Slow Trekking on Filicudi and Alicudi, the Lesser Aeolians

The Aeolians immediately conjure up Lipari, Vulcano and Stromboli, with their crowded ferries and packed nights. But at the western edge of the archipelago there are two islands that mass tourism has never truly reached: Filicudi and Alicudi. They are the farthest, the smallest, the oldest in geological terms, and it is precisely their inconvenience that has protected them. You don't come here for nightlife but to walk, to swim in stony coves and to listen to the silence.

Filicudi

Filicudi is the more accessible of the two, but it remains a world apart. From the harbour of Filicudi Porto you climb on foot towards the hamlets scattered across the island's flanks. The classic destination is Capo Graziano, home to one of the most important prehistoric villages in the Mediterranean, with the traces of Bronze Age huts overlooking the sea. Another walk leads to Pecorini a Mare, a small fishing hamlet, and then along the paths that cross the island to the Valle di Zucco Grande, a partly abandoned village reachable only on foot. From the sea, by boat, you can instead admire the Canna rock, a monolith rising out of the water, and the Grotta del Bue Marino.

Alicudi

Alicudi is even more extreme. It is an almost perfect volcanic cone, and here there are no real roads: the only way to get around is to climb up and down the stone stairways, the ancient mule tracks, while mules remain the true means of transport for goods and luggage. You start from the little harbour and climb, step after step, between the drystone walls and the scattered houses, up to the higher elevations from which the eye takes in the whole archipelago. There are no shops beyond the essentials, public lighting is minimal, and at night the sky fills with stars as in few other places. Walking on Alicudi is a total commitment: either you climb on foot or you go nowhere.

Getting there

To get here you need the ferries and hydrofoils that connect the Aeolians with Milazzo, on Sicily's north coast, the main port of departure. Filicudi and Alicudi are the last stops on the routes, so connections are less frequent than to the larger islands: it is best to study the timetables carefully and to reckon with the fact that the weather can alter departures. Once on the islands you need no vehicle: you move on foot, and for the most hidden coves you rely on the local boatmen who circle the island by sea.

When to go

The ideal time is late spring, May and June, or September. In these months the sea is already, or still, warm, the days are long and the trails can be walked without the searing heat of July and August, when the sun beats hard on the bare stone and shade is scarce. Above all, outside the two peak months the islands return to their natural rhythm: few visitors, accommodation easier to find, and that sense of having arrived at the end of the world that in August is lost.

A practical tip: on Alicudi especially, pack your bags thinking that you'll have to carry them up the stairs or entrust them to a mule. A light backpack is worth more than a suitcase. Bring trekking shoes with good soles, because the stone steps can be slippery, a torch for the evening and enough water for the walks, since fountains along the trails are rare. And leave room in your plans for the unexpected: here the wind and the sea set the pace, and learning to wait is part of the journey. Consider also devoting at least one night to each island, rather than treating them as a fleeting visit: it is after sunset, when the day-trip boatmen have left, that Filicudi and Alicudi reveal their true nature, made of very few lights, simple fish dinners and an almost unreal stillness. Those seeking this kind of silence will soon understand why these two lesser Aeolians, awkward to reach and lacking in comforts, have become the refuge of those who want to detox from mass tourism.

Practical guides for Como

• Where to stay in Como
• What to see in Como in 2 days
• Where to eat in Como
• How to get to Como