Top destination for nature lovers: Salina, Aeolian Islands

Among the amazing Aeolian Islands, Italy, lies a wonderful little islands where nature lovers can enjoy breathtaking landscapes made up of volcanic rocks and green slopes planted with olive trees and capers.

The island is called Salina: less crowed with tourists than Lipari, this is the wildest, greenest and most fertile island of the Aeolian Archipelago.

The island can be reached by plane from Catania International Airport or by hydrofoil and SNAV ferry from Messina, Sicily. Though Salina is not so easy to reach from the other regions in Italy, there are at least 5 excellent reasons to visit this fantastic Mediterranean island.

1. Picturesque Villages

Salina is renowned for its picturesque villages where time seems to stand still. In Rinella, for example, the typical way the locals decorate their houses always catches visitors’ attention. The village is a romantic little harbor from where you can enjoy beautiful sunsets.

Head toward the north of Salina Island by taking the local bus service or renting a scooter and you will find Madonna del Terzito, a splendid sanctuary boasting a beautiful garden with plants growing on volcanic rocks.

Malfa and Santa Marina Salina are two other villages, characteristic fishermen centers with lovely white houses and a labyrinth of narrow streets, where you can enjoy a stroll while eating a yummy Italian ice cream.

2. Amazing sea and scuba diving

Moving toward the East you will find Pollara. Take the winding stairway to go down to the sea and explore the famous coast where Italian film director Massimo Troisi shot the movie Il Postino: The Postman. Characterized by tuff rocks, this is the most beautiful beach in Salina. Here you can enjoy the beautiful, blue sea and take a long swim in clear waters.

If you’re a good swimmer, you can swim towards the East coast to see the wonderful Perciato, an enormous rock with a hole in the center. With shallow waters full of sponges, moray ells, and gropers, the place is a great scuba diving site and offers fantastic underwater photo opportunities.

More scuba diving options are available in Secca del Capo and Tre Pietre, where you can see different species of fish, sponges and orange corals.

3. The beautiful salt lake of Salina

Salina takes its name from the former large salt mine located in the village of Lingua. Once an important salt stock for locals who used the salt to dress capers and caper sauce, the triangular-shaped lake behind the sea, with Lingua’s light house and other Aeolian islands, is an intimate and romantic setting for a nice walk.

4. Great hiking paths

On Salina Island, nature offers much more than spectacular beach landscapes. Near Pollara, the green slopes of Mount Porri and Mount Fossa delle Felci are filled with juicy blackberry and delicious Indian fig plants. These two mounts are home to many bird species and are the ideal place for trekking enthusiasts. Before venturing onto the slopes, do not forget to check the signposts and posters to see the different hiking tracks and their difficulty level.

5. Fantastic weather

Salina enjoys pleasant weather throughout the year. In winter, temperatures are often above 10°C. Spring averages are 20 to 22° Celsius (68 - 72 Fahrenheit) and the season is perfect for sightseeing and excursions. In May, it is even possible to take the first dip of the year. Summer averages are around 28 - 30° Celsius (82 - 86 Fahrenheit). Though it is the best season to enjoy the amazing colors of the Mediterranean sea, I would not recommend visiting Salina Island in the summer to travelers who want to avoid tourist crowds.

Photo of Monte dei Porri, Salina Island, Italy originally posted by Peter Funchs

Topic:  Tips and Ideas | 2 Comments
Tags:  beach, green travel, Italy

Share this article: