SALINA, THE GREEN ISLAND
Salina is the second largest island in the eolian archipelago after lipari. Made of six volcanoes : some of them disappeared, whereas two of them, named "fossa delle felci" and "monte dei porri", both extinct volcanos, have kept their form so far. Salina was named after these two mountains : the island's name used to be "didyme" which means "twins". The current name of Salina comes after a little salted lake in Lingua, one of the villages in Salina.
Built by the roman, this lake is 2 hectares large and only a few meters deep, from which people used to extract salt, eventually used to keep fresh and preserve capers and fishes. Whereas nowadays it also represents a nice shelter where birds stop off during their migration from or back to Africa. In Lingua’s area you can see herons, sea woodcocks and numerous other species of birds. The boldest and luckiest bird-watchers can even meet pink flamingos.
Beyond its wonderful, cristalline and uncontaminated sea, one of the most outstanding characteristic of this island is definitely its thick and rich vegetation: thanks to the presence of fresh water and humidity, this is definitely the greenest island of the aeolian archipelago, teeming with ferns, poplars, oaks, vineyards and capers.
Salina is a unique place!
It is not easy to imagine a place where next to a caribbean blue sea, wonderful beaches and breathtaking views you can find an almost 1000 meters tall volcano looming, Monte Fossa delle Felci. This is a natural reserve, covered by a thick vegetation, where you can enjoy a superb view over the whole aeolian archipelago and even Etna volcano!
On the island there's a very efficient road-net, so you can easy travel either by car or by a scooter. Still, this is an ideal place for backpackers and ramblers, and for all those fond of trekking and of strolls through a preserved and quiet nature. Pollara beach is extremely impressive, it is a wonderful bay made by multylayered lava rocks and underwater tunnels. Its beauty and quietness aroused Mr Massimo Troisi, a famous italian actor and editor, so much that he decided to set here his last movie, "the postman". The very house where the movie was shot is now visited every day by many tourists. The whole coast is extremely rich in isolated ravines and channels, each one endowed with its own charm and unique beauty. You shouldn't miss a short trip on a boat, such an unforgettable experience! Particularly impressive, the « scario » beach in Malfa, which used to provide a shelter to the fishermen, is a real natural blue-sea amphitheatre.
The three main « towns » of Salina are: Santa Marina, Malfa and Leni. Boats and other type of sea transports get to Santa Marina and Rinella (fraction of Leni).
Malfa is mainly a residential area, endowed with a mild climate. Its position is very convenient, as you can reach all the other areas on the island quite easily, particularly Pollara. That's the reason why most of the hotels are concentrated in Malfa. Another very nice characteristic of this place is surely its beautiful touristic harbour, which also used to serve as a shelter to the fishermen. Malfa is actually the only district where most the inhabitants are still fishermen; early in the morning you can even buy some fresh fish from the fishermen just back from their daily fishing.
Santa Marina, on the other hand, is more touristic because of the touristic harbour. There are many bars, restaurants, night clubs, winebars and numerous shops along the main street.