"...Filicudi is one of the seven Aeolian islands that according to legend were inhabited by the god Aeolus, a corner of paradise where Hotel Phenicusa now stands"

Location

Located on the north-east of Sicily, a black lava sliver set in the blue Tyrrhenian Sea of very green vegetation that gave it its name (the Romans called it Phoenicodes for the many ferns that grew here), Filicudi is one of the seven Aeolian islands (Vulcano, Stromboli, Lipari, Salina, Panarea, Alicudi and Filicudi), that according to legend were inhabited by the god Aeolus. A little corner of paradise where Hotel Phenicusa now stands, one of the better 3-star hotels on the island. Small and rocky, protected as a Natural Reserve, Filicudi goes up to more than 700 meters at Fossa delle Felci (773 m), and then drops to the crystalline sea below in steep precipices, at times interrupted by stone beaches (there is no sand at Filicudi) providing an astonishingly beautiful scenery. Erica (true heath), corbezzolo (arbutus or tree strawberry), lentisco (mastic tree), weaver's broom plant, Aeolian broom bush, and evergreen ferns all grow in Filicudi, and color it with a very special green. There are also "Aeolian orchids" (capers) and vineyards that in recent years have gained ground among the vegetable gardens of the island. Meanwhile the different blue hues of the sea can be seen all the way into the many marine caves (Maccatore, Perciato, Bue Marino, etc.), fascinating lava rock caverns carved by the water. The best-known one is Grotta del Bue Marino (Marine Ox Grotto), where once the monk seal used to find refuge and where the sea roars during stormy weather (hence the name) so much so that it gave birth to the popular credence that it is inhabited by monstrous beings. In fact, the cave is fascinating: 30 meters long, 20 m deep and 20 m high, with crystalline water and a kind of light refraction that is truly unique. And there is also spectacular La Canna, the lava cliff that plunges to the waters to the west of the island. At 85 meters in height, it is the nesting ground for the Eleonora's falcon and is also inhabited by a unique reptile species that lives exclusively on the cliff. Inhabited since times immemorial, Capo Graziano is a small peninsula with far-reaching beaches that still bears the traces of people and civilizations dating back to the Bronze age (3000 B.C.), and where the sea bottom holds the shipwrecks of Roman ships and Spanish galleons (exhibits at the Lipari Museum). Nowadays Filicudi has only 200 inhabitants who in summer welcome a quiet type of tourism, mainly lovers of silent oasis and a pristine nature that provides a most unique emotional experience.. Hotel Phenicusa is perfect for those who love the sea and trekking (trails with breathtaking landscapes in the Natural Reserve) and vacations away from mass tourism circuits, among the clearest water which is calm and rife with fish, spectacular jagged coasts, wonderful sea bottom, fascinating caves and canals all waiting to be discovered. Hotel Phenicusa is right in front of the small port of Filicudi: a small pier, a bar, maybe a three wheeler and nothing else. Magic is in the air!