great disappointment, I cut the Aeolians out of our Sicily plans for convenience. We'll be traveling 5 weeks to Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, and it was beginning to seem like too much of a hassle. If I could've gotten a direct boat to their from Palermo, I would've gone, but they stopped running after Sept. 15th. So, I just have to hope that I can get there sometime in the future and just concentrate on them. With a first time trip to Sicily, we didn't want to shortchange our visit there or run ourselves ragged with travel.

GAC: Is early October too late to visit the Aeolians? I was advised on TA that visiting the Aeolians (I had specifically been considering Salina) in October might be a bit iffy due to weather restrictions on the ferries, etc. (We are not renting a car, will be traveling for 10 days in Sicily via public transportation.)
Grazie mille.

I have booked a villa in Lipari for mid October and am hoping to swim at some point. Is that unrealistic?

Grazie

I swam in the sea in Siracusa in the last week of October last year.

The weather was just OK (17oC) but the sea as warmer than we expected.

I have visited Southern Europe in October for years. Malaga, Sicily and Greece are always your best bets for weather but the temperatures can be anywhere between 15oC and 30oC. It is a lottery. Storms can also be an issue.

Having said that, we have just returned from two weeks in Sardinia in July and the weather was anything but good. It rained 4 days out of 14.

humptynumpty,
I'm so sorry to hear about the rain! That certainly puts a damper on things. I hope you found enough other good things to do. Are you writing a trip report?

Barefoot : No trip report but....

The weather was well below what I would expect for Southern Europe in July. The Mistral was very strong we experienced consistent 20 mile an hour winds (day and night) for 10 days and it rained for 4. The temperatures were around 25oC and at many evenings it was too cold to sit out.

We have been visiting Sardinia for 12 years (5 in total) and its great asset is that it changes very little. Unlike say Sicily, the government in Sardinia has a strangle hold on development. You see few little buildings over 2 floors and I believe that new development within 2km of the sea is totally restricted.

We stayed in Conca Verde which is around 5 miles south of Santa Teresa. It is pefect. The sea inlet is very protected from the wind and it is a middle market discrete development of around 60 private villas and a 4 star hotel.

In a brief summary :

Bonifacio : our first day trip there and we loved it. Shabby chic at its height. Very French and a real contrast to Sardinia. The seascapes from the cliffs and houses/restaurants that perch over the sea blow away anything on the Amalfi coast. As a destination, it is well known in France but few other Europeans know of it. Some good restaurants and a real buzz about the place - it was very busy.

Santa Teresa : still sleepy and nowhere near as busy as Bonifacio. The new Marina development is fine and we had a good meal at Il Chiostro but compared with other such developments in Europe it hasn't really got going. We ate at Azzuro, good seafood and great atmosphere, it was difficult to get a table.

Countryside : Agriturismo Saltara, I can honestly say that a trip to Sardinia (ney a trip to Southern Europe) is not complete without a meal here. It is a fairly humble but large looking farm from the outside but on the inside you could easily be in a Tuscan Palazzo. They offer 3 set menus of differing content. The Classico is full work. for 40 euros and includes wine. All the food is either from the farm or local. It is a considerable operation, they are very slick but still keep a warm, friendly and local feel. Best eating experience I have had in years. DO NOT MISS IT.

La Maddalena : a day trip by ferry from Palau. the town has a very Venetian feel, old austere buildings and is a huge sailing base for the Italians. My year was made by being invited onto my dream boat by the Italian Navy who own it as a training boat. I have bumped into it 3 times over the years in Italy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/versagg...n/photostream/

The islands are beautiful and the town a great feel to it.

The Costa Smeralda : haven of the megarich is under pressure. Tourism is down 40% and it showed in the service we received. The coast is still some of the most stunning in Europe and the beaches the best in Europe. Porto Cervo is beginning to look scruffy and the whole area is beginning to lose its way. We did have the ridiculous experience of people queuing for our towel space on one of the beaches at Cala Di Volpe. If you get the chance - La Celvia :

http://www.ciaosardinia.com/eng/beac...a-celvia-beach

Is one of our favourites and is set in villas worth 10 millions euros. The villas themselves are a inspiration to any budding house design type of person. There is still a very small public car park and public access to the beach. Great swimming. Late September should be a lot less busy. There is a good (huge) Pizzeria just past Hotel Cala Di Volpe. It is always decent quality and considering the hotel next door is £5000 a night the prices of the pizzas are cheap at e8. we thought about living it up for one day and having lunch at the Hotel - at e80 each we slummed it next door at the Pizzeria.

Hotel Capriccioli has lovely views of the bay at Cala Di Volpe and good seafood.

South of Olbia : Olbia is a fairly dire place, very commercial, newish and industrial. The resorts just south of it are very plain and featureless. We made our first trip down to Golfo Di Orosei in search of the whales. it rained so hard that we couldn't really get out of the car. We made it as far as the town of Orosei which is interesting in its location on the river. One thing that shine out was the "unCosta Smeralda" nature of the locals. They seemed vary warm and genuine. This are is only 50 miles from Olbia, it could as well have been 5,000 miles away. We gave up driving any further south but the cliffs were beginning to allude to stunning scenery.

Let me know if you would like any more information!

I love the Aelian islands and actually spent the largest part of my honeymoon on Panarea, but wouldn't trust the weather for that sort of holiday in late September or October. It should still be nice then; however I once stayed in Sicily in mid-September and had a lot of very heavy rain - to the extent that some roads were flooded and impassable for short periods.

Caroline - was that the year people were killed in the north east? We visited shortly after those floods, the damage was shocking.

Hi humpty. I think it must have been 1997, Sep 13-27.

Hi Caroline

Our visit was more recent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Me..._and_mudslides

but that was nothing compared to the rain in SW Scotland last Wednesday!!!!!

Wow - not a one off occurrence, then.

Still a lot better than here, agreed :-(

humpty,
I've copied all the great suggestions and I'm sure we'll hit them! So sorry to hear about the weather....that happened to me when we went to the Turks & Caicos this March...rained 3 out of 4 days and it really diminishes the trip.
With any luck, we'll run into a drought situation. Thanks so much for taking the time to describe your trip. My husband will be jealous you got on that beautiful sailboat....we'll keep a watch for it and look longingly at it!
We're staying in Bonifacio for a night before going to Sardinia, but we're staying below at the port for ease of getting the ferry. Are we going to regret not staying on the top of the town? I could change our reservation.

Barefoot

Snap with us : Too cold in Hopetown, The Bahamas this February. Is the world weather changing?....

or are our memories fading. I just remember spending year after year as a child on Southern European beaches in 40oC lying in the sea to keep cool.

Bonifacio : I would say the marina/harbour area is the best place to stay. Very smart and lots of trendy bars/cafes. It just seemed like a fun place - we watched a £50m boat reverse into the tight harbour. There was a chap (about 40 years old) on the top deck, towel robe with 3 supermodels on each arm and a bottle of champagne in his hand. Tacky I know but it just as if everyone was having fun at all levels. Porto Cervo just didn't have the same feel. Lot's of wanabees wandering round spying A list types. Bonifaciois one of our small town finds of the last 10 years. Up there with Siracusa, Beaufort SC and Hopetown, Abaco.

The old town on top of the cliffs is shabby and very chic, property developers could have a field day here. Problem is that shabby is still shabby and some of it was stunningly beautiful but.....scruffy.

If your husband likes sailing and you come across the 4 Sparkman and Stevens Italian navy yacht at any of your stops, seriously ask them. I have found the Italian police to be down right hard work but the Italian military seem to live in the 1950s. Our great friend in Turin is an officer in the air force. He says the old school training gives them a feeling of comfortable elitism. The military I have encountered have been hugely friendly (seem to have little regard to security) and great fun.

I have seen the four boats over the years in Elba, Siracusa, Porto Ercole and now La Maddalena. They stand out a mile as they are so big (70 ft) and so well kept (12 young recruits to polish them. They were berthed in the military base but we could see them from the road. The gate was open and we just wandered in. On mentioning that I knew that they were designed by Sparkmen and Stevens in Newport RI, that was it, I was on.
They invited me out for a sail but we had to be back on the main island. Incredible to think that they are part of NATO and the grumpy reaction we always receive from British/US troops in a situation like this. You know you have done something special when you come home and see that the internet is full of models for sale of those same boats.

This is becoming a trip report but I just don't like the concept of the "look at me" trip reports.

Hotel La Coluccia, Conca Verde. I think we mentioned this before. A incredible design hotel with stinking TA reviews. We had dinner there. Yes, TA is entirely correct. The hotel is stunning without being intimidating (like some hotels are) : stark but warm at the same time. Food was good but the organisation was diabolically poor. The staff were lovely people but so naive as to the functioning of a 4 star boutique hotel, it was painful. Still had a good night and WOULD suggest a meal visit if only for the design of the hotel.

If you want some fun - hire a small boat from any of the NE ports and zip over to the Maddalena islands. We could not as every day of 14 the hire companies would not issue boats due to the sea state.

Humpty,
Your posts are always a delight to read. Thanks for the insider info on the make of the yacht and we'll be sure to drop the name if we're ever lucky enough to come across it (we are going to Siracusa also on this ship so may have a couple of opportunities). We definitely hope to be able to take a boat to Maddalena Islands (I hope at least the ferry runs or we won't get to Sardinia)
You're making me wish we were spending more than one night in Bonifacio....hope we also duplicate your supermodel viewing (well, at least my husband would love it!) And, I'm glad you reconfirmed the bad reviews for La Coluccia so we don't regret not staying there....maybe a lunch outing would be doable.