Boat & Bike Adventure in the Aeolian Islands | Sicily’s Hidden Paradise

Boat & Bike Adventure in the Aeolian Islands | Sicily’s Hidden Paradise

North of Sicily in the Tyrrhenian 
Sea rise the Aeolian Islands, a chain of seven volcanic wonders shaped 
by fire, wind, and sea. Towering craters, black sand beaches, and villages of whitewashed 
houses tell stories thousands of years old. On this journey with Boat Bike Tours, I’ll 
explore them by ship and by bicycle. Right now I’m in Milazzo, at the northern side 
of Sicily. I’m on board of the Sundial. That’s a ship that’s actually made in Turkey. The family 
that owns this ship is Sicilian. The father is the captain. The son is sailor and the daughter will 
be cooking for us. We’ve got this map with all the routes we’re going to do. This is Milazzo. 
Tomorrow we’ll be cycling along the coast. First steep hill, but we’ve got ebikes, So it’s not so hard. But it’s steep. Capo de Milazzo is a thin peninsula stretching 
into the Tyrrhenian Sea towards the Aeolian Islands. From our bikes, we can already catch a 
glimpse of the gems waiting for us this week. In At this point, you’ll see the first two island. You have Stromboli and this is Panarea. We left the bikes and now we’re going for a little walk 
to a beautiful beach. Wow. I can’t believe I’m here. The bigger one is Lipari, and 
the two mountains behind Lipari form Salina. Wow. The sea is all around us. 
And then there’s the mountains there of Sicily. And there you can see the islands that 
we’re going to visit over the next few days. And it’s October and it’s 
so warm. Look those colors. Those mountains. Wow, it’s a different planet. This week we 
will see a lot of landscapes that are created by volcanoes. Like all those islands are 
volcanoes and the landscape is is really rough, you know. You see all the rocks. It’s 
wild. I love that. I love the wildness. And after this walk, going for a swimming. Is it nice? Not cold. We head on to the castle of 
Milazzo, home to the Museum of Fairy Tales. Artist Nino Pracanica welcomes us with 
stories, music, and a warm Sicilian spirit. Sicily has a lot of history because it’s 
a real melting pot of all the population of all the Mediterranean area for this the Sicily is not only the maffia, you have lot of traditions, he music for example.
Sicily is a continent. It’s time for the holiday. You don’t have to finish it tonight.
This is without gluten. Thank you. We arrive at 11.15 in Stromboli.
We’ll see the eruption. Stromboli is the most active volcano in 
Europe. Stromboli. Here we go. We set sail early in the morning during the magic hour. Wow. The 
wind is a bit strong. The waves are rough. The ship feels like a swing. Lying down on the 
sund deck helps best with the seasickness. I love being on a ship, but my stomach 
doesn’t always agree. In the distance, we spot Stromboli’s crater smoking. 
It erupts about every 20 minutes. From this side is a big explosion. It’s actually a very pretty village. I didn’t 
expect that. You see this rough volcano and you’re like, “Okay.” And then you walk around and there’s 
all these cute white houses and you’re like, “Wow, I could live here.” But then you almost 
forget that there’s this volcano that’s like erupting every 20 minutes. After the last 
huge eruption, a lot of people left the island. Then they actually filmed a movie here 
in the end of the 40s. People were like, “Wow, that’s a beautiful island.” Now it’s pretty 
expensive to buy a house here. Wow. Look. Cool. It’s pretty here. And it’s hot. 
Oh, look at that lava. Where? Oh, yeah. Right. Lava. Oh, I love the 
noise. Uh, is this coming? He’s a hill. There are eruptions every like 20 
minutes and we just witness one. Boom. Wow. You could see the laugh 
and the stones jumping up. Pretty impressive. I see all the smoke. See the 
smoke all there behind me? Why are we here? I don’t know. Why do we go here? Why do 
we go to a volcano? Oh, it’s impressive. That one’s big. Now there’s more on the right hand side – where? –
more venting. That was pretty cool. Wow. I I could have just brought my little bench and sat 
down there and look at the eruptions. But the good news is that tonight when it’s dark with the 
boat, we will go around the island and then we’re going to look at the eruptions. When it’s dark, 
you can really see the lava. And I’ve been kind of looking forward to that the whole day, but I mean 
this was really cool, but to see that. So that will be later. So, we’re heading back now, back 
down, then to the ship, go for a swim, and then see the volcano by night. So, this path now, it’s 
all lava. I’m basically walking on lava stones. It’s not bad. You enjoyed it? We cleaned the 
boat. We prepared something to eat. It’s not easy to film on a moving ship, but 
you can still see some of the lava here. The next morning, we wake up on the island 
of Salina. We’re ready for another bike ride, mainly following the magnificent coastline. 
Salina’s nickname: the Green Island. Going up, going up, going up. 
Very easy with the electric bike. It’s amazing. Wow. Such a beautiful bay. And you can see all the 
volcanic rocks and then the cactus trees and the water’s so blue. It’s like perfect. It’s 
there the whole day, but there’s more to see. The hills dotted with bushes and wild flowers roll down towards the deep blue 
sea. It’s pure paradise. So, we’re finishing the day with some ice cream. Good morning. We’re on our way 
to Lipari. Takes around two hours and the sea is very calm today so it’s really relaxing. 
I loved the island Salina. Can I get any better? I’m not sure but I’m sure Lipari is also really 
wonderful. We’ll see. Going for a bike ride there. There it is. Lipari. By now, we’ve got our daily 
routine down. Unload the bikes, check the map, and follow our guide. We will cycle around 25 
kilometers today, which is a pretty average distance on this trip. That one big enough or no? There is 
some pretty stones. So, this is volcanic and it’s really black and it shines and it’s light. So, can you tell me again 
why the stone is good for your skin? The pumice is good for your skin because 
you have a good abrasion and it’s very good if you have a a pumice stone in your bathroom to 
clean all the skin and after you are clear like a scrub. Exactly.
Like a massage. Yes. We ride through quiet coastal towns, then up 
into nature. The views are breathtaking. Such an amazing view here. The views today are excellent. We slowly find our way back to Lipari (town),  
where we explore the ancient town that has been influenced by many settlers 
including the early Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Normans. A wonderful narrow streets and breath
in the typical Aeolian atmosphere. Back on board, we finish the day with another fresh fish 
dinner. Three courses, always amazing. Time to sail again. It’s impressive to 
watch the family crew work together, guiding the ship in and out of tight 
harbors like it’s second nature. The next stop will be Volcano. 
This island lives up to its name. An active volcano that releases steam 
and gas, even heating parts of the sea. Once we dock safely, the bikes come off one 
by one and we’re ready to explore again. Smells like rotten eggs. Last eruption 1888. Okay. And during two years. Wow. And 
here you have a representation of the owner, volcano, Hephaestus for the Greek people. 
Okay. After the Roman people renamed this island Vulcano and named
all the volcanos of the world. Volcano is for the god Vulcan. Vulcano married with a beautiful 
woman Venus. But Venus sometimes had sex with another guy and Vulcano
is very angry. And he arrived in his house and he makes for example a spade for Zeus The rumors / the sound is the 
sound of the volcano. – Now she’s behaving well. Walking up the volcano. Found a walking buddy. First there is a part with a lot of sand, volcanic, black volcanic sand. And 
then we’re going all the way up there. It’s warm. Well, there’s a nice little breeze. It’s getting really rocky here. You can already smell the silver. 
Like this smell of rotten eggs. The view is wow. You see the colors 
there of the sulphur. Almost there. So, we’re on the top. It’s the crater. Smells a 
bit like rotten eggs. And it’s crazy yellow there. The view crazy like like it’s not real. This landscape 
is just surrealistic. It’s crazy. All these crazy colors, the yellow and the and the 
blue. And you can see the smoke coming out there. It’s really green. Wow. And this 
is like almost like you’re on the moon. So, I’ve been here once before in 
in August and it was pretty busy and now there’s hardly anyone here. Oh, 
it’s like woo. It’s not really healthy. I wouldn’t build a house here. You can really…. it’s strong on the throat. Almost at the top. On the top. And you can look all around you. So cool. And you can see the islands. Wow. 
Amazing. A little break. Going to take a little break now and then go back down to the ship. Oh, 
it’s so quiet. No one here. Just me and my friend. And just like that, it’s our last sail back to 
Milazzo. I’ve gotten so used to this rhythm. Sail, cycle, hike, swim, eat, repeat. I could honestly 
keep going like this for much longer. Chilling on deck, soaking up the sun, listening to 
the sea. Pure bliss. One last swim before heading back to the mainland where time moves 
differently. The islands sometimes feel like they exist in a time vacuum. Out here, you forget 
about schedules and just live in the moment. Nice. Oh, Vincenzo. Is there just the three of you? The third work 
of Nicholas. Yes. They do many work in bad way. We hope that you have a good memory of this 
time together for us. Thank you very much. Back in Milazzo. I had a wonderful week. I loved the
slow pace. I was pretty tired at the start of this trip and now I feel much calmer and 
it was a really great week to recover a bit and enjoy the life here. The Sicilian
life, the life of the Aeolian islands really special and the islands are quiet. In October
the weather is perfect. We had like 25° C, which was really nice cycling weather. So, 
I hoped you enjoyed this video. If you did, it would be great if you can subscribe to 
my channel and like the video. And I hope you come back to my channel to watch more 
videos. See you next time. Happy cycling. Bye.

Join me on an unforgettable boat and bike adventure through the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic paradise just north of Sicily, Italy. 🚴‍♀️⛵ From the harbor of Milazzo to the fiery peaks of Stromboli and the tranquil charm of Lipari and Salina, this vlog captures the beauty, history, and island life of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Ride e-bikes along dramatic coastlines, sail aboard the Sundial, and experience authentic Sicilian culture, food, and sunsets — all in one epic journey.

The tour: https://www.boatbiketours.com/tours/sicily-aeolian-islands/

#AeolianIslands #SicilyTravel #BoatBikeTours #ItalyVlog #SailingItaly #cyclingitaly

🕒 Complete YouTube Chapters
00:00 – North of Sicily: The Aeolian Islands
00:30 – Beginning the Boat Bike Tours adventure | Milazzo | Boarding the Sundial
00:50 – First ride: climbing hills on e-bikes | Capo di Milazzo
03:28 – Visiting Milazzo Castle
04:37 – Sailing towards Stromboli
05:10 – Arriving at Stromboli Island | Hike
06:23 – Looking at the eruptions of the volcano on Stromboli
09:19 – Waking up at the island of Salina | Bike Ride
10:57 – Sailing again | Towards Lipari
11:47 – Lipari | Bike Ride
13:44 – Visit of the town Lipari
14:12 – Boat tour to Vulcani Island
15:00 – Arriving at Vulcano Island | Bike Ride
17:27 – Climbing the Vulcano crater
21:15 – Sailing back to Milazzo
23:03 – Diner on board | Thanks to the crew
23:27 – Final thoughts

CAMERA GEAR
Camera: Sony A7IV
Lens: Sony FE 24-105mm F/4.0 G
Extra lens: Sony FE 20mm F/1.8 G
Microphone: Røde VideoMic PRO+
Another microphone: Røde Lavalier GO
Stand: Joby GorillaPod 5K
Extra camera: iPhone 14 Pro