Page 248 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

contours through a prickly terrain of gorse, lentisk, prickly pear and euphorbia.

Another 20min brings you to the village, abandoned forty years ago when its last
inhabitants left for Australia. A couple of pioneering souls have bought ruins here,
which are being renovated, but at the moment there is just one inhabitant, Giovanni (
347 813 2579 or 368 407 544), who has a couple of rooms (haggle hard over
the price as he pitches high) and can provide a basic dinner.

GETTING AROUND: FILICUDI

By taxi There is no public transport on Filicudi. There’s usually a minibus taxi (bus
navetta) waiting at the harbour, which will take you where you want to go on the

island. It costs €12 to Pecorini Mare, less per head if there’s a group of you. If it’s not
there, call D&G Servizio Navetta ( 347 757 5916 or 347 517 1825).

By car and scooter There’s scooter rental (€25/day) at the port and from I Delfini at
Pecorini Mare ( 090 988 9077or 340 148 4645), who also rent cars (€40/day).

FILICUDI BY BOAT

To explore the island’s uninhabited northern and western coasts you’ll need to rent
a boat. The highly recommended I Delfini at Pecorini Mare ( 090 988 9077 or
340 148 4645) rent wooden boats (€100/day), rubber dinghies (€120/day), kayaks
(€15/day), and offer boat tours around the island (€15 per person; minimum 4

people). In summer, there’s usually someone at Filicudi Porto or Pecorini Mare
touting for custom; any hotel, shop or restaurant can point you in the right direction
too. The main sights include the fine natural arch of Punta Perciato and the nearby
Grotta del Bue Marino (“Seal Grotto” – there aren’t any), a wide rocky cavity 37m
long by 30m wide, its walls of reddish lava barely visible in the pitch black of the

interior. Near the island’s northwest coast, the startling Canna, a rugged obelisk
85m tall, is the most impressive of all the faraglioni of the Aeolian Islands.

Filicudi Porto

Filicudi’s main settlement is Filicudi Porto, a functional place with a few colour-
trimmed whitewashed cubes containing a couple of shops, hotels, basic services and
two or three bar-restaurants, with terraces overlooking the water and Salina in the
distance. Staying here won’t really allow you to key into the magic of the island,
however, so unless you have an early morning ferry or hydrofoil, it’s far better to base
yourself elsewhere.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: FILICUDI PORTO