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A lovely location on a vine-covered hillside. Thirty rooms equipped with ceiling fans are set in a typical Aeolian house and outbuildings. Whitewashed walls surround terraces looking down to the sea. The restaurant is highly recommended.

Minutes from Palermo airport, but this is not a typical airport hotel. There are ample, airy public spaces, modern rooms, a gym, a nice pool area, private beach, bar and restaurant.

A 2-star pensione . The breakfast room has a terrace and view down onto the Corso. Rooms are comfortable and there are 3 parking spots.

The bright rooms at this 4-star hotel have terraces and sea views. The hotel offers a restaurant, gardens, pool, shuttles to Lipari’s beaches and assistance with excursions.

Rooms with terraces and sea views are housed in a restored 19th-century villa beneath Monte Tauro. There is dining under the palm trees and a private beach at Mazzarò.

This pub is tucked in along a pedestrian street where candle-makers’ shops used to be. There are tables outside in the street and live music or floor shows performed in the spacious interior.

This tiny village is now a living museum, where eight work rooms and living spaces have been faithfully preserved. They include the home of a peasant farmer, a smithy, olive press and a mill.

The feast of All Souls on 2 November is celebrated to the hilt. Families visit the cemetery where tombs have been rigorously tidied up and adorned with fresh flowers for the glory of the dead and for approval of family members and anyone else casting a judgmental eye. Relatives from the other world leave gifts for children, such as toys, frutta martorana (fake fruits crafted of almond paste) and pupi di cena , garishly coloured sugar dolls.

Puppeteer Alfredo Mauceri directs traditional puppet performances in the Catania style (see Catanese School) as well as plays of the lives of the saints, and the Mauceri family’s own productions such as Alpheus , based on the myth of Alpheus and Arethusa. You can also watch puppets being made and antique puppets being restored in the family workshop down the street.