Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS
THE AEOLIANS' TOP SWIMMING SPOTS
Sandy beaches are few and far between, but the islands offer some breathtaking spots to take a dip:
Forgia Vecchia
The best of Stromboli's black volcanic beaches (
Click here
)
, sandwiched between limpid waters
and green mountain slopes.
Piscina di Venere
Transparent turquoise waters (
Click here
) in a natural rock amphitheatre.
Pollara
A tiny, rocky beach (
Click here
)
backing onto a volcanic crater, made famous by the film
Il Postino
.
Spiaggia Valle i Muria
Dwarfed by dark plunging cliffs, this pebbly beach (
Click here
) is Lipari's best.
Cala Junco
A crystalline cove backed by dramatic headlands and the ruins of a Bronze Age village.
Eating
Trattoria da Paolino
( 090 98 30 08; Via Iditella 75; meals €30-40; 12.30-3pm & 7.30-10pm Easter-mid-Oct)
For four dec-
ades, Paolino has been serving an ever-changing menu of top-quality, home-style Aeolian
specialities on his breezy blue-and-white terrace overlooking the sea, a 10-minute walk
north from the harbour. Tuna figures prominently on the menu (smoked,
sott'olio
, or
mixed with pine nuts and wild fennel in
pasta magna magna
) alongside plenty of other
superb fish, pasta and vegetable dishes.
SICILIAN
€€
Da Francesco
( 090 98 30 23; Via San Pietro; meals €25-28; Mar-Nov)
Up a short flight of stairs from the port
(follow the signs), Da Francesco is as close as you'll get to a value-for-money eatery on
Panarea. It's a laid-back trattoria with an outdoor terrace, fine sea views over to Strom-
boli, and a straightforward menu of pastas and fish dishes. Try the restaurant speciality:
spaghetti
alla disgraziata
(with tomatoes, aubergines, chilli, capers, olives and ricotta).
Simple rooms are also available (single €30 to €50, double €50 to €150).
SICILIAN
€€
Getting There & Around
BOAT
www.usticalines.it
)
run up to eight hydrofoils daily to/from Stromboli (€11.10, 30 to 45
minutes), Lipari (€10.40, 25 minutes to one hour) and Milazzo (€18.80, 1½ to 2¼ hours).
