Our plan was to get up at 6am and set sail for the Aeolian Islands, off the north coast of Sicily. We wanted to do a fly-by on Stromboli, an active volcano, hoping to catch a bit of a show. We had read about a spectacular lava flow that can often be seen lighting up the northwest side of the volcano's cone. We had a full moon for the sail and it was a beautiful cloudless night.

Stromboli at dawn

Stromboli turned out to be a bit of a bust, though. We stared at it through the binoculars for hours and managed to see it flare up and glow red for a few seconds just once. There was a constant flow of steam from the crater, and the occasional bigger puff of smoke, but at least on that night, it was not really worth the extra 20 miles.

Our live volcano fix was to come later that morning when we arrived at a steaming and sulfuric smelling Isola Vulcano. We dropped our hook in 15 feet within an easy swim to the black sand beach. We had a great lunch onshore at Bar Conti, where we picked up a free wifi signal. After a sorely needed afternoon nap, we decided to head to the mud baths, a short walk over to the other side of the island. What a hoot! For two Euros you can go and sit in a hot bubbling pool of "fragrant" muddy water, smearing yourself with silky sulfuric mud which apparently has lots of medicinal qualities.

Juliana, Anouk, Celine, and Cassie

The next morning we set our alarms for 7am so we could tackle the steep climb up the volcano before it got too hot. Moving a crowd of eight isn't always as efficient as we would like, so by the time we were actually walking along the trail it was almost 8:30. No doubt the first part of the climb was steep and hot, but once we got up high enough the cool breezes revived us and the views were well worth the hike.

The kids had to be reminded time after time that the steam issuing from the vents was extremely hot and they could seriously burn themselves. We managed to get by without any injuries. We caught a glimpse of Sicily and Mount Etna from the highest point of the volcano. It was clear to see how these islands are all a part of the same volcanic chain from Stromboli to Sicily.

Vulcano at sunset

Back at the anchorage we had a bit of a firedrill. The anchorage is officially off limits but no one really seems to pay attention to that. When we arrived there were 20 or so boats anchored so we just joined in, dropping the hook in 15 feet of hard black sand. After a couple of days a big police boat came cruising through the anchorage, telling everyone that they had to anchor out past the entrance where it is about 60 feet deep and rocky. It was wild to watch all 20 boats hauling up anchor and beelining for the deep anchorage. This being Italy, there was plenty of shouting and gesturing and horn honking as people fought for space in the deep anchorage. We decided to pass on the whole scene and sailed around to the other side of the island where we found a nice uncrowded spot. A couple of days later when we passed the same anchorage, it was again chock full of cruising boats, and the police were nowhere to be seen.

Vulcano Anchorage

We moved over to the island of Lipari, hoping to find a spot to anchor, but the water was hundreds of feet deep right up to the shore. We wound up in a little marina called Porto Salvo that offered our two cats a bargain price of 60 euro per night. It turns out that the folks at Porto Salvo were so nice and helpful that we were happy to spend the sixty Euros a night to be there. They offered us the use of their shore side pavilion for Juliana's 8th birthday piñata party.

Juliana's 8th birthday party in Lipari

We wound up staying for four nights, waiting for the wind and the left over swell to die down. We were docked right next to Cenou, so the girls were happy. Lipari itself is a lively, beautiful town. It does have its touristy side, but it is mostly Italian tourists so still very authentic feeling for us. The Aeolian Archeological Museum is housed inside the old castle. The natural fortress of castle rock has provided a base for many eras of civilization from the Neolithic age to the Greeks, to the Romans, to the Normans and the Spanish.

Lipari Cathedral and Museum

The museum contains artifacts of a stunning variety dating back to 5000 B.C. Many of the treasures are taken from gravesites that have been uncovered on the island. There are also several significant ship wrecks in the vicinity whose plunder is also displayed. They have a huge collection of miniature theater masks that were used in burial crypts to accompany the departed on their final journey.