Lipari, Italy

It took us until 1:00 this afternoon to reach Lipari so we took advantage of the time to do the laundry again. The Laundromat was not crowded and we quickly finished so we could enjoy Lipari. Off the coast of Sicily, it is the largest of the Aeolian Islands, all of which are volcanic in origin. Most of the volcanoes are nearly extinct, but Stromboli has an active vent releasing steamy clouds and sometimes glows red. 

Lipari has a pretty port, charming houses set into the hillside, a medieval castle, an old Norman palace, and ancient Roman and Greek ruins. Prinsendam anchored and we used the tenders to reach the dock at the center of town. There are restaurants right at the port serving delicious looking fish, brought in fresh this morning. Along the streets from the town center to the Basilica are more restaurants and shops offering jewelry, clothing, tourist treasures, and wine. I tried on a dress in one of the shops. In a jewelry store, I talked with the designer and tried on a necklace of pink coral carved into an octopus and starfishes wrapped in strands of black coral.

We walked many of the winding streets admiring the charming architecture, orange and lemon trees, and small gardens. Then we walked up an old stone stairway leading from the town center to the 11^th century Basilica Cattedrale de San Bartolomeo. The church does not look like much from the bottom but inside are awesome frescoes on the walls and the ceiling.

In a couple of hours, we will be in the Straits of Messina. The last time we were in that water there were large waves and we were bouncing off the walls as we walked to our cabin after dinner. The weather forecast for this evening sounds like smooth sailing and a pleasant passage. We might even see a volcano glowing red as we pass by.