Lipari Destination in Sicily · Aeolian Islands

Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands, also known as the Lipari Islands, which lie north of Sicily in the Province of Messina. Ferries dock at the harbor of its main town, also called Lipari, and connect it with every island in the archipelago.

Lipari town and its two harbors

The town sits in the southeast of the island. Ferries tie up at Marina Lunga, while the small harbor of Marina Corta belongs to the fishing boats. At Marina Corta you will find Piazza Ugo di Sant'Onofrio and the church of Anime del Purgatorio.

The square in front of the former aliscafi harbor, where the hydrofoils used to dock, works like one big open-air bar. Locals meet here, and it is an easy place to sit down between sightseeing stops.

The castle hill, fortress and cathedral

Between the two harbors rises the castle hill with its massive fortress. It was extended and reshaped again and again from the 9th century onward, and Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Aragonese and Spaniards all left their mark on it. What you see today largely dates from the 16th century.

Inside the ring of walls stand the Cathedral of San Bartolomeo and most of the archaeological museum. Saint Bartholomew is Lipari's patron saint, and every year on August 24 the town holds a large festival in his honor, with fireworks.

Museo Archeologico Eoliano

In prehistoric and ancient times the Aeolian Islands were a hub of Mediterranean trade. The finds from that era, including stone tools, ceramics and grave goods, are displayed in the palaces of the acropolis as the Museo Archeologico Eoliano. The museum is organized in several sections:

• prehistoric and early finds from Lipari
• inscriptions from the necropolises
• classical archaeology
• underwater archaeology
• volcanology

An archaeological area outside the town rounds out a visit to the museum.

Around the island by boat

Lipari is pleasant to explore on foot, though much of its coastline is best seen from the water. A boat trip around the island stops at bays such as the one at Fico and at the beaches of Vinci, Valle Muria, Punta della Castagna and Capo Rosso.

A lookout and two beaches

The Belvedere Quattrocchi lies on the road to Quattropani, about four kilometers from the town center. It looks across to the neighboring island of Vulcano and its fumaroles, along the steep coast and out to the Faraglioni rock stacks.

For swimming, there is the beach at Canneto. Farther north, toward Acquacalda, is the Spiaggia Bianca, a pebble beach of gray stones mixed with bits of pumice and black obsidian, set below pale pumice cliffs. Pumice was quarried here until the early 2000s. A steep path leads down from the road to Acquacalda, and boats also run from Canneto.

When to go

Long-term averages for Sicily's north coast near Palermo (air 1995–2024, sea 2023–2025) give a good guide. The sea reaches about 24 °C (75 °F) in June, close to 28 °C (82 °F) in August and still around 26 °C (79 °F) in September. Daytime highs in July and August climb to about 30 °C (86 °F). For the castle hill, the museum and walks, May and October are comfortable: highs around 23 °C (73 °F) in May with water near 20 °C (68 °F), and around 23 °C (74 °F) in October with the sea at about 24 °C (75 °F). If you want to see the patron saint's festival, plan around August 24.