alicudi (Lipari) is the smallest by population of Aeolian, the westernmost of the archipelago. Just a few dozen inhabitants but several hundred stone steps that go up from the port to reach the high districts. The school, the church and a lot of sea: Alicudi is the emblem of the essential. Those who live here do not expect too many comforts and everyday life is marked by infinite gazes: from its terraces you can see the other islands and a bewitching sea.
Alicudi, a paradise in the middle of the sea
Only a few dozen inhabitants populate the island all year round. alicudi it is small and it is a small 'paradise in the middle of the sea' that looks at the coasts of the Sicilia. The map of the island reveals its almost circular shape. The steep coasts rise quickly towards the summit which reaches 675 meters. Alicudi is what emerges from an ancient extinct volcano. The town is concentrated in the southern part: here is also the Oporto. It is the center where the main services are concentrated such as the post office, a couple of shops and a few others. But looking upwards you can see pretty houses that are gathered in small districts. TO San Bartolo there is the church dedicated to the patron saint while the other church on the island, that of the Madonna of Carmine, is a short distance from the Port. Visino in San Bartolo also the districts of Pianicello e Disgusting. Tonna district, on the other hand, in addition to being very characteristic, it is the westernmost inhabited area of the island.
As there are no roads, the only means of transport is the mulo which has replaced the donkey: anyone who arrives in Alicudi must undertake to patiently climb the many stairs. San Bartolo is celebrated in August and on this occasion the island sees the population of almost a century ago, when the ancient volcanic cone was inhabited by about 600 people. Ferries and hydrofoils connect the island with the others and with the mainland: the routes are daily (weather permitting). Despite the appearance of the island, there is a small, completely flat place: Bazzina. The latter can be reached mainly from the sea, with the help of a small boat. And despite the appearance of the place, in the past the island has also lived on agriculture; today, however, as can be easily understood, tourism represents an important resource for the islanders and offers visitors the opportunity to discover a wonderful place.
The story of yesterday ... and today
Inhabited since Neolithic, the rock that gives it its typical color, does not seem disturbed by the small houses that have sprung up over time. Of the pirate raids during the Middle Ages, the legendary stories that surround the Timpone of Females, a natural fortress where women were kept safe so as not to be kidnapped. The Port welcomes you with simplicity and every departure is always sad: it is difficult not to fall in love with so much beauty. As Ericcusa 'rich in heather' was known in antiquity: today, climbing the steep paths, the Mediterranean scrub returns not only heather but also capers, brooms and olive trees, the latter, a sign of the vain attempt to 'colonize' this pleasant strip of Earth; but nature, as we know, is master of itself, and today, thousands of years later, it preserves its integrity and its healthy beauty. Spectacular sunsets but also the simple horizon that melts between the blue of the sea and the contours that outline the others islands of the archipelago.
