Alicudi & Filicudi - wild pearls of the Aeolian Islands
Forget glitzy Capri or crowded Rhodes and instead explore my favorite hidden gems:
Sleepy Alcudi and Filicudi with its painted houses.
The volcanic Aeolian Islands lie off the north coast of Sicily, remote and peaceful with dramatically beautiful landscapes enriched by the volcanic soil.
Alicudi is the furthest west - and quite possibly one of the most isolated islands in the whole of the Med. Electricity and TV only arrived in the 1990s, there are no marked roads and just one hotel and one restaurant. What there is, however, is crystal-clear water and utter, blissful peace.
The island is a simple and basic place, with an absolutely unique atmosphere and fewer than 100 inhabitants. Its rugged charm and isolation attract a particular brand of voyager: adventurers, artists, writers and loners looking for some peace to reflect or to work.
Filicudi
Our best spots are isolated and most can only be reached by boat since the island is surrounded by beautiful rocky cliffs.
To the north is a diver’s paradise. In the waters just off the northern coastline of Filicudi is where you will find the rock obelisk towering from the sea known as Scoglio della Canna.
If Panarea and Salina seem off the map in the quiet months, then Filicudi feels like the absolute ends of the earth...
With just a smattering of hippie-chic villas and small guesthouses, the island has recently become a second-home destination for tourist-weary Italians, especially Tuscans, who strive to keep it well off the radar. But Filicudi’s hermetic nature and remote location have long been a draw: The island has served as a hideaway for many artists and actors (Robert De Niro among them) since the 1970s.
