“ENCHANTING AEOLIAN ISLANDS GULET CRUISE TRAVEL ITINERARY”
GULET CRUISE FROM CAPO D’ORLANDO TO CAPO D’ORLANDO
DAY 1: WELCOME TO SICILY & THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS
Meet your tour manager and the group in Palermo at 09.30 and travel to CAPO D’ORLANDO to embark our beautiful gulet at 16.30. En-route stop in the charming fishing village of CEFALU’. The squares, streets and churches of this medieval town are so postcard-pretty that it is no wonder director Giuseppe Tornatore chose to set parts of his much-loved film Cinema Paradiso here. Most of Cefalu’ sites are found in the historic town centre around Corso Ruggero and Piazza del Duomo, where you can visit the striking Cathedral, a mosaic-adorned outpost of Norman power and one of the jewels in Sicily’s Arab-Norman crown.After lunch on your own, continue your journey towards Capo d’Orlando. Welcome cocktail on board and beginning of the cruise. A dinner is served tonight onboard to celebrate the start of a memorable Aeolian Islands cruise adventure.Overnight on board.
DAY 2: DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF PANAREA ISLAND
Breakfast on board. We will stop for a swim at the uninhabited volcanic (now extinct) islets of Lisca Bianca and Bottaro, a great place to spot a submarine volcanic formation at few metres of depth.Lunch on board and before we sail around the islets of Lisca Nera and Dattilo before arriving in Panarea. We go ashore on PANAREA to visit the beautiful village of St. Pietro. Panarea is just 2.5 x 1.8 Kms and has just a few hundred residents. There are a few restaurants and cafes, and, with luck, you can sit and have dinner while watching nearby Stromboli smoke and occasionally emit lava.Overnight on board.
DAY 3 :ERUPTING ISLAND OF STROMBOLI
Breakfast on board. This morning, we depart Panarea Island towards STROMBOLI. We will be sailing along the Islet of Basiluzzo. Arrival in Stromboli in the late morning. Lunch on board and afterwards explore the Island in the company of our your tour guide. Stromboli is basically a 900-metre-high active volcano, but a few hundred people still live on the Island and it is sometimes possible to trek to the top. Dinner is on your own in Stromboli.Overnight on board.
DAY 4: SANTA MARINA DI SALINA & MALVASIA WINE
Breakfast on board.Our journey today takes us sailing around Stromboli. Lunch on board while travelling to Santa Marina di SALINA where we will moor for an island sightseeing tour. Santa Maria is a beautiful fishing port founded in the 4th century and has some beautiful buildings.The famous Aeolian capers grow plentifully here, as do the grapes used for making MALVASIA WINE which we’ll taste today in a popular LOCAL WINERY.Dinner is included this evening in a local restaurant in Santa Marina di Salina.Overnight on board.
DAY 5: UNIQUE LIPARI ISLAND
Breakfast on board while we tour Salina Island by boat. Stop for a swim in the magnificent Bay of Pollara before we take lunch on board and sail to LIPARI ISLAND with a stop for swimming in Canneto. Arrival at Lipari in the evening. Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands, characterized by green volcanic hills, beautiful villages and some ancient fortresses. There is a wide choice of restaurants and cafes in Lipari. Free evening.Overnight on board.
DAY 6: LIPARI ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM & VULCANO ISLAND
Lipari town is spread out under the imposing castle rock, the ancient Greek acropolis, and along the bay of Marina Corta and Marina Lunga, to the north and south. Its volcanic origin is evident in the Muria Valley, with its red rocks, and on the north-east coast, covered by a vast flow of pumice, which hides Roman ruins of the 4th century AD. This morning a local expert will shed light on the main archaeological site of an island inhabited for some 6000 years and settled in the 4th millennium BC by Sicily’s first known inhabitants, the Stentillenians who developed a flourishing economy, based on obsidian, a glassy volcanic rock. We have included today a visit to the archaeological museum which displays finds from the islands’ long history, including tools and pottery left behind by Neolithic inhabitants. The museum is also famous for its terracotta Greek theater masks and figurines of dancers and actors, the world’s largest such collection.Return to the boat for an included lunch and departure towards VULCANO ISLAND for a sightseeing tour and possibility to enjoy the hot springs (optional). Dinner is at your choice in Vulcano.Overnight on board
DAY 7: GROTTA DEL CAVALLO & CAPO D’ORLANDO
Breakfast on board and sail around Vulcano Island. Stop for a swim at Venus’ pool and visit to GROTTA DEL CAVALLO. Sail along the west coast of Volcano to the small port of GELSO. Lunch on board. We sail to Capo D’orlando via St. Antonio bay where we stop for a last swim in the beautiful Mediterranean waters. A FAREWELL DINNER is included this evening in a local restaurant to celebrate the end of a magical cruise.Overnight on board
DAY 8: ARRIVEDERCI AEOLIAN ISLANDS
Enjoy an included group transfer to Palermo airport or train station at 09.00