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Aeolian Islands - Shopping and Advice

The town on this island is the only true town in the whole archipelago. It stands at the foot of a circular volcanic rock along the bay stretches between the promontory of Monte Rosa to the north and Punta San Giuseppe to the south. There are two main roads across the town, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Garibaldi, which are connected by Via Umberto, Via Maurolico and Via XXIV Maggio. To the south of the rock, Via Garibaldi reaches Marina Corta, a traditional gathering-place for local inhabitants; this small peninsula is connected to the mainland by an isthmus.

This is where you can find the church of Anime del Purgatorio, which underwent restoration in 1995. On the ground floor of the buildings that look onto Piazza Ugo di Sant’Onofrio, there are outdoor cafés and ice cream parlours where you can sit a table in the shade of a large parasol. These places are very busy on summer mornings, when the traditional Sicilian breakfast is served – various flavours of crushed ice-drinks with fresh brioches. Marina Corta has a host of restaurants and places where friends can meet. In order to preserve its habitual tranquillity, the town centre is closed to traffic in the summer, when you have to take one of the small local buses to get from the northern side to the southern side of the town centre. Thus, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Garibaldi become peaceful streets where you can go for a nice stroll or sit in an open-air café or restaurant without having to cope with the noise and smell of cars and mopeds.

One particularly peaceful spot is Piazzetta Luigi Salvatore d’Austria, which opens out along Corso Vittorio Emanuele: here you can sit outdoors and taste some of the delicious local cakes and ice creams. One of the most agricultural products is the caper, which grows in abundance on the island and is exported to the mainland and abroad. Among the many tipical home-made Aeolian products are delicious biscuits covered with sesame seeds that can be dipped in Malvasia wine, liqueurs made from plums or mandarin oranges, digestive liqueurs, rosolio and and excellent superior-quality olive oil. In the local restaurants, you can also order wines produced and bottled in the Aeolian islands. Aeolian sweet specialities are very well known (e.g., “nacatuli” and “Spicchitedda”), as are the local pastries and ice creams (you really should try the ice cream made with ricotta cheese).

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