Filicudi offers you many attractions, and if your vacation is short, it is good to decide what to do now and what to see!

The sea

Needless to say, Filicudi's sea is particularly beautiful!
Perhaps it is useful to note that like the whole island is wilder, clearer and more uncontaminated than that of the other Aeolian Islands.

Rich in coves and bays, with microbeaches naturally respectful of your privacy, easily reachable by boat, canoe and swiming!

Snorkeling .. or going around the coast of the island enjoying the beauties of the island's backdrops!

 

An island ... with the mountain!

Filicudi is not just an island for sea lovers! Even those who love the mountain and long walks will enjoy the island's best!

The top of the island is 774m high, the microclimate is up there, it is also full in August, the vegetation is different, there are some sandy shores where you can sleep the night with the sleeping bag. Bring a map, of course.

The ancient paths that innervate the island, and the stone muleways that connect the various inhabited centers are an experience to which it is difficult to escape! It's nice to walk to the twilight between the church valley streets, the Pecorini boulevards, the ancient stones of Stimpagnato.

Fossa Felci, the ancient volcanic cone that rises up to 774 meters, gives the lover of the mountain long walks to the top of the volcano, and beyond, reaching the abandoned villages of Ficarrisi, and the recently rediscovered Siccagni inhabited village, which Counts about twenty homes.

You can take the island tour from above, going from Valley of Church, passing from Serro, then to Zucco Grande, then Fossa Felci, Ficarrisi, Siccagni.
The Sciara has become much harder to cross horizons in recent years: therefore, it is unlikely (madness) to attempt the enterprise.

Discover the remains of a fascinating remote past. Archeology at Filicudi.

The neolithic village of Cape Graziano offers the inspiration for an exciting journey in time to trace in a quarter of an hour where 3000 years before Christ lived the first inhabitants of the island and had fled the assaults by sea.

At the top of the mountain of Capo Graziano there is a sacrificial sacrificial limb, lined with similar artifacts on top of Salina and Alicudi.

In the harbor plain, in the area called "case lopes" there are the remains of another prehistoric village, indicated by the road leading by a signpost.

The remains of a Roman villa are located in the area between the slopes of the Gulf of Cape and the Port Beach, but it has not been brought to light and soon becomes an undisputed realm of abusive building ... (like the rest of the island, Following the construction trend of the last 30 years ...).

A Greek inscription was found on the top of Montagnola.

It can not be visited except by a subauthorized guide, but very interesting the marina that surrounds the mountain of Capo Graziano, full of sudden dry due to innumerable shipwrecks and giving to the sea basins of the Roman, Greek, and also construction ships most recent.
The Aeolian museum in Lipari is virtually packed with finds found in Filicudi.
In August 2009, a black painted ceramic saucer of the 2nd century BC was found, now taken to the museum of Lipari.

Filicudi's museum, located at Porto, emanating from Lipari, has for some years been honored to host the Filicudari finds!

A room dedicated to the Aeolian peasant archeology is also set up.

 

Diving in Filicudi

Also under the surface of the sea Filicudi Island is amazing! Laughing
The jagged lava coast outline fantastic landscapes with rock canyon ending in wide valleys of Poseidon, the seabed drops quickly deep and lost in the blue, creating submerged cliffs teeming with life. Two Diving with excellent instructors and sub guides will offer you the support and equipment for your dives!
Common diving spots are: the six-meter cave, the shrimp cave, the ski shore, the canals, the notary rock, the rocks of montenassari, the rocky rock (!), The sea ox grotto, the Rock Giafante ... and many others!
Besides, of course, guided dives at the archaeological museum of Cape Graziano submarine ... unique, exciting, cultural. When sport and culture coincide in a fun and exciting activity.

 

Obviously, you can simply dive into Filicudi waters without a specific purpose, just to have fun in the blue!

Diving in the waters of Filicudi is a wonderful experience, both in apnea and in canisters.

From depths to heights ... paragliding!

There are those who come to Filicudi for paragliding.
Not many, but it happens to see scenes like this in the picture, from cactus villa pic taken in 2011.
There are no fixed clubs or instructors on the island, you have to bring home equipment.

 

The beaches

The filigree beaches are rocky, with pebbles of various sizes, spaced by large lava formations.
The most beautiful beach of filicudi is that of Capo Graziano, wide and sunny, which east turns into giant rocks and lots of very small bays very intimate.
Ports or Pecorini beaches are also pebbles, although according to winter storms, large portions of them can be transformed into beaches of the finest black volcanic sand, such as stromboli.

 

Here is a panoramic view of the south side of the island of Filicudi, taken from the pier of Pecorini. Click on the photo to enlarge it, and then on the handles to scroll it.

Doing yoga at sunset on the beach of Capo Graziano

Do you like to practice yoga? On the  Beach "Le Punte", at Cape Graziano, there are so many beautiful places to practice Yoga and relax while becoming one with the sea, the sky and the earth.

The cave

The Marino Ox Cave, west of the island, is a spectacle of nature, where the sea ranges from blue to green and then to crystal blue, to get lost in the interior of the cave and break into the inner shore.

Passing through the rocky arch of Perciato, almost a rite

With small gozzos (traditional wooden boats) or rumble dinghies, you can go in the bow of the "perciato" , near the sea cave "grotto del bue marino", on the west coast of the island. It is also great to go swimming in  (pay attention to the boats and yachts going inside) or in apnea, admiring the underwater arch, a fifteen feet deep, and the wonderful light rays that the rays of the sun create underwater.

The Canna

The Canna is an immense rocky tower that rises from the sea, the last witness of an ancient lava underwater eruption.
Its height is 74 meters, on top of its mountaineers have placed a madonna statue, which in the past has fallen into the sea following a lightning strike and has been put ot top again later.

On this rock has evolved evermore an endemic species of black lizard, which lives only here, and is protected.
The canyon boat tour is one of the best shows not to miss in Filicudi. Maybe with bubbles or typical Aolian malvasia.

An excursion to the Montenassari island.

Another micro island of volcanic origin and exclusively of rocky nature that rises from the sea near the Canna, with an interesting natural pool connected to the other side of the rock by a very large underwater cave. Charming!

 

Circumnavigate the Giafante

To the north west of the island, very close to the coast, lies the rock called "the Giafante".
In that area, the coast of the island is rich in high vertical cliffs over the sea, on which there are goats that climbed and can be heard but it are often difficult to see. Sometimes they are almost trapped for hours in absurd positions ... and then they succeed with "goats" jumps to save themselves.
Beside the goats, the rock of the Giafante, has a pachyderm shape, easily identifiable by the other Aeolian islands, the waters are ample deep around, with an intense blue illuminated by the rays of the sun.

At that point the coast is very jagged and full of wonderful coves and bays where to bathe.
Here's another photo of the Giafante.
 

Zucco Grande

Zucco Grande is a once lush and populated village today quite desert, recently rediscovered and inhabited by a few people. Zucco grande is not well  connected to the rest of the inhabited centers except from a hiking path that turns into a mule track to the Serro lcality.
At one time it was a very active center of island life but today it is a ghost village where it is nice to go and admire the architectures and shapes of a time.

A staircase leads from Zucco Grande to the beach below, almost always deserted.

Close to Zucco Grande a path leads to a natural source of water that flows from dripping from a rock into an old drinking diner excavated in the stone. A trip is highly recommended, and not very demanding (but remember to bring some solid shoes).

The horse

Another attraction of Filicudi is the horse-headed rock in the south side of the island, visible from the carriageway leading from port to sheepdogs in the only long straight stretch.
Here's a picture:

 

The "lorani cliff" is a regular basaltic colonnade overlooking a spectacular sea section on the south coast of the island, between Pecorini and Cape Graziano. Reachable by boat, or swimming by Pecorini. The name in Sicilian language means the pipes of the musical organ. In fact basalt columns look like pipes of an ancient organ.

The districts ("Contrade")

Walking through the districts of Filicudi is a good way to breathe the air of the island life of a time. Much has changed in this island in recent decades, but the vestiges of the past are still able to evoke strong emotions to the visitor.

 

The sunset on the cana

An easy and safe walk is to see the sunset at the far west of Stimpagnato, from where you can see in addition to the sun diving into the sea, the island of Alicudi and the rocks of Canna and Monte Nassari. Stimpagnato Lookout is not a place suitable for young children. Also, it is very windy: bring something to repair you from the wind.

 

Sunsets are never the same! Same place, different angle!

And it is a super romantic place ...

 

The Sciara

Filicudi's Sciara is a great vertical cut of sand and rocky frantic cuts to the top the side of the mountain fern. Move under your breath!

 

 

Church Valley

The Church and the Church of Val di Chiesa are worth a visit, even better if for the feast of the patron saint of the island, St. Stephen, which is celebrated in the summer on August 3rd.

Alongside the church stands an ancient cemetery, which witnesses the hardness of life of a time, and in the various epitaphs you can understand the recent (and not) history of the inhabitants of Filicudi.

Church Valley is a relief made up of the remains of a gigantic explosion of a volcanic cone. When you find them, take a look at the walls of the mountains that delineate it, and you will understand that you are at the center of a volcano exploded and switched off!

The grinding Stones

Towards the end of the 1800s and early 1900s, some skilled artisans made from the "lamellar" lava rock at the foot of Capo Graziano the huge mill mills that were then used in all the Aeolian Islands.
With an easy 10 minute walk from Porto, you can visit the "Macine" site and admire many mills deposited on the rocks, some still incomplete, and admire the signature of the craftsman carved in the rock. A sign in the summer of 2009 warns that it is forbidden to enter, but the islanders will explain that it is only because the fences are perky and the municipality does not want to take responsibility ...
But no one will tell you anything if you visit them ... obviously without relying on the fences and under your responsibility ... (incredible, I know!).

The aperitif at the Saloon of Pecorini Mare

A classical classic of the summer of Filicudi is the evening aperitif at the Saloon, a mythical local managed for decades by Uncle Nino Triolo, now run by his newphews.
The saloon is very popular in August, everyone comes down from the boats, arrives from the other islands to have an aperitif there, see and see, meet some VIPs, find friends, drink some or bad malvies, munch pistachios, sip off Good white wine by the sea, pampered by the rhythmic waving of the waves, wrapped in a surreal atmosphere with the darkness that approximate after sunset, between colors changing between intense blue, red, orange and pink.

But the saloon is very beautiful at the end of September too, when there is more calm,you could  find the local old people who like to play a card game with the passer, and exchange four chats with the tourist, allowing him to break the "tourist" veila of the Island of august, and enjoy the authentic relaxed atmosphere of Filicudi. For this I propose a photo of the saloon at the end of September.

Restaurants

Filicudi the fish is fresh! The fishermen carry it in the morning  and the restaurateurs racing on the pier of the harbor to catch it to offer it to its customers. There are so many renowned island restaurants, but many change management or simply their chef from year to year, so we can not advise you a priori which is better than others for the next summer.
As in any place, avoid crowding them to the restaurant on Saturday, remembering that you will have a better service, and probably even the most prestigious dishes in the week!
Ask the locals or the hosts where you can eat better when you visit the island.
And inform us if you didn't like the service of the dishes.
Keep in mind that not always the most prestigious restaurant is the best.
Always check the price of the dishes you order, better on a paper menu.
Put a reservation inadvance. Because If you are unlucky some holliwood celebrity or some silicon valley way-too-rich man has already reserved his favourite restaurant - I mean a whole reataurant - for a night just to have some privacy!

Sea urchins and white prosecco wine at the beach

What's better than diving in apnea in the afternoon, and picking up a bit of curls (be careful not to violate local regulations and constraints for collection periods, always and only in apnea never with sub-cylinders, for Sports fishermen the limit in 2012 is 50 sea urchins), and enjoy them with white prosecco cold wine on the beach or pier? Fantastic!

 

Collection of mushrooms

In the winter, the island in some periods is pulled by Ferla mushrooms (Ferra fungus in Sicilian language), which thrive in symbiosis with the Ferulae, the widespread woody shrubs in the island. When it is the right time, you will find them at every step, and you will be bitten with roasted mushrooms with oil and parsley, or prepared as you like!
Remember that you must have the patent for mushroom picking, however.
 

Fishing in apnea

The sea is still rich in fish and octopuses here!

An island for all: grandparents, children and grandchildren!

Filicudi is an island for all ages. Much of the activities you can do on the island are also accessible to the "less younger ones".
For those who are no longer able to take long walks, I suggest to come by car, and choose a house with private parking (necessary to bring the car).
You can then choose the "easy" beaches, the one on the seafront of Porto or Pecorini, which often has very fine pebbles or even some black sand , and fun is guaranteed. Or get around the island bait in a tradition awood boat (better and more stable  than and inflatable rubber boat).
There is no reason to exclude a relaxing, romantic vacation in the sea and nature!
 

Have fun, always!

The password at Filicudi is fun!
Whether on the beach, in the water during the day, with friends in the siesta hour, at the saloon for a sheep's aperitif ...
Here's a lot of fun!
You will know many new friends because the atmosphere that is created on this island is ... magical!
Among the attendants, even occasional, there is a relationship of complicity and brotherhood that is difficult to imagine for those who are used to "metropolitan" life.
The evenings go by choosing which dinner to go, or at what party to find all together.
In August free open-air parties are many, often organized by "vip" (actors, singers, people of entertainment in general). Remember that even if they are open to everyone, it is always a tribute to the organizer of the party in a turn: a bottle of malvasia, a liqueur, a healthy super-alcoholic are always excellent pork partout!
In August, a beautiful party on the beach is organized at the head of the Cape Grays, but all the locales organize a "long" party of feast and joy until dawn.

If you've read up here I suppose you like Filicudi island.

Book your Filicudi holiday!!