Italy 2012. Panarea, Isole Eolie.

Next up was Panarea, the smallest in a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea known as the Aeolian Islands, just north of Messina, Sicily. This is the island where my Mother's side of the family is from. Some people can trace their heritage back to Arkansas, but I get Panarea. Lucky, huh? Nothing against Arkansas of course, but I think we can agree that Panarea is slightly more exotic, no? Anyway, we arrived via Stromboli on the overnight ferry from Naples, and after a good nights rest on the boat we docked at San Pietro, and set out to visit one of the islands highlights, the ancient village at Capo Milazzese at Cala Junco on the southern end of the island, just past the small village of Drauto. As well as being the sight of the Neolithic ruins, Cala Junco also happens to host one of the most picturesque inlets in all of the Aeolian Islands. So our days were spent, visiting the cemetery where our Grandparents are buried (apparently, my Great Grandfather is actually buried under the alter of the islands old church!), strolling the tiny streets, sipping Campari and Soda's at Hotel la Piazza, taking in the numerous views of the imposing Volcano on Stromboli, boating around the nearby Islets of Basiluzzo and Lisca Bianca with a very weathered man named Bartolino, and of course... eating gelato. The second to last picture of this post, is the house where my Grandparents, Olympia and Angelo Tesoriero lived. Also for the record, the bar overlooking the Sea at Hotel la Pizza is the very place where, in 1996, my love affair with Campari and Soda began.