Salina, Italy

Salina is the only one of the Aeolian Islands with fresh water, and its relative greenness is the first thing that distinguishes it from its volcanic neighbours

Seven islands, all volcanic, scattered off the northeast tip of Sicily. Stromboli is the famous one – the permanent eruption visible from the sea at night. Lipari is the largest and most developed. Salina is the second-largest, the greenest, the wettest, and, for most of the past century, the quietest. Two extinct volcanic craters covered in vegetation, the highest peak in the archipelago at Monte Fossa delle Felci (962 metres), and enough caper production and Malvasia wine growing to sustain an agricultural identity independent of tourism. This self-sufficiency means Salina never had to chase visitors the way the neighbouring islands did, which is most of the reason it remains worth visiting.

The film Il Postino was filmed largely on Pollara, the beach cut into the western crater’s caldera, in 1994. Every restaurant, ferry office, and guesthouse on the island mentions this. The film is a fair argument for the place.

Pollara

The descent to Pollara beach is a steep path of about 400 metres from the village above. The beach is black volcanic rock and pebble. The cliff face above – a section of the old caldera wall cut by the sea – is the visual argument that makes the approach worth the effort. Swimming is good in calm conditions; the beach gets crowded in August in a way that makes the morning visit the right call. From the water side, a boat tour of the island circumnavigates the caldera walls and gives access to the sea cave directly below the cliffs.

Monte Fossa delle Felci is reachable on foot from Santa Marina Salina in about 2.5-3 hours return. The trail runs through Mediterranean scrub and the fern-covered slopes that give the mountain its name. Clear days give views of all seven Aeolian islands and the Sicilian north coast below. The path begins near the sanctuary of Madonna del Terzito and is marked.

Boat tours from the Santa Marina harbour (around EUR 35-50 per person) circumnavigate the island in half a day with stops at sea caves and at Pollara from the water.

Malvasia and Capers

Malvasia delle Lipari is a DOCG dessert wine made from Malvasia grapes grown on the volcanic soil of Salina and Lipari. It is amber-coloured, intensely aromatic, and produced in quantities small enough that export is limited. A 375ml bottle from a local producer costs EUR 12-18 and is worth carrying home. The volcanic soil gives the wine a mineral quality that distinguishes it from similar dessert wines from the mainland.

Salina capers, preserved in salt rather than brine, are significantly better than what is available elsewhere in Italy and almost unrecognisably different from the supermarket product. Buy them directly from producers rather than from tourist shops.

Eating and Getting There

Ristorante da Alfredo in the piazza at Lingua is the most celebrated stop on the island. Alfredo’s granita – made from local fruit, prepared fresh – is considered among the best in Sicily, which is a competitive category. Arrive for a late-morning or afternoon break rather than a meal. For dinner, Nni Lausta in Santa Marina serves fish caught that day and is reliable without being expensive.

Ferries and hydrofoils from Milazzo on the Sicilian coast take 1.5-2 hours; the hydrofoil is faster. Milazzo is 45 minutes by road from Messina. Catania Airport is the most practical entry point for international arrivals. On the island, renting a scooter (EUR 30-40 per day) or small car makes the circuit straightforward.

Peak season is July and August. May, June, and September are quieter, with reliable weather and most businesses open. The island shuts down considerably from November through March.