Page 235 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

island staples such as anchovies with capers (€5), while among the spaghetti dishes

(€6–10), there are several with an authentic Aeolian feel – try the finochietto, dressed
with a pesto of wild fennel. The fish menu depends on the day’s catch, but the island
speciality of polpette di totano (deep-fried patties of flying squid) is a regular feature.
March–Nov daily lunch & dinner.

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Panarea

Only 3km by 1.5km, PANAREA is the smallest, loveliest and, sadly, the most

painfully stylish and ridiculously expensive of the Aeolians: in summer, its harbours,
hotels and villas overflow with an international crowd of designers, models, pop
stars, actors, royalty and their lackeys. In low season, however, the island is an utter
delight. Come in spring or autumn and you’ll find accommodation prices relatively
sane and beaches and bays uncrowded, while the weather should be cool enough to
follow the path that hugs the entire length of Panarea’s fractured coastline, one of the

most stunning anywhere in Italy.

Cars are banned, and the only transport is by Vespa or electric golf car. Panarea’s
couple of hundred year-round inhabitants live in three linked hamlets on the eastern
side of the island, Iditella, San Pietro and Drauto, with the boats docking at San
Pietro.