“Alicudi and Filicudi are true hidden treasures. Isolation here is pure bliss.”

It is a little simplistic and maybe, all things considered, even somewhat obvious to say that Filicudi is not for everyone. That perspective might change if I said that Filicudi is a good fit for those who already love this island a little bit, even without knowing it.

The island continues to attract a distinguished and eccentric crowd. In the lopsided piazzetta of Pecorini a Mare I met artists, entrepreneurs, professors, an Afghani princess and jewelry designer, characters from Rome and Milan’s social elite, etc., most of whom have been coming to Filicudi every summer for years and who have made the island a sort of second home.

Alicudi is the second smallest of the Aeolian Islands and is probably the most authentic and primitive of the Sicilian archipelago. Once you get there via ⛵️you can start breathing its energy right at the harbour: no cars are allowed, because there are no streets. A group of colored fishing boats and crystal clear water welcome you to the island, together with a few donkeys, the sole means of transport suitable for those carrying heavy things.

The more you go uphill, the sweeter the silence becomes. It’s the real luxury of the island together with an explosion of uncontaminated nature. The silence is so clear that you can even hear the sound of the sea waves from above the mountain: waking up on the island is pure magic.

The sun rises behind the nearby island of Filicudi, accompanied by the only sound of roosters and the wash of the waves.