Filicudi () is one of seven islands that make up the Aeolian archipelago, situated northeast of the island 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 ...

. 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 Metropo ...

Geography

Its total area is . There are several small villages on the island, which include Pecorini Mare and Valdichiesa. Filicudi's lands are capable of producing

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

, olive oil, grain, and vegetables. In 1997, three quarters, approximately of Filicudi was turned into a Natural Reserve. The highest point is Monte Fossa Felci at . Other points include ''Monte Montagnola'' at and ''Monte Terrione'' at . At Capo Graziano are the remains of a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

village dating back to the second millennium BCE. Off the coast, the volcanic finger-like rock of La Canna rises about above the sea.

History

The modern name of "Filicudi" is a corruption of the ancient Greek name for the island, ''Phoenicusa'' (Phoenician island). The island, like the other Aeolian Islands, was settled since the

Neolithic Age The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

, around 3000 BCE. As evidenced by archaeological findings, the island was occupied by a new people during the

. The island was uninhabited for many centuries until occupied by the

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

Roman 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 ...

and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

remains can also be found on the island. By 1971, the island had 270 residents. Roughly one-third of them left, however, after May 26 of that year, when Italian police used Filicudi as a place of exile for 18 reputed leaders of the

Italian Mafia Organized crime in Italy and its criminal organizations have been prevalent in Italy, especially Southern Italy, for centuries and have affected the social and economic life of many Italian regions since at least the 19th century. There are six ...

who were awaiting trial for on charges of organized crime. By May 31, the remaining residents left in protest, with the exception of the exiles and the police guarding them. "Last of Islanders Leaving in Protest"
''The New York Times'', June 1, 1971, p. 16 Since the 1970s Filicudi was rediscovered and populated by photographers and artists such as Sergio Libiszewsky,

Ettore Sottsass Ettore Sottsass (Innsbruck, Austria 14 September 1917 – Milan, Italy 31 December 2007) was a 20th century Italian architect, noted for also designing furniture, jewellery, glass, lighting, home and office wares, as well as numerous buildings an ...

, novelist Roland Zoss, and editor

Giulio Einaudi Giulio Einaudi (; 2 January 1912 – 5 April 1999) was an Italian book publisher. The eponymous company that he founded in 1933 became "a European wellspring of fine literature, intellectual thought and political theory"Saxon, Wolfgang ''The New ...

. Their perceptions brought the island into the focus of modern tourism.

People

* John Bonica (born 1917), anesthesiologist and professional wrestler * Roland Zoss (born 1951), novelist and composer

References

External links

*
Private page of a novelist living on FilicudiA commercial touristic website about FilicudiFilicudi Society of Waltham Massachusetts
* {{Authority control Aeolian Islands Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Messina Stratovolcanoes of Italy Pleistocene stratovolcanoes

Geography

History

People

See also

References

External links