Scattered across the Tyrrhenian Sea to the northeast of Sicily, the Aeolian Islands were home to fishermen and farmers who were still living in "19th century" conditions when Italy's neo-realist film directors began using the islands as film locations in the 1950s.
Since then, they have acquired electricity and holiday villas, and have attracted the "superyacht crowd" – yet they retain a "timeless" quality, with their "savage" volcanic landscapes and "sugar cube" houses, said Stephanie Rafanelli in Condé Nast Traveller.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of JulyCartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
Crossword: July 5, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Jeff in Venice: a 'triumph of tackiness'?
In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
Shami Chakrabarti picks her favourite booksThe Week Recommends The politician and human rights activist shares the polemics that inspired her
-
The Anatomy of Painting: Jenny Saville's 'stunning' retrospectiveThe Week Recommends Saville's new collection features 'masterpieces' from throughout her career
-
M3GAN 2.0: riotous action sequel to the comedy-horror hit about a killer dollThe Week Recommends A 'ridiculously' entertaining 'hyper-camp mash-up' of Terminator 2 and Mission: Impossible
-
Properties of the week: bright and cheerful housesThe Week Recommends Featuring homes in Cornwall, London and Norfolk
-
6 sleek homes for modernistsFeature Featuring a concrete-and-steel home in South Carolina and a renovated 19th-century former carriage house in Pennsylvania
-
The Genius Myth: a 'fresh and unpretentious' book from Helen LewisThe Week Recommends This 'angry, witty book' by Helen Lewis is a valuable critique of the 'flattering fiction' of genius
-
From Hilde, With Love – the 'moving' story of an accidental revolutionaryThe Week Recommends Liv Lisa Fries gives a 'compelling' performance as the soft-spoken heroine.
