David and Michelle Geddes joined the Amante crew on the Aeolian islands. Michelle just graduated from high school and they are traveling Europe on a Father-Daughter graduation trip.

We spent the first day with the Geddes in port at porto Pignataro in Lipari. We rode to town in the dinghy and walked through the Lipari old town, a very old and quaint place we had walked through with the Finches last year. This year it is earlier in the season, so it wasn’t as hot as last year. We visited the church on the point overlooking the bay and the citadel, or fort, that was built starting in the 11th century. The saint of the town is St. Bartolomeo, whose statue stands to the left of the alter nave. There is attached to the church, and viewable for 1 euro, a ruin from a monk cloister (?) built also in the 11th century. Read all about the islands here: http://www.eolnet.it/eng/IsoleEolie.asp
We visited the Museum and I decided that pretty much after being able to walk upright, man accomplished the following in this order: eat, reproduce, make pottery, make alcohol to put into that pottery, decorate that pottery with increasing depictions from this list, build a boat, build 2 boats, race, make weapons, war, conquer the next town, island, continent, etc., repeat.

We wandered those same little streets that are so delightful, tiny cobbled alleyways, open doors to people’s homes, where they were having dinner or napping. We had lunch, shopped for cheeses and goodies and went back to the boat. David napped and Michelle and I took a dinghy tour to look at a huge yacht named “Event” and got caught in a rainstorm with BIG raindrops, but we were tough and kept going. We had dinner at the restaurant at the marina, which was as described- simple but good.

The next morning the seas were still up, so we walked from Lipari town through the tunnel to see the charming town of Canetto. We saw the “true love taxi” was running and the black beach was slowly filling with bathers. Canetto is a short walk through the tunnel from Lipari town, but is quite different in feel as it is a beach town. The church is named after St. Christopher, protector of travelers and so a favorite, and is the first church I can remember with the likeness of the patron Saint above the alter instead one of Mary or Christ.
WE introduced David and Michelle to Granita, which, with summer arriving will be a new favorite.

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