Take their name from the mythical figure Aeolus.
According to Homer, this local god-king kept the winds bottled up in a cave. When Odysseus came by on his long trip home, he was given a favourable wind, but he accidentally released it from its bag and so was blown off course. All the world's winds do seem to converge here at times, though in summer it's as likely to be still and hot as wild and tempestuous.
The difficulties of life in these islands led most of the inhabitants to emigrate to the US a century ago, so you will find them sparsely populated today. Come to the Aeolians to see the extensive Greek ruins on Lipari, but mostly to swim and dive in the crystalline seas and to sunbathe on the myriad beaches and rocky shores.


Lipari: is the main island, and generally offers the widest selection of lodgings, restaurants, shops, and things to do. The people are warm and friendly, and their town's romantic citadel offers an uninterrupted record of its inhabitants from Neolithic times, featuring an extensive acropolis. Because the Aeolians are volcanoes, all extinct save one, each island has beaches of a unique character. Lipari is the oldest island, and thus its lidos are covered with the finest white sand, actually the end product of black lava.

Vulcano: the "younger" extinct volcano inhabited by 400 islanders, is studded with fantastic formations, both above ground and under water.

Stromboli: the tragic island made famous in Roberto Rossellini's film of the same name (starring Ingrid Bergman), features two miniscule towns on opposite sides of a mildly active volcano. This island is the "baby," and so it has the blackest beaches.

Salina: is the garden island. Its slopes are blanketed with deep green vineyards that produce a heady malvasìa; its waters are populated with fish and octopus. Take home some of the local capers packed in salt: until you've tried them this way, you'll never really know what a true caper tastes like.