Once it was called 'Phenicusa': "rich in ferns", and a major
area of the island is still covered with this type of vegetation. This island,
measuring just under 10 km2, lies 9 miles from Alicudi and 19 miles from
Lipari. It is the most ragged of this group of islands and geologists believe
that its conformation is the product of six eruptive mouths, three of which
represent today's peaks of the island: Fossa delle Felci (774 m) which
is the oldest; Montagnola (333 m) which is probably the most recent;
and Torrione (280 m). This ideal holiday island, light-years away from
traffic and noise has two villages lying on a small peninsula stretching out
towards the south: Filicudi Porto and Pecorini a Mare. The
remains of prehistoric settlements from the Bronze Age have been found here.
Excavations have also been car- ried out in the upper area and up to the peak
of the Montagnola. Subsequent settlements were built here, probably for
defence requirements and deserves a visit. The island's has a road so you can
either hire a moped or ride a bike.
Alicudi
is the island
of heather due to the pink blanket that covers its lavic surface in spring-
time. This island (5.2 km2) once called "Ericusa" is an extinct volcano that
rises out of the sea to reach the summit of Monte Filo dell'Arpa (657 m;
also known as Timpone della Montagnola). This is the smallest and
western-most of the inhabited Aeolian islands and lies about 67 miles from
Milazzo. It is not part of the mass tourism circuit and the only landing area is
near the Scoglio della Palomba. Tourists accommodation is only possible
in boarding-houses and private homes. Near the village there is a rise called "Timpone
delle femmine'. Women used to be hidden in this almost impenetrable location to
prevent them from being kidnapped by the pirates during their raids. The boat
tour along the 4 kilometres of the island's coast slowly exposes enchanting
spots and peculiar red and black rocks separating the little beaches from each
other. The completely uninhabited western side of the island shows particularly
suggestive walls falling into the water. The stair-shaped eastern side is
exactly the opposite. You can see the church of San Bartolomeo rising
above the houses of Alicudi and offering a wide panorama.
