Description of the attraction
Panarea is the second smallest of the Aeolian Islands (after Basiluzzo), located north of Sicily. This volcanic islet with a population of about 280 is administratively part of the Lipari commune. At the height of the tourist season, the population of Panarea grows many times over, and in recent years, Hollywood celebrities have fallen in love with vacationing here.
Panarea is an extinct volcano with an area of about 3.4 square kilometers. The highest peak of the island is Punta del Corvo (421 m). Thermal springs are located near the villages of Punta di Peppe and Maria, and near the coast, between the rocks of Liska Bianca and Bottaro, shipwrecks have been found, which today have become a popular tourist attraction, primarily for divers.
Traces of a settlement of the Mycenaean civilization (circa 1200 BC) have been found on Panarea, but the ancient Romans were the first to colonize the island. Only in the Middle Ages, as a result of constant attacks by pirates and other robbers, life on the island became unbearable, and it was abandoned by people. Today Panarea has become a favorite vacation spot for celebrities. And in 2000, together with other Aeolian Islands, it was included in the list of UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites - for this reason, construction on the island is strictly limited, and local communes retain their isolation.
Panarea has an ambulance station, ATM, shops, a bar, restaurants and a disco, one of the most famous in the whole Mediterranean. There are few beaches on the island itself that can be reached on foot, but there is also a sandy beach, one of the few in the Aeolian Islands. Basically, swimming and sunbathing go to the numerous tiny islets-reefs scattered around Panarea.
