THE AEOLIANS ARE IN

Posted on 2009-01-12

Named after Aeolus, god of wind, Sicily’s Aeolian Islands are blessed with glowing azure seas, rugged grottoes, black sandy coves and laid-back locals. Sound good right? While you might not have heard of them yet, these remote shores are set to become 2009’s alternative island hideaway for a bit of barefoot glamour. There’s an island to suit your every mood: Sicily’s mysterious capital Palermo to intrigue you, the uber glam island of Panarea to indulge you, the green island of Salina to enchant you, and then there’s Stromboli… “the wild one”. It’s a fertile speck of an island emerging in a perfect triangle from the sea. Dominated by its huge volcano, known as “Iddu” (him), the trekking here is awesome. They say (half jokingly) that if you don’t climb the volcano, you won’t be invited back. ‘Strombolian eruptions’ have to be seen to be believed: florescent magma shoots up like fireworks every 15 minutes, accompanied by a heartstopping roar. Our tip? Head out in September for their international firedancing festival, the Teatro Del Fuoco (Theatre of Fire).

www.blacktomato.co.uk, or call 0207 610 9008 for more information.