Panarea is the smallest and lowest of the Aeolians (421 m/1,381 ft at its highest, at Timpone del Corvo), but it is also the oldest and attracts boatloads of tourists for its clean water, underwater volcanic vents and its nightlife.
Together with the tiny islands of Basiluzzo, Spinazzola, Lisca Bianca, Dattilo, Bottaro, Lisca Nera (of which little still remains) and the boulders of Panarelli and Formiche, Panarea forms its own minuscule archipelago with characteristic homes, bottegas and shops.