These pictures are from a hiking vacation in the Aeolians, a group of seven volcanic islands lying to the north of the larger island of Sicily. This was our seventh tour in as many years with our guides and good friends, Mario Acciai and Vittorio Natali. We met the rest of the group in Catania on 17 April where we all enjoyed a great Sicilian family-style dinner. Mario and Vittorio collected us early next morning for the quick road trip to Milazzo where we took the hydrofoil to our first Aeolian Island, Lipari. In the following days we hiked mountain trails on Lipari, Filicudi, Panarea, and Stromboli. We traveled between islands by boat, and had a good look at Vulcano, Salina, and Alicuti. Our last two days were spent in and around the Sicilian town of Ragusa, where we hiked through dramatic gorges past picturesque farms, many abandoned. The weather, food, wine, and hotels, were exceptionally fine. Laura did stumble coming down a steep trail our first day on Lipari, breaking her wrist. She kept smiling and only missed that afternoon and the next morning, when we went back to Milazzo for her cast (courtesy of Italy’s free health care system!). The others in our party included Danice and Paul Fagan and Ben and Nancy Kaltrieder. Although not part of this picture gallery, we also spent a few days in Rome before hiking, a week motor touring Sicily with Sausalito neighbors John Bredehoeft and Beth Garbutt afterwards, and finally a few days in Paris on the way home.

Jim and Laura Gregory
Sausalito, CA