The Aeolian Islands, also referred to as the Lipari Islands, are a group of seven islands home to around 14,000 people. These islands belong officially to Sicily and are located in the Tyrrhenian Sea. They were settled many millennia ago and integrated into the Roman Empire in 252 B.C. At the end of Roman rule the islands fell into decline as they were increasingly used by pirates as a place to disappear for a while, and in the 16th century they were conquered by Barbarossa. At the end of the 19th century a flourishing culture of trade sprung up and was once again crushed by a volcano eruption in 1888. Today the main industry on the islands is tourism, the lifeblood of most locals. 

On the islands of Stromboli and Vulcano visitors have a rare opportunity to visit real – active – volcanoes, which in turn have given way to black sand beaches with pleasantly warm water, where it is also possible to swim in winter. The island of Salina is known above all for its wonderful, pristine nature and in Filicudi you can visit a pre-historic village. A real peculiarity here is that it is hard to find a normal street; in stead of roads, locals get about on special stepped paths.