Page 233 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

tasteful studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments with kitchens in a traditional

winemaker’s house, set in a garden with lovely views of the valley and the distant sea.
Utterly peaceful, and owners who respect guests’ privacy. Studios and one-bed
apartments €50

Agriturismo Galletta Via Ruvoli 7 333 367 1706. The restaurant of this simple
agriturismo gives a gutsy taste of traditional Aeolian life, surrounded by vineyards,
vegetable gardens and fruit trees. There are six simple rooms with en-suite bathrooms,

and a kids’ playground, but it’s best as a place to eat (daily lunch & dinner). The
owners keep island traditions alive, preserving fruit and veg, making wine and, in
summer, cooking up tomato sauce on their terrace in huge cauldrons. Pasta dishes kick
off at €6 for a simple spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, and you’ll pay €8–10 for pasta
with home-made caper pesto, or with swordfish, capers, tomatoes, olives, aubergine,
pine nuts and wild mint. The outstanding choice is the grilled lamb seasoned with

local herbs (€12), though there are fish dishes as well, including stuffed calamaretti
(€12). Follow it with a salad, and wind up with a home-made liqueur of wild fennel,
wild mint or apple and rose petal (€3). Book in advance in low season. Rooms €80

Rinella

On the island’s south coast, 15km from Santa Marina, the tiny port of RINELLA

consists of a cluster of houses, a sandy beach and a quay at the very bottom of a steep
and winding road. It has clear water, and the beach is popular, so it gets a fair number
of visitors in summer, though it’s otherwise rather remote in feel. To escape the
crowds, take the path from behind the former campsite (recognisable by several half-

constructed concrete structures) to the stone boulder beach of Praia Venezia. The
walk takes about twenty minutes, and there is a bar en route in the summer.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: RINELLA

By ferry and hydrofoil Rinella is Salina’s second port, and first port of call if you are
arriving from Palermo, Filicudi or Alicudi. The ticket office is on the dock, right by

the bus stop. Buses call here several times a day, but don’t always coincide with
ferries and hydrofoils, so unless you have accommodation in Rinella, it’s far better to
disembark at Santa Marina. Note that the services detailed here are year-round;
schedules increase during the summer months.

Ferry destinations Alicudi (1 daily; 2hr 20min); Filicudi (1–2 daily; 1hr 10min);
Ginostra (1 daily; 2hr); Lipari (1–2 daily; 1hr 40min); Milazzo (1–2 daily; 1hr 35min–

2hr); Santa Maria Salina (6 daily; 10min); Naples (1 weekly; 13hr 30min); Panarea (1
daily; 1hr 15min); Stromboli (1 daily; 4hr); Vulcano (1–2 daily; 2hr 20min).

Hydrofoil destinations Alicudi (2 daily; 1hr); Filicudi (2 daily; 25min); Ginostra (1