The nature of the wonderful “seven sisters” is wild and volcanic. According to mythology, Aeolus, the God of the Winds, lived here, and also Ulysses landed on these islands and met the monstrous Polyphemus and his companions, legendary forgers working for Vulcano, the God of the Fire, who was thought to live on the Island bearing the same name. The Aeolian Islands emerged from the sea around 700.000 years ago in the following order: Panarea, Filicudi, Alicudi, Salina, Lipari, Vulcano and lastly Stromboli, which is probably 40.000 years old. Eruptions and volcanic phenomena followed along the millennia and their diversified nature produced different landscapes from the pumice stone caves of Lipari to lava flows rich on obsidian stone a black and cutting glass used by ancient populations to produce sharp utensils. Today agriculture, fishery and tourism are the main elements of the Aeolian economy. The most famous are the production of capers and grapes of Malvasia, dessert wine renewed worldwide. The sea is full of life: anchovies, sardines, mackerels, mollusks’ and crustaceans are the most common fishes, tuna and swordfish fishing are traditional activities carried out at the end of spring in Lipari and Stromboli. The weather is very arid with mild temperature in winter and warm up to 30 degrees in summer period, thanks to the marine breeze

PANAREA
This island was the first to emerge from submarine eruptions and archeological finds show that man started to settle here in the Neolithic period. It’s considered the smallest island of the archipelago little more than 3 km2. Lying between Stromboli, Salina and Lipari, this island was a point of transit for seafaring traffic and a base for the fleets lying in wait during pirates forays. The ancient name of Panarea was Euonymos meaning good omen, in contrast its present name means “all shaken up”.  The inhabitants live in small villages: Ditella, Drauto and San Pietro the most important village with the small port. There are other landing stages at Cala Junco and Porto Drauto. A single road connects the three villages, clump of neat, white houses, with winding paths climbing up to the other dwellings scattered on the east and south ridges. The island is extremely clean and welcoming.

THE COASTLINE
The northern and western coasts are the most craved and rocky ones. The southern and eastern coasts are just 50msl and are broken by small beaches, inlets and bays with plains at various levels above the sea. All along the eight kilometers of coastline seems one uneven succession of marine terraces, craters of viscous lava which have accumulated into domes, abrupt protrusions, splendid columnar fissures of fans of vertically solidified lava, the crevice of a volcanic pipe at Cala Bianca, the prisms of lava at Cala Junco. The vegetation is typical Mediterranean with capers, rosemary, lentiscus, euphorbias, artemisia and cardoon.

STROMBOLI
This island is the ancient volcanic island formerly called Strongile, meaning round. It has a surface area of 12,6 km2, with dark, grey main colors. This volcano raised majestically from the sea creating the only habitat of its kind in the Mediterranean. Stromboli is linked to a tectonic line cutting the island in two from north-east to south-west. The volcano is known for its characteristic activity of hurling scoriae and lava, accompanied by the emission of vapors. Ejective terminal eruptions also take places only with loose matter, the active pipe being closed by internal subsidence, compressing the gas which provoke violent explosions.
According to the volcanologist Rittman, the first lateral eruptions occurred at Ginostra and today’s Stromboli is set on a sector which had collapsed because of a deep fissure. The upper point of the island is Vancori at 924 mt, the rest of the structure is below water and reaches a depth of 2000mt approximately.
The eastern and southern sides are less harsh, the vegetation extends in large patches until it becomes a matle draped over the volutes of the ground, 260 species of flora have been studied here, including native local plant, the Aeolian cytisus which thrives on the sandy soil full of scoriae. Today just over 400 people live on Stromboli, most of them grouped in the two villages of San Vincenzo and Scari, where visitors land. Another village, Ginostra, is a mere handful of houses on the western coast, a tiny refuge for the fishing boats when the sea to the east turns violent. A road climbs to San Vincenzo where high above the sea towers the church of the same name, a position affording an exceptional view. On the northern side is the Church of San Bartolomeo, above the coast at Piscita and nearby, the former observatory of Punta Labronzo, a balcony 110m above sea level from which the spectacle of the Sciara del Fuoco and all the volcanism of Fossa can be admired.

THE COASTLINE
Looking at the island from the sea after sunset, one may recall the words of Deuteronomy: “ And the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with clouds and thick darkness”.
A circumnavigation of the island shows all the beauties of this territory. High rocky faces and ancient lava accumulated are the theatrical backdrop to the Sciara del Fuoco. Had Dante known of this place he would have set one of his circles of the Inferno here for its eventful and fearsome majesty. Black and pale red are dominating colors. Rocks and blocks rolled down and rising from the surface of the water animate the western coastline, closing the famous Sciara del Fuoco between the two enormous lava dikes.