Filicudi

Once it was called 'Phoenicusa': "rich in ferns", and a major area of the island is still covered with this type of vegetation. This island, measuring just under 10 km2, lies 9 miles from Alicudi and 19 miles from Lipari. It is the most ragged of this group of islands and geologists believe that its conformation is the product of six eruptive mouths, three of which represent today's peaks of the island: Fossa delle Felci (774 m) which is the oldest; Montagnola (333 m) which is probably the most recent; and Torrione (280 m).

This ideal holiday island, light-years away from traffic and noise has two villages lying on a small peninsula stretching out towards the south: Filicudi Porto and Pecorini a Mare. The remains of prehistoric settlements from the Bronze Age have been found here. Excavations have also been car- ried out in the upper area and up to the peak of the Montagnola. Subsequent settlements were built here, probably for defence requirements and deserves a visit. The island's only usable road is a mule-path.