At the western end of the archipelago there are two more islands, and most visitors never see either.
They are the oldest of the seven and the furthest out, the boats are thinner, and there is very little to do in the sense that word usually carries. Which is the entire point of them.
They are also not the same as each other, and people conflate them. Filicudi is quiet. Alicudi is something else. The wider planning is in my complete guide to the Aeolian Islands.
Alicudi, which has no roads at all
The most remote inhabited island in the group, and the most extreme place in Italy that anybody actually lives.
Alicudi is a single steep cone rising out of the sea with perhaps a hundred permanent residents on its eastern flank. There are no roads. Not few roads. None. What there is instead is a network of rough volcanic stone staircases and mule paths, and everything that moves up the hill goes up those, on foot or on an animal.
The mules are not decoration. They carry gas bottles, building materials, crates of shopping and visitors’ luggage. Arriving with a large suitcase is a genuine imposition, and the correct thing to do is travel light and tell your accommodation which boat you are on.
Electricity arrived here within living memory. There is no bank, no ATM, no club, no shop in the sense you mean. There is a small harbour, a handful of places to stay, somewhere to eat, and several hundred metres of vertical stone steps.
What you do here is nothing. You climb, slowly, in the heat. You swim off rock. You read. You watch the light change. People who need an activity find it unbearable and people who do not find it the best thing in the archipelago.
The steps, honestly
Worth being blunt about, because it decides whether you should come.
Everything on Alicudi is up. Your accommodation is up. Dinner is up, or down and then up again. There is no flat ground beyond the harbour front. The steps are uneven volcanic stone, often without a handrail, and in August they are radiating heat.
If you have a knee problem, or a mobility limitation of any kind, or you are travelling with a toddler and a pushchair, this island is not a good idea and I would say so rather than let you find out on arrival.
If you are reasonably fit, it is fine, and the climbing becomes the rhythm of the day rather than an obstacle.
Bring cash. There is no ATM.
Filicudi, the softer of the two
Filicudi is the compromise: nearly as quiet, considerably more comfortable.
It has a small road, a few vehicles, a handful of places to stay, and a couple of restaurants, one of which reliably closes around the middle of September. There is a post office. There is no bank and no nightlife.
The reason to come is the water. Off the coast stands a great natural rock arch, and the swimming and snorkelling around it are the best in the archipelago. Boats run out from the harbour, and the water is deep, clear and cold enough to be refreshing in August.
There is also a prehistoric village site on a headland, Bronze Age hut circles on a spectacular position above the sea, and it is usually empty.
Walking on Filicudi is good: old mule tracks up through terraces to abandoned hamlets on the higher ground, with views back over the archipelago.
How to visit them
Both are on the western run from Lipari, and this is the thin end of the network. Fewer services, longer crossings, and the first routes cancelled when the wind gets up.
A day trip to Filicudi works if the timetable cooperates: out in the morning, boat round to the arch, swim, lunch, afternoon boat back. Check the return before you commit.
A day trip to Alicudi barely works. You will get a couple of hours, which you will spend climbing steps and then coming back down them. It is a poor introduction to a place whose entire quality is duration. Either stay two nights or leave it for another trip.
Build in slack. If weather is coming, come back in a day early. Being stuck on Alicudi is romantic in principle and expensive in practice if you have a flight.
Where to stay and what it costs
Both islands are inexpensive by Aeolian standards, because there is nothing to spend money on. Accommodation is simple: guesthouses, rooms in houses, one or two small hotels.
The catch is that everything has to arrive by boat, so what there is to buy costs more than it would on Lipari.
Book ahead, because there are very few beds, and out of season confirm that your place and somewhere to eat are actually open.
Who these islands are for
Come to Filicudi if you want a quiet few days with excellent swimming and one very good rock arch, and you can cope with limited choice.
Come to Alicudi if you want to be somewhere that has almost no interest in being visited. It is the closest thing left in Italy to genuinely stepping out, and the mules and the steps and the absence of a cash machine are the reason.
Do not come to either for a night on the way to somewhere else. They do not reward that, and the boats will punish you for trying.
Read also: which Aeolian island to stay on, Aeolian Islands ferries and island hopping, and my complete guide to the Aeolian Islands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Alicudi really have no roads?
None at all. The island is a single steep cone and everything is connected by rough volcanic stone staircases and mule paths. Mules carry gas bottles, building supplies, shopping and visitors’ luggage up the hill, and there are no cars because there is nowhere for one to go.
Is Alicudi worth visiting?
If you actively want very little, yes, and it is the most remarkable place in the archipelago. There is no bank, no ATM and no nightlife, and the day consists of climbing steps, swimming off rock and watching the light. Anyone who needs activities will find it unbearable.
How do you get to Filicudi and Alicudi?
Both sit on the western run from Lipari, which is the thinnest part of the ferry network with fewer services and longer crossings. They are also the first routes cancelled in wind, so build slack into your plans and check the return timetable before committing to a day trip.
Can you day trip to Filicudi?
Yes, if the timetable cooperates. Go out in the morning, take a boat round to the rock arch for the best snorkelling in the islands, have lunch and return in the afternoon. A day trip to Alicudi works far less well, because two hours of climbing steps misses the point of the island.
What is there to do on Filicudi?
Swim and snorkel around the natural rock arch offshore, which has the clearest water in the archipelago. Walk the old mule tracks up through terraces to abandoned hamlets on the high ground. Visit the Bronze Age hut circles on the headland, which are usually empty of visitors.
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