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Aeolian Islands · The wild ones
The two most distant and least touristy islands of the archipelago, where time truly slows down. On Alicudi there are no cars, only mule tracks; on Filicudi the Grotta del Bue Marino and the La Canna sea stack await you. They are the destination for those returning to the Aeolians and looking for the most authentic side.
Why choose them
At the western end of the archipelago, far from everything, Filicudi and Alicudi are the Aeolians for those who have already been to the others and want more. No glamorous nightlife, no crowded harbours: here you find silence, rock, and a sea nobody else is fighting you for.
It is a destination that makes sense when you have a full day ahead. These are not islands to rush through: you reach them with a long sail, and that is exactly what gives you a coastline almost entirely to yourself. Those who make it here do so on purpose, knowing the journey is part of the experience.
Close by, but different
They are always mentioned together, but from the water they have entirely different characters.
The larger of the two, with a few small harbours and its own coves. Its landmark is the Grotta del Bue Marino, a deep, blue sea cave, and offshore the La Canna sea stack, a rock pinnacle over seventy metres tall rising straight from the sea. A stretch of coast that is worth the crossing on its own.
The most remote and the most essential of all the Aeolians: no roads, no cars, only steps and mule tracks. A volcanic cone dropping steeply into the sea, with a handful of houses and an almost unreal silence. From the boat you go all the way round it, and that is how you understand just how far outside of time it is.
What to budget
These are the most distant and least touristy islands of the archipelago, and rental operators here are very few: most work on request and do not publish a price list, so a reliable reference price, like the one you find in Lipari, does not exist here. That is why we do not make up figures.
The most common way to see them is a day trip by boat departing from Lipari or Salina, with a full day set aside and often a skipper on board. Tell us about the trip you have in mind and we will help you find the right solution, at no cost to you.
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The stops that reward the long sail out to the far west of the archipelago.
On the coast of Filicudi, a large sea cave the boat enters slowly: the water is an intense blue and the name recalls the monk seals that once sheltered there.
Off Filicudi, a rock pinnacle over seventy metres tall rising straight from the sea. One of the most spectacular diving and snorkelling spots in the Aeolians, all around its base.
A steep volcanic cone with no roads, best discovered by sailing all the way around it. A handful of houses, mule tracks, and coves to anchor in with a silence you will not find on any other island.
Questions about Filicudi and Alicudi
In Filicudi, the Grotta del Bue Marino, a large sea cave with intensely blue water, and the La Canna sea stack, a rock pinnacle over seventy metres tall offshore. Alicudi is even more essential: no roads and no cars, only mule tracks, and a coast best explored entirely from the water. Both are best reached only by boat.
These are the most distant and least touristy of the Aeolians, and operators here are very few: most work on request and do not publish a price list, so there is no reliable reference price. Many visitors reach them with a day trip by boat departing from Lipari or Salina. Tell us about your trip and we will help you find the right solution.
They lie at the western end of the archipelago, the furthest from everything. By boat you reach them with a long sail from Lipari or Salina, and it is the kind of trip that makes sense with a full day ahead and, often, a skipper on board. It is the destination for those returning to the Aeolians and looking for the most authentic and solitary side of them.
The next step
We reply with a tailored proposal, no strings attached. All we need is the date, how many of you there are and whether you would rather set off from Lipari or Salina for the tour of the wild islands.
Get a free quote