Panarea
Encyclopedia
Basiluzzo
Basiluzzo is an islet , and one of eight islands in the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic island chain north of Sicily.It is featured in the Italian film L'avventura, the characters are on a motor boat looking for somewhere to swim. They sail up to Basiluzzo but decide to travel to Lisca Bianca, another...
) of the eight Aeolian Islands
Aeolian Islands
The Aeolian Islands or Lipari Islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, named after the demigod of the winds Aeolus. The locals residing on the islands are known as Eolians . The Aeolian Islands are a popular tourist destination in the summer, and attract up to...
, a volcanic island chain north of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. It is a frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of the comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Lipari
Lipari
Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the north coast of Sicily, and the name of the island's main town. It has a permanent population of 11,231; during the May–September tourist season, its population may reach up to 20,000....
. There are currently about 280 residents living on the island year-round; however the population increases dramatically in summer with the influx of tourists. In recent years, the island has become known internationally for its celebrity visitors.
Geography
The island is an inactive volcanoVolcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
with a total surface area of only 3.4, km². The highest point on the island, Punta del Corvo, is 421 meters above sea level. There are thermal springs
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
near the village of Punta di Peppe e Maria. Scuba diving
Scuba set
A scuba set is an independent breathing set that provides a scuba diver with the breathing gas necessary to breathe underwater during scuba diving. It is much used for sport diving and some sorts of work diving....
is a popular excursion on this tiny island, and you can even swim to a shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
between the offshore rocks of Lisca Bianca and Bottaro.
History
In antiquity, the island was named "Euonymus"; the nearby islet of BasiluzzoBasiluzzo
Basiluzzo is an islet , and one of eight islands in the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic island chain north of Sicily.It is featured in the Italian film L'avventura, the characters are on a motor boat looking for somewhere to swim. They sail up to Basiluzzo but decide to travel to Lisca Bianca, another...
, administered from Panarea, was named "Hycesia". There is archaeological evidence on the island dating back to Mycenaean inhabitants (~ 1200 BC), and the island was settled by Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. There were people still living on the island until pirates and other Mediterranean raiders made life unbearable after the Fall of Rome.
In modern times, Panarea has become a fashionable vacation spot. In 2011, it was described by W magazine
W (magazine)
W is a monthly American fashion magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, who purchased original owner Fairchild Publications in 1999. It was created in 1971 by the publisher of sister magazine Woman's Wear Daily, James Brady. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and...
as "the epicenter of the chicest summer scene in the Mediterranean."
Panarea and the entire Aeolian chain were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. Largely because of this, construction and development are strictly regulated and the community retains its storied insularity. Most residences admit only temporary occupancy, and the few year-round homes available are highly expensive and difficult to obtain.