Panarea (; scn, Panarìa) is the smallest of the seven inhabited

Aeolian Islands The Aeolian Islands ( ; it, Isole Eolie ; scn, Ìsuli Eoli), sometimes referred to as the Lipari Islands or Lipari group ( , ) after their largest island, are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, said to be named after ...

, a

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

island chain in north of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of the ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of

Lipari Lipari (; scn, Lìpari) is the largest of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the northern coast of Sicily, southern Italy; it is also the name of the island's main town and ''comune'', which is administratively part of the Metropolit ...

. There are currently about 280 residents living on the island year-round; however the population increases dramatically in summer with the influx of tourists especially during the months of July and August. In recent years, the island has become known internationally for its celebrity visitors.

Geography

The island is an active

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

with a total surface area of only . The highest point on the island, Punta del Corvo, is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. There are

thermal springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

near the village of Punta di Peppe e Maria.

Scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

is a popular excursion on this tiny island, and you can even swim to a

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

between the offshore rocks of Lisca Bianca and Bottaro. The island is surrounded by several islets and skerries reachable only by boat that make Panarea unique and easily distinguishable between the other

Aeolian islands The Aeolian Islands ( ; it, Isole Eolie ; scn, Ìsuli Eoli), sometimes referred to as the Lipari Islands or Lipari group ( , ) after their largest island, are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, said to be named after ...

. These islets and skerries are: Basiluzzo and Spinazzola, Pietra Nave, Dattilo, Lisca Bianca and Bottaro, Lisca Nera, Le Formiche.

History

In antiquity, the island was named "Euonymos"; the nearby islet of

Basiluzzo Basiluzzo () is an islet (barely ), and the smallest of eight islands in the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic island chain north of Sicily. In antiquity, the island was named "Hycesia". Media It is featured in the Italian film ''L'avventura ''L ...

, administered from Panarea, was named "Hycesia". There is archaeological evidence on the island dating back to Greek inhabitants (~ 1200 BCE); later the island was settled by

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. There were people still living on the island until

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

and other Mediterranean raiders made life unbearable after the fall of the

Western Roman Empire The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period fr ...

. In modern times, Panarea has become a fashionable vacation spot. In 2011, it was described by ''W'' magazine as "the epicenter of the chicest summer scene in the Mediterranean." Panarea and the entire Aeolian chain were declared a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

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.

Gallery

Delfini tra panarea e stromboli 2.jpg Panarea -vista dal villaggio preistorico (2).jpg Panarea.jpg Villaggio preistorico (8).jpg Panarea-Villa éolienne.jpg Panarea-street2.jpg Tipico abitato di Panarea, sullo sfondo l'isola di Basiluzzo e lo Stromboli.jpg Panarea01.jpg Capo Milazzese.jpg Drauto.jpg Panadabasi.jpg Aerial image of riserva naturale orientata Isola di Panarea e scogli viciniori (view from the northeast).jpg

References

External links

panarea.com

* {{Authority control Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Messina Aeolian Islands Volcanoes of Italy

Geography

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links