Why You Should Plan a Trip to the Aeolian Islands
Issue #45
This week’s issue is a guest post written by Zoe Stella Shapiro, founder and CEO of Stellavision Travel. Zoe moved from Toronto to Italy in 2019 and spent six months road tripping around the country with her miniature Australian Shepherd Chutney before putting down roots in Rome. She’s sharing her tips for visiting the Aeolian Islands, a remote archipelago off the coast of Sicily, plus an exclusive discount code for readers who want to join her and a small group of women on a sailing trip there next month: Sept 23 - 30.
An island with its own history, culture and language, Sicily itself is a thing apart from Italy. I call Sicily honest—she won’t pull any punches but will generously share her true self with you—if you know where to look and who to experience her glories and deliciousness alongside. Off the northeastern coast of Sicily is a hard-to-reach paradise, a volcanic archipelago that is even more removed from the typical tourist track. I am speaking of the Aeolian Islands; islands that are chic and wild in equal measure.
The seven small islands can be reached from Palermo, but there is only one ferry journey daily. Another alternative is to take a train to Capo D’Orlando and get a shorter ferry ride from the nearby yacht harbor (again; it’s a once per day deal). Once on the islands, you can get by without a car by basing yourself in the more densely packed port towns, but you’d be missing a lot of their pleasures. A Vespa rental is an option for the confident and (pricey) transfers are available. You’ll encounter some English once there, enough to get by. But nothing beats a guide/translator finessing the details for you.
I’ve spent about a month in Sicily each year; it is the Italian province that perpetually calls to me. In the extremely high bell curve of Italian wonderment, Sicily checks every box. Its history is fascinating, the established and emerging culture amazing. Some of the most beautiful beaches and most turquoise water can be found in Sicily and the Aeolians. (Once you live here, you become a ‘water snob’ fast). And Sicilian cuisine is my favorite in the country. Punto.
As the owner of a travel company designed to take solo and female travelers behind the scenes in Italy, to the spots hard to reach independently... I had to take Stellavision Travel-ers there! Our new tour destination decided, the next move was to determine the most exceptional way to experience the Aeolians. Enter the Cheeky Chef.
From my collaborations to Stellavision’s programming, a feminist POV on the world’s oldest patriarchy is central to Stellavision Travel’s mantra. I adore working with the excellent women in the industry like Linda Sarris, an acclaimed personal chef residing in Palermo. We first met in the DMs—the algorithm brought us together! A friendship amongst colleagues was born and when I was in Sicily in 2022, I proposed… a weekend visiting a Sicilian island together.
The three days represented my holiday for the year and it was a pleasure to let someone else do the planning on her home turf. So, without having formally met before, we took off for the most incredible long weekend exploring, eating, and sunning together. With my pup in tow. When it came time to plan the Stellavision tour, Linda had to be a part of the magic and with her (literally) on board, Stellavision’s Cheeky Sicilian Sailing Trip was born. Together we planned an itinerary and chartered two luxury catamarans for adventures on the various islands.
Our first voyage was in June and was one of the most spectacular weeks of the year. Powerful experiences and connections are possible when your mind is open and primed to make memories. There’s also some intangible magic that comes from a community of women gathered: as one traveler put it, you will meet “new friends who are like minded but also completely different than you.” It sets the scene for new friendships, heartfelt moments, and approximately a million giggles along the way.
After transferring to the Aeolians and making the catamarans our home, the first island we sailed to was Salina—the green island—and took full advantage of her verdant beauty. We escorted our travelers to one of the most beautiful vineyards in Italy for a wine tasting and five-course gourmet dinner. Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia is perched above a lighthouse that guides ships towards Salina.
One of five Sicilian properties owned by the Tasca d'Almerita family, the vineyard is a stunning example of expert Sicilian viticulture and showcases the local Malvasia grape. Thanks to our friend, Capofaro’s chef Gabriele Camiolo, it’s also a gastronomic destination where the herb and vegetable gardens fulfill the ‘kilometer zero’ promise. But the mouth-drop moment was the location of our group’s dinner: a private gazebo that hovers over Capofaro’s amphitheater vines with views to the sea.
Setting sail a short distance across the turquoise Tyrrenhian sea, we came to the island of Vulcano: the namesake. In Vulcano our group summitted the dormant volcano for incomparable views of the entire island chain. From the mythology, this was the place where the tribe of Vulcans forged their weapons in a mountain’s fires. AKA, it is the location of the OG volcano, the one after which all fire-spewing mountains were named.
Fast forward a few millennia and (aside from Hawaii), this volcanic chain is the most important global location for the study of these geological marvels. In fact, a study is nearing completion about the biological similarities between this prehistoric volcanic dirt and the makeup of the surface of Mars! How do we know? On the island of Panarea, our group took a gentle hike to the black sand beach with Carmelo, a member of the local Geologic Society who dropped some seriously fascinating island knowledge.
Our next stop was Panarea, the chic one. Here we indulged in both the swanky and the sincere with cocktails at the coolest bar on the island before dinner at a multigenerational, female-run restaurant. Unbeatable aperitivi can be found at Raya while the cuisine and hospitality of Cusiritati are second to none. The restaurant is run by an extended clan of women: mothers and aunts in the kitchen, sisters with the next generation on their hips. But make no mistake, this isn’t homespun cuisine—our group was treated to exceptional fine dining. All that plus some seriously stunning boutiques and never-ending granita made our time on Panarea so sweet.
And then, of course, there is Stromboli: the explosive one. An after-dark cruise transported us to see the eruption of the Aeolians’ active volcano. The orange lava in the night sky was the counterpoint to the copper sunsets we chased all week as we sailed through the island chains.
Lipari, Alicudi, Filicudi… I could go on, but you’ll just have to follow our Aeolian adventures for so many more local tips. Or—even better—claim one of the final available cabins and join us as we set sail again this September 23 - 30th. You can discover the full itinerary & details here.
All the hallmarks of a Stellavision Travel tour will be present, transposed to this island paradise. Our small-group tour is an all-inclusive experience that not only removes the hassle of holiday planning, but puts it in the hands of on-the-ground experts as we take travelers past the tourist barrier to experience the most authentic versions of Italy.
Nothing makes us happier than hosting passionate Italophiles! So, for the readers of the New Roman Times, we’re offering a $300 reduction in price. Just apply this bespoke promo code when booking: “NEWROMANTIMES” (but don’t hesitate to email me if you’re considering joining us and have some pre-booking questions, or to plan your private trip in Italy: zoe@stellavisiontravel.com).
I hope to see you at sea but a presto ‘til then.
Further Reading
In case you missed it, check out the New Roman Times’ interview with Zoe in issue #17 for the story behind Stellavision.
In issue #12, I wrote about my fears of the White Lotus effect ruining Taormina. That’s one of the reasons you should get further off the grid and explore the remote Aeolian Islands.
Stellavision was recently featured in the New York Times. Check out the article, which is all about size-inclusive travel, here.
You can read more about Stellavision’s size-inclusive trips in my feature for AFAR.
I also wrote about Stellavision’s inaugural queer-inclusive trip to Tuscany this spring for Nuvo. Check out that article here.
Check out all the past issues about under-the-radar destinations here.
All photos in this issue are courtesy of Stellavision Travel and were taken by Zoe Stella Shapiro or Linda Sarris.
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