The Caolino Caves
In the History of the LandMany foreign travelers, following in the footsteps of Ulysses, visited Sicily during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
These travelers were important figures of their time: among them was Alexandre Dumas (father), the famous French writer, who ventured to the Aeolian Islands in 1835 and recalled them in the beautiful pages of his travel diary: “That vast and tranquil sea, dotted with islands and islets, was truly stunning, enclosed as it was by that hazy horizon formed by the Sicilian coasts and the mountains of Calabria.”
To best preserve this site after its acquisition, we immediately committed to cleaning and reclaiming the area, with the intention of transforming the Caolino Caves into a geomineral park, freely accessible to all.
Past and present make the Cave di Caolino a place to experience, to deeply understand the spectacular intertwining of nature and memory.
The Magic of Nature
The Cave di Caolino have always been a major attraction for the inhabitants of Lipari and beyond, thanks to the magical atmosphere that permeates the area, where the scent of the sea, the colors of the rocks, and the music of the wind reign supreme. This marvelous slope of the island of Lipari is covered by extensive meadows of Mediterranean feather grass, which hold great landscape significance. In spring, this environment, the realm of the herring gull, is enlivened by the striking bloom of many wild orchids, such as the “hen’s tongue,” the “horned” orchid, and the “Italian” orchid.
Along the edges of the paths, the Aeolian cornflower frequently blooms during the summer season.
Geological History
The path that descends from the caves to the valley runs alongside a wall about a hundred meters high and shaped like a “spoon,” where a succession of densely stratified volcaniclastic deposits is clearly visible. These deposits filled a lake that existed between 125,000 and 80,000 years ago in the depression between the hills of Monte Mazzacaruso and Timpone Pataso.
The deposits of the paleolake of Timpone Pataso have yielded a rich fossil record of the flora that existed around its shores: the dwarf palm, the laurel, and the Aeolian broom.
Timpone Pataso is the most important paleontological site in the Aeolian Islands.
Trekking and Discovery
The trekking route to the Cave di Caolino is one of the most scenic on the island. With a journey of about 3 hours, you can reach the former Terme di San Calogero, considered among the oldest thermal baths ever known.
The Caolino Caves represent the geologically oldest part of the island; secondary volcanic phenomena are clearly visible along the path that descends towards the sea, to the left of the caves, leading to the cliffs of Palmeto. These fumaroles, known since the second half of the 4th century BC, have produced striking polychromies, the result of rock alterations.
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