The Isle of Lipari...Wow

I don't have a lot to say on this blog but just have to send some pictures. What a beautiful place. Lipari is the largest of the Aeolean Islands just north of Sicily. We took a bus ride up the coast highway, got on an airfoil ferry and rode 45 minutes to the island.

The islands are made from volcanoes which are still active. Here and in all of Sicily, people don't worry about the volcanoes as long as they are active, that means the steam is escaping and there won't be a huge blowup--though occasionally that's not true and there is quite a blow-up---about every thirty years.

The history of Lipari goes back to the Bronze era or further. We were treated to a guided tour by a young woman, Nadia, who shared so much. We saw evidence of the conquering of the island by the Normans, Greeks, Spanish and, of course, Italians. Some excavations and shaped rocks (for walls and buildings) went back to the second century b.c.

We learned about capers: Capers cannot be planted. They are distributed in the rocks and crevices by bugs, lizards, and birds where they grow. They are tiny and can only be picked by hand in the early morning or late evening. The caper is the bud of the flower and, of course, can be eaten after some processing (though not much). Also eaten is the fruit of the caper which the Sicilians call cucunci (coocoonchee).

We went to a restaurant near the top of the mountain for lunch and had a typical Sycilian meal. Antipasto, pasta, and the main course. I was happy with the antipasto and could have been done but they kept bringing this wonderful food and their homemade bread. In fact, everything at the "ristorante" was made and/or grown right there. As we left we saw their cherry tomatoes drying in the sun.

Another wonderful day.