Panarea

Panarea, where sea and volcanoes become sculptors

Panarea is the smallest island of the archipelago in terms of size, but is probably the one with the most charm due to its natural beauty. Panarea is not only an island, but also a collection of many small isles and rocks with fantastic shapes and colours.


From a geological point of view, Panarea is the oldest in the archipelago, with products dating back over 330,000 years. Its volcanic structure has partially collapsed into the sea in the western and northern parts, resulting in uninhabitable steep slopes on the remaining part of the island. The eastern and southern parts of the island are flat. The height of what remains of the volcanic cone is 421 metres. The volcanic cone has remains of side craters formed over time.
The rocky spurs of Spinazzola, Basiluzzo, Panarelli, Dattilo, Lisca Bianca, Bottaro, Lisca Nera and Formiconi are wonderful. But do not be fooled by the island’s small size. Underwater Panarea is actually much more extensive. The current forms are the result of many caldera sinkings and explosions during the last stages of its eruption activity.
The town of Panarea is very small and consists of a series of well-tended and flowered alleys that connect the various parts of the town and the beaches. In antiquity, there were several names for Panarea: Euonymos (which is on the left, from Lipari towards Sicily) and Hycesia (the supplicant). Then Panaraion (the destroyed) appeared, following by Pagnaria (the cursed), Panaria, and finally Panarea.

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The salt lake of Lingua

The 2002-03 eruption

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The polis of the living and the necropolis of the dead

The stacks of Panarea

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The pure white of the pumice quarries

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The Village of Capo Graziano

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Malvasia delle Lipari DOC

The senses tell The summit craters

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The summit craters

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The Cathedral of Lipari and the Norman Cloister of the Benedictine Monastery

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The senses tell The Village of Capo Graziano

The senses tell The Stacks of Panarea

Myths and legends about volcanoes

The prehistoric village of Cala Junco

Panarea and its history

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The Thermal Baths of Saint Calogerus

Lipari Castle, “fused” with the lava

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The underwater fumarolic activity of Lisca Bianca

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Volcanoes as a natural art form

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Panarea, where sea and volcanoes become sculptors

The senses tell The Sciara del Fuoco

The ancient production of salt

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Pollara, between poetry and beauty