Page 210 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

UNESCO this has now been banned, and today the economy is firmly based on
tourism.

BOAT EXCURSIONS FROM LIPARI

Tour operators all over town offer year-round boat excursions, both around Lipari
and to all the other islands, which offer an easy way to do some sightseeing without
bothering about bus timetables and hydrofoil schedules. The boats mostly run from
Marina Corta, but agencies are prominent at the main port too. Universally

recommended is Da Massimo, Via Maurolico 2 ( 090 981 3086, damassimo.it),
where there will be someone who can speak English, and where boats are clean,
well maintained, and have freshwater showers and canopies. Prices are pitched
roughly the same everywhere, from €15 for a Lipari and Vulcano tour, €25 for Lipari
and Salina, and from €30 from Lipari to Panarea and Stromboli. Da Massimo also
work with the excellent Magmatrek for boat trips to Stromboli, including a night
ascent of the volcano (from €70). If you want to rent a gommone (rubber boat) and

putter around yourself, expect to pay around €100 per day for a 5m-long boat with
shower and canopy and space for six people. Most operators also run beach
shuttles in summer to good beaches on Lipari that are otherwise tricky to reach, like
Praia Vinci.

Lipari Town

LIPARI TOWN is split into upper and lower sections. Virtually everything of
historic interest lies in the upper town, or citadel, protected by the sturdy walls of the

castle, while all the shops and services are in the lower town, mostly along and off the
attractive, colourful main Corso Vittorio Emanuele, with the town’s two harbours at
either end. The most impressive approach from lower to upper town is from Via
Garibaldi, from which long steps cut straight up through the thick defensive walls,