The House of the Painter, Alicudi

typical 19th-century Aeolian dwelling, with a large terrace shaded by a century-old vine. Offered for exclusive use. Wi-Fi. on IG (alicudi_lacasadelpittore) The space The house is a typical 19th-century Aeolian residence, with a large terrace in the shade of a century-old vine. It is rented for exclusive use and consists of a living room with kitchenette (stove, refrigerator, dishes, etc.); a double bedroom overlooking the terrace, a bathroom equipped with toilet, sink, shower. The west side of the terrace is equipped with an outdoor kitchen, and the second bathroom (toilet, sink, shower). Renovated and refurbished in 2022. Guest access Check-in from 3:30 p.m. Check-out by 10:00 a.m. Other things to note The house is located about 450 steps from the port, 200 meters above sea level, which can be reached in 20/30 minutes uphill; about 15 minutes downhill. There is an emergency medical service on the island, but there is no pharmacy. Please note that there are no ATMs and no tobacco sales. There are no springs on the island, the tap water comes from rainwater that is collected in a cistern. Tap water is not drinkable and guests are required to cooperate in avoiding wasting running water. Alicudi is the most extreme of the Aeolian Islands, both geographically (the most western of the archipelago, closer to Palermo than to Milazzo), and in terms of "Living". Alicudi is physical fatigue, harsh, bristly, rustic... You either love it or hate it. It kidnaps you or it repels you. There are no roads except one, the road that connects the pier of the port with the helipad runway. In Alicudi, you can get around on foot on the mule tracks, paths and lava stone stairs, which from the port go up to the various districts and scattered houses, up to the top: the Plains, and the summit (675 meters). The most comfortable shoes to wear are hiking or trail running shoes. Luggage and groceries are usually transported by mule: to be booked preferably before arrival, at a cost of about 25.00 euros for each trip. Drinking water is a basic necessity, and 8 cases of 6 bottles of water can be loaded onto the mule. In addition to shopping and luggage, a full transport of water should also be considered. At the port there are two grocery stores (Famiglia Baratta, and Famiglia Russo), two bars, a restaurant, and a 24-hour emergency medical service but there is no first aid station. Many islanders organize dinners or lunches at home by reservation (Silvio, Pino, Maria, Concetta, Immacolata, etc.). The post office is open 3 days a week and has no ATM. It's a good idea to bring some cash. The beaches of Alicudi on almost the entire perimeter of the island are pebbles formed by rounded pebbles. At the port you can rent boats to tour the island with or without a guide. In the morning at the port you can buy the catch of the day. My house is called del Pittore in honor of the previous owner, a landscape painter originally from Venice: Marco Tagliaro. Marco discovered the island in the 1970s, lived there for long periods of the year until 2020, and was inspired by the unspoiled nature in his pictorial research. The fulcrum of the Aeolian house is "il baglio" the terrace, from which the gaze from left to right flows over all the Aeolian islands (except Panarea, covered by Filicudi), and on the Sicilian coast from Milazzo to Palermo... And on the immensity of the ultramarine blue. The centenary vine will give you shade and refreshment during the day. Lazing on the "bisuolo" (a masonry bench that borders the terrace outside), looking at the sea and listening to the wind together with the flight of hawks and seagulls, will be regenerating and relaxing. At night, watching the stars will make you feel like you can touch them. Since there are no internal combustion engines for ground mobility on the island, Alicudi is the island of silence. There is a particular acoustic that makes it possible to distinctly hear noises or understand speech even at a distance from the sound source. From the house, which is about 200 meters above sea level, you can hear the waves crashing on the shoreline... The house is organized into two rooms that connect to each other, and are also directly open to the terrace: the double bedroom, and the living room with kitchenette and bathroom. In Alicudi, the mule tracks extend to every inhabited corner of the island, only the north side is inaccessible and uninhabited. The map called "Metro gradini", for sale at the grocery store, at the ticket office, is the tool to find your way around the "Rock". It is worth the effort to climb up to the Plains (the extinct crater), covered with ferns, populated by goats raised in the wild and wild rabbits. The extreme north of the crater ends in a sheer drop into the sea, with crevasses and basaltic scree, giving a "hellish" glance. To get up there, you will pass by the old church of San Bartolo (protector of the island), and by the Montagna district, cultivated with vineyards. The uphill stretch between San Bartolo and Montagna can be challenging. From the end of May to September, you need to climb at the first light of dawn, as more than half of the route has no shaded areas. For centuries, until the mid-20th century, Alicudi was an island with an agricultural economy, rather than a fishing one. Every patch of land was cultivated and exploited for food self-sufficiency (vegetable gardens, fruit trees, olive trees, vines, and in the top plains wheat, cereals, etc.), the narrow and long crops bordered by terraces with dry stone walls are called "lenze". Staying at the level of the house, walking westward, in about 20 minutes you reach the Tonna district, a small ancient "neighborhood" that has now become the youngest and most lively area of the island; while if we head eastward, we arrive at Sgurbio, an "esoteric" place where there are 6 large houses overlooking the sea, built vertically on a spur of rock... shrouded in a thousand legends, they are called "the 5 senses" to which a new construction has subsequently been added that has become "the sixth sense". From here you can reach Bazzina Alta and then descend to Bazzina, the only flat part of the island, facing east, dotted with gardens and pied dans l'eau villas. Always going up from the house you reach Pianicello, a village inhabited since the 1970s by a "colony" of Germans. There is no water or electricity supply. There is also a bit of nightlife in Alicudi in the late afternoon, islanders and tourists gather for an aperitif on the wall in front of the “L'Airone” bar and at the Baratta Grocery: at the bar you can buy drinks and snacks to eat at the grocery store. During the summer, disco evenings are organized in the Tonna district. All the programs are posted outside the grocery store or spread by word of mouth. Registration Details IT083041C27Y3NHQL5