Lipari, Italy?
 

Working on next summer's itinerary which includes driving about a week each on Corsica and Sardinia, before exploring the "Toe and Heel" of Italy. Since it makes sense to take the ferry from Cagliari to Palermo and then drive across Northern Sicily to the mainland, we thought a couple of days on Lipari would be interesting. But I can't find a lot of information on it, particularly regarding the actual ferry trip to the islands. I assume we wouldn't need to take our car out to the islands, but will it be safe if we leave it at the ferry port on Sicily? Any comments from someone who has done this? Any suggestions for Lipari itself -- other than taking the boat over to Stromboli, etc.?

Patrick, I have been looking at the Aeolian Islands for my next trip. Try a search. I did a posting quite a while ago. Also, Conde Nast Traveler had a great article on the islands. I think is was in 2000.

September 1992,we left our rental car in a garage in Milazzo and took the hydroplane to Lipari. Once on Lipari, we stayed at the Hotel Rocce Azzurre, swam from their dock, rented a moped and toured the island. Lipari is one of our favorite places to just relax.

Lipari itself is lovely. I did not get to Stromboli, but heard that it's wonderful and would like to see it some day. I LOVED Salina. If you like light hiking. Salina is the perfect place for that. I didn't notice whether there's a safe place to leave a car in Mailazzo before taking the ferry to Lipari.I would go to Sicily ANY time. However, if you are able to take your vacation at some time other than summer, I think some time other than summer would be much nicer. i was there in May, and the weather was very pleasant, but the water was chilly for swimming. I've heard that September is a good time to go. Earlier in the spring would also be lovely, assuming you don't care about swimming. Southern Sicily is blazing hot in August. Northern and notheastern Sicily and green parts of the interior are much cooler.

Dayle, I'd love to do a search, but as usual I have no luck. I have tried both Lipari and Aeolian Islands as key words, but when I click find I get an "hourglass" symbol for a while, then it goes away. Nothing ever comes up for me. <BR>Richard, thanks for the note about the garage. I assume if that was available in 1992 it still will be. <BR>Carol, unfortunately we are talking the very end of August and early September. We don't care about the swimming which we can do at home in Florida anytime. It is ironic that we leave Florida for the summer to get away from the heat, and always end up spending a lot of time in more heat -- but that's when we need to go. At least we plan to also spend some time in the Dolomites and the Lakes.

Try this website: www.netnet.it <BR>It's in Italian but has links to hotels, transportation etc. for the Aeolians. We've been to Lipari twice in early October and the weather has been perfect and still warm enough for swimming.

Hi Patrick, <BR> <BR>The websites for ferry & hydrofoil services from Milazzo to Lipari and the other islands are on: <BR>www.siremar.it/mil_eol.html <BR>www.siremar.it/al_mieol.html <BR>www.snavali.com/aliscafi <BR> <BR>I've just done a quick search and found garage parking at Milazzo at: <BR>www.netnet.it/garagedelleisole/parcheggio.htm <BR>It says it's 700m from the port. <BR> <BR>Like Carol I didn't get to Stromboli, but loved Lipari and Salina. I rented a moped on Lipari for a few hours to tour the island. <BR>On Vulcano you can take a hot mud-bath ... if that's your kind of thing! <BR> <BR>Hope this helps, Patrick. Let me know if I can be of more help ... <BR> <BR>Steve <BR> <BR>

Patrick you lucky thing! We were in Lipari mid-September 2000 and had a wonderful time. We stayed in the Hotel Poseidon (webpage here - <BR>http://www.emmeti.it/Welcome/Sicilia.../index.uk.html) <BR>which was fine. Nice room with air conditioning opening out onto a central courtyard. The staff were a bit surly though, and the breakfast wasn't great. But although it's in the centre of the village, it's very quiet and comfortable. <BR> <BR>I'd strongly recommend booking ahead - even in September the island was quite busy. We did a day trip to Stomboli which we absolutely loved - well worth it. Other than that we ate well and drank well and just wandered around. It's not a great place for nightlife though - apart from weekends the place closes down at about 10.30. Didn't bother us but some people might like to stay up later.

Patrick, <BR> <BR>I've topped three good threads on Aeolian islands for you. <BR> <BR>I never understand when people say that they can't get searches to work. Must be a function of how many people using the site at any one time. <BR> <BR>But I almost always do a search this way. Open another window to Fodors, run the search there, and go on about other things. Maybe I go back and look 5 minutes later, maybe not until an hour or more later. It will come up eventually. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Thanks, Topping, or Dayle, or whomever. Yes, I do try that waiting game, but it seems that after the little hourglass disappears that means it is no longer searching. I used to have no problem, but lately I've even searched for my own previous posts and nothing ever appears. <BR>By the way, to anyone, I was a little off on our dates. This part of the trip will start and end in Nice from about July 9 to Sept. 7. I think it is wiser to head south first, through Corsica and Sardinia, then Toe and Heel, up the East coast, then Trieste and into Slovenia (middle of August), Dolomites, and then the Lakes (first week of September). The alternate is to reverse the direction putting us in the Lakes in early July, but that means Sardinia and Corsica in late August. Isn't that their worst, hottest, and busiest time?

Warning: Vulcano smells awful. I wouldn't wallow in that stagnant stinky sulphureous mud!!! <BR> <BR>But I loved Salina and Lipari and would like to see the other islands as well. Note also that part of "Il Postino" was filmed in Salina.

Hello Patrick - Yes, late August is still pretty busy - and hot. <BR>I have a number of websites for the Aeolian islands if you're interested ... <BR> <BR>Hi Carol - So you didn't either, eh? It wasn't too tempting, was it? And yet they say it works wonders for your skin, and makes you glow in the dark ... <BR> <BR>Steve <BR>

Hi, Steve, <BR> <BR>Glow in the dark?! They probably reek of sulphur for weeks, too. Ugh!

Steve, yes, I'd like those websites. I have noticed that the hotel rates seem to reach their heights only in August, so I'm glad we're now planning on early to mid July. Also I see a lot of hotels require one week minimum or half-board only in August, both of which we want to avoid.

Patrick - I haven't checked these lately so I'm not sure which are the best! <BR>Some are in English, some only in Italian:- <BR> <BR>http://www.emmeti.it/Welcome/Sicilia.../index.uk.html <BR>www.netnet/dovedormire.html <BR>www.pictures.isole-eolie.com <BR>www.minicrociere.com <BR>www.estateolie.it <BR>www.isoleeolie.com <BR>www.go.to/maj <BR>www.isolelipari/arrivarci.htm <BR>www.harbours.net/lipari <BR>www.cormorano.net/ngi/home.htm <BR>www.eolie.org <BR>www.meonline.it/eolieonline <BR>www.isole-eolie.com <BR>www.enexa.com/eolieonline <BR>www.eolieonline.net <BR>www.eolieclub.it <BR>www.tau.it/aapitme/isole.html <BR>www.kmunet.ch/lipari <BR>www.siremar.it/mil_eol.html <BR>www.siremar.it/al_mieol.html <BR>www.snavali.com/aliscafi <BR>www.web.tiscali.it/lipari <BR> <BR>I hope you find at least some of these useful, Patrick. <BR>Let me know if I can be of more help ... <BR> <BR>Steve

Steve, you are always amazing and helpful.

Don't miss dining at Filippino or E Pulera on Lipari. If overnight in Milazzo on your way to the Eolie, stop by La Vecchia Cucina in Via Ryolo, a terrific all fish restaurant.<BR><BR>Visit the viaggio page on my site!<BR><BR>Buon Viaggio!<BR><BR>LA CUCINA EOLIANA E SICILIANA<BR>The Food of the Eolian Islands and Sicily<BR>Recipes, Resources, Culture, History and Travel<BR>http://www.geocities.com/eoliano/index.html<BR>

I like La Nassa much better than Filippino.

Since this older post has been revived, I'll plug again for hotel information. I have been unsuccessful in booking anything yet. Most of the hotels will only do a week and/or full board. I have contacted Poseidon which sounds fine, but they will not answer either email or fax. Guess I'm going to have to wait until March or so as a lot of the hotels seem to close for the winter, but hope that they won't all be filled then. Any ideas? Our schedule now puts us in Lipari the last week of July for four nights.

Patrick, Check the articles at www.travel-italy.com on several of the islands. Also. www.initaly.com has some info and a hotel they suggest. I had intended to visit Lipari on my southern sojourn, but the weather is iffy that time of year and the hydrofoil is not always running. I think you have seen my article on southern Italy, but it too can be found at the former site. Sounds like a great trip--you are always creative with itineraries. Have you done Slovenia and Croatia yet? I may try that next year.