Salina () is one of the

Aeolian Islands The Aeolian Islands ( ; ; ), 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 Aeolus, the mythical ruler of ...

north of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

. It is the second largest island in the archipelago. Salina is divided between three ''

comuni A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'': Santa Marina on the eastern coast, Malfa to the north, and Leni to the south-west. From Leni down towards the sea is the village of Rinella. Above the village of Leni is Valdichiesa in the center of the island. The other smaller villages are Capo Faro, Pollara and Lingua. There are currently approximately 2,300 residents living on the island.

Geography

Salina has a total surface area of . It is included on the

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

especially because of its worth for vulcanology. It is composed of six volcanoes: the oldest ones are at ''Pizzo di Corvo'', ''Monte Rivi'' and close to Capo Faro, although these are barely recognisable from a morphological point of view, while the volcano-layer of ''Monte Fossa delle Felci'' at is the highest peak in the archipelago and ''Monte dei Porri'' are both almost perfectly preserved. A lower crater lies just

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

near the small village of Pollara, on the north west corner of the island, half of which has fallen into the sea. The most recent eruption on Salina occurred on the western part of the island about 13,000 years ago and formed the semi-circular crater of Pollara; its activity was mainly explosive and produced large pumice deposits. All that remains of the endogenic activities are some post-volcanic phenomena called “gurgling” and a thermal spring at Pertuso. The gurgling phenomena are at Rinella and are basically caused by the emission of underwater gas (hydrogen sulphate) and vapours. When this phenomenon is at its most active it can lift the sea-bed.

Vegetation

From a distance Salina looks entirely green with two rounded high mountains and a smooth coastline. More than 400 different types of plants grow on the island and

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

s and

caper ''Capparis spinosa'', the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. The taxonomic status of the species is controversial and unsettled. Species with ...

s are cultivated. Salina was the first among the Aeolian islands to protect its environment with a natural preserve, known as the ''Riserva Naturale del Fossa delle Felci e dei Porri''. The mountainsides of the island are covered with

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s, poplars, chestnut trees and typical Mediterranean vegetation including with caper bushes,

prickly pear cactus ''Opuntia'', commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid climat ...

. and a variety of orchards, olive groves and vineyards. The island is the only production area of the

Malvasia Malvasia (), also known as Malvazia, is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region and Macaronesia, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. In the past, the names Malvasia, Malvazia, ...

white wine. There has also been a local revival of the production of superior-quality low-acid olive oil. It is claimed that Salina produces the best capers in the world and during the first weekend of June there is an annual caper festival.

History

A Greek settlement, from the fourth century BC through to the times of Imperial Rome, once lay on the modern-day site of the small town of Santa Marina. A number of tombs from this era have been discovered further inland. Several traces of Greek and Roman culture have been found on the island. In the Hellenic Age the island was named "Didyme" (Δίδυμη), a Greek name which refers to the two mountains as "twins". The island was inhabited as far back as the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

and has been developed and then abandoned many times over the subsequent millennia. Areas on the island, including the two mountain peaks, were designated as a

natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologi ...

in 1981.

Main sights

*The salt lake in Lingua was once a site for production of

sea salt Sea salt is salt that is produced by the evaporation of seawater. It is used as a seasoning in foods, cooking, cosmetics and for preserving food. It is also called bay salt, solar salt, or simply salt. Like mined rock salt, production of sea sal ...

, hence the name Salina ("salt mill" in Italian). *On the slopes of the ''Fossa'', several Roman tombs have been excavated. *Sanctuary of the Madonna del Terzito, located between Malfa and Leni in the saddle known as Valdichiesa between the twin volcanoes, and built in 1630. The religious centre of Salina, it attracts pilgrims on the main feast day of July 23 every year. *Santa Marina Salina is the most lively part of the island. This commune is where many visitors are first dropped off and contains boutiques and specialty shops. In the 18th century the ruins of a typical Imperial Roman villa were noted here but have since sunk into the ground.

Transportation

Salina has two ports, Santa Marina and Rinella, served by ferries and hydrofoils. Hydrofoil service is active from Naples, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, Messina and Milazzo. There is a regular bus service connecting all the villages on the island. A main road connects Lingua, Santa Marina, Malfa and Pollara; a side road runs between the two volcanoes to Leni and Rinella.

Culture

Salina was mentioned by

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

in the memoirs of his journey to the Eolian islands. The 1994 Michael Radford film '' Il Postino: The Postman'' was filmed on the island of

Procida Procida (; ) is one of the Phlegraean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. With its tiny satellite island of Vivara, it is a (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Na ...

and on Salina. Salina is also a setting in the novel sequence ', by

Timothée de Fombelle Timothée de Fombelle () is a French author and playwright. He has recently been recognized for his novels '' Toby Alone'' and ', and both of the sequels. His plays, which include ''Le Phare'', ''Je danse toujours'', and ''Rose Cats'', have been ...

References

Other sources

External links

Love Salina: new, official Salina tourism web portal. (Italian, English, German, Spanish)
* {{Authority control Aeolian Islands Former municipalities of Sicily Volcanoes of Italy