I had extra-thrills watching Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey – because so many of the scenes at sea were filmed in the Aeolian Islands, where I spent happy days last September.
The Aeolians are a seven-island archipelago, off the northwest coast of Sicily, named after the mythical King Aeolus, aka Master of the Winds. The character was cut from Nolan’s film, so we didn’t get to see Aeolus hosting Odysseus and his crew, sending him away with a favorable West wind, and a gift bag of dangerous winds, that Odysseus was ordered not to open.
According to Homer, they were happily in sight of their Ithaka destination, when our hero made the terrible mistake of taking a nap. His crew was curious about Aeolus’s gift bag, envious of “Lucky Odysseus” who they thought was going home with gold and silver loot, when they, who had worked just as hard, would return empty-handed. So they opened the bag and WHAM—up came a squall that swept the ship out to sea, back to the king’s Island. When Odysseus sheepishly told Aeolus the sad story of his mutinous crew, the king grew furious, and believing that the gods despised Odysseus, sent him off, this time with no help, to undergo more trials.
In contrast to Odysseus, my days on the Aeolians were divine.
There were soft breezes, swims in sparkling turquoise waters, extraordinary fish dinners, magic moments staring off into the horizon.
I was blessed to know a local, Clara Raimondi, who I’d met years ago in Milan when she was teaching a cooking class. Clara is still based in Milan AND has a family house on the island of Lipari, where she’s been spending summers since childhood. She recently created, Lipari Food Tours, to give travelers a delicious insider’s experience of the Aeolians — with cooking classes, food walks, AND even a ride around Lipari in her Citroen Mehari from the 70s.
That ride was the perfect introduction to Lipari…Canneto beach, winding up to the Chiesa Vecchia Sanctuary,
AND then the most AWESEOME views at Quattrocchi — as Clara told us, it was named Quattrocchi (Four Eyes) because you need four eyes to take it all in.
How mythic! How perfect for Nolan’s Odyssey.
I wrote about Clara in the Summer issue of Tastes of Italia magazine, where she shares her Pasta alla Norma recipe. I certainly recommend you join her when you go to the islands, and now I’ll share some of her advice and mine – that will help to make your Days on the Island of Lipari absolutely Golden.
Lipari is the largest of the Aeolians, and a great base to enjoy the whole archipelago.
In Lipari town, I found the most charming spot to be Marina Corta – a seaside curve of caffes, souvenir shops, and small port to board boat excursions.
Most memorable was a wander inside the Presepe al Mare, created by Lipari artisans—displaying the life of the seaside village, with scenes of fishermen, housewives hanging laundry, bakers, AND of course The Holy Family, etc.
While most Presepe (Nativity Scenes) in Italy are only displayed in December, here I was in September, enjoying a unique local treasure…
The Archaeological Museum of Lipari – Luigi Bernabo Brea is AMAZING! It’s set inside the 15th cty Castello di Lipari – 2 floors of rooms filled with fascinating artifacts that showcase the rich history of the islands–volcanology and paleontology exhibits and artifacts from past civilizations – Amphora, Greek and Roman pottery, theatre masks…
AND in what was once the prison cells of the castle, is “Mare Motus” — works of International contemporary artists, that focus on themes of freedom, the sea, and escape…
Thanks to Clara’s recommendation, I had the MOST EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE:
All day boat ride with Salvatore’s Atlantide Excursioni. We — a group of 12 — were at sea from noon until night, traveling from Lipari to the island of Panarea, with stops for swims in the sparkling sea.
There was a chef on board, keeping us deliciously happy with aperitivo snacks, wine, and extraordinary pasta, flavored with locally grown tomatoes, capers, and herbs.
The light became dramatic with the sunset, until in darkness we stopped to watch the island of Stromboli’s volcano put on a fiery show.
AND thanks to Clara’s recommendations, we had delicious times on Lipari island.
We enjoyed Ristorante da Filippino — close to the Castle, with wonderful seafood pasta, caponata, lovely service…
And we loved the stunning views and greatest dinner of all at Ristorante Sangre Rojo — GRAZIE Chef Nunzia!
My traveling pal Pam and I spent 4 nights in Lipari, 4 nights on the island of Salina — more on Salina soon!
We certainly could have stayed longer — there is much to be discovered in this dreamy archipelago.
SOME PRACTICAL INFO:
Clara Raimondi’s Fabulous Lipari Food Tours: www.liparifoodtours.it
Getting There: Give yourself time.
Closest airport is Catania, a beautiful baroque city in northwest Sicily. I stayed the night at San Giuliano Palace, that’s easy walking distance to Piazza Duomo, a perfect spot to enjoy sunset aperitivo.
The city is certainly wonderful to enjoy for a few days — I’ve written about Golden Days in Catania here.
A morning stop at Cafe Prestipino is divine…
AND a visit to the morning Storico Mercato del Pesce (Fish Market) — is a MUST.
From Catania, you can take a Bus to the Milazzo port, to catch the ferry to the islands–it takes 1.5 hours.
We splurged on a taxi – 200euros.
Liberty Line Hydrofoils run regularly from Milazzo Port — you can buy tickets online in advance.
The trip to Lipari takes about an hour.
Where to Stay on Lipari Island? Clara gives a thumbs up to 4*s – Aktea and Mea.
The Hotel Giardino sul Mare-a 3* close to Marina Corta looked good to me.
We stayed at Hotel Carasco, a 4* that looked good on booking.com pics. It’s coincidentally where a lot of the crew stayed when filming Odyssey. But it is way past its 1970s heyday, and too far away from the fun action at the port and marina.