Christopher Nolan shot his upcoming 2026 filmThe Odyssey throughout the Aeolian Islands[3] and particularly around the island of Lipari,[4] cited by its ancient name ofAeolia afterHomer.
InNeolithic times Lipari was, much likeSardinia, one of the few centres of trading inobsidian, a hard black volcanic glass prized by Neolithic peoples for the extremely sharp cutting edges that can be obtained. Lipari's history is rich in incidents as witnessed by the recent retrievals of severalnecropoli and other archaeological sites. Humans seem to have inhabited the island already in 5000 BC, though a local legend gives theeponymous nameLiparus to the leader of a people coming fromCampania.[5]
In the earlyBronze Age, at the end of the third millennium BC, new settlers ofAeolian origin came fromMycenaean Greece, giving their name to the islands. They had already settled inMetapontum in Italy and used the islands as outposts for controlling trading routes through thestrait of Messina.
In the 13th century BC, the islands were settled byAusinian peoples from the coasts ofCampania, who introduced the myth ofKing Liparus from whom the town’s name derives.
In the Mycenaean Period, Lipari has yielded pottery fromLHI toLHIII.[6][7]
Lipari's continuous occupation may have been interrupted violently when in the late 9th century BC anAusonian civilization site was burned and apparently not rebuilt. Many household objects have been retrieved from the charred site.
Greek colonists fromKnidos arrived at Lipara ~580 BC after their first colonization attempt in Sicily failed and their leader, Pentathlos, was killed.[8] They settled on the site of the village now known as Castello inMagna Graecia. The colony successfully fought theEtruscans for control of theTyrrhenian Sea.
The town was initially concentrated upon the summit of the rock which played the role of acropolis, seat of religious cults and of public life, but in the course of the first century of its existence, an increase in the population necessitated an expansion into the area at the foot of the rocky slopes and on to the top of the Civita hill. A first city wall, built sometime in the 5th century BC was erected along outcrops at the bottom of the slopes of the rock, leaving outside the modern district of Diana, which was destined from the beginning to accommodate the city necropolis. A second city wall was built in the 4th century BC to enclose the new residential area bounded to the north and south by the river-beds of Santa Lucia and Ponte, which in ancient times ran into the two bays at the foot of the rock. The city wall ran near the two river-beds and then joined on to the Acropolis and the Civita hill. The mighty fortification, of which some traces are visible today in the district of Diana, divided the town from the necropolis.
Carthaginian forces succeeded in holding the site briefly during their struggles withDionysios I, tyrant of Syracuse in 394 BC, but once they were gone thepolis entered a three-way alliance which included Dionysios' new colony atTyndaris. Lipara prospered, but in 304 BCAgathokles took the town by treachery and is said to have lost all of his pillage from it in a storm at sea.
Lipara became a Carthaginian naval base during the firstPunic War, but fell to Roman forces in 252–251 BC. It was occupied byAgrippa inOctavian'scampaign againstSextus Pompeius. Under theRoman Empire it was a place of retreat and exile and was enjoyed because of its thermal baths using natural springs. The EmperorCaracalla sent his wife,Fulvia Plautilla, and her brother, Plautius, into exile here for the rest of their lives.
Many objects recovered from old wrecks are now in the Aeolian Museum of Lipari.
The 1556 fortifications, built atop ancient Greek walls.
Lipari was probably an episcopal see from the 3rd century onward, with the first bishop being St. Agatone, who, according to tradition, had found the sacred remains in his cathedral. The presence of the relics has been attested since at least 546.
In the 9th century, Sicily was conquered by theArabs, and soonSaracenpirates began to raid across theTyrrhenian Sea, with dramatic effects for Lipari. In 839 the Saracens slaughtered much of the population, the relics of St. Bartholomew were moved toBenevento, and Lipari was eventually almost totally abandoned. TheNormans conquered the Arabs throughout Sicily between 1060 and 1090, and repopulated the island once their rule was secure. The Lipari episcopal seat was reinstated in 1131.
Though still plagued by pirate raids, the island was continually populated from this time onward. Rule of the island was passed from the Normans to theHohenstaufen Kings, followed by theAngevins, and then theAragonese, untilCarlos I, the Aragonese King, became theSpanish King, and was then quickly crownedHoly Roman EmperorCharles V.
View of the 16th century Lipari castle on the old Greek acropolis
In 1544,Ottoman admiralHayreddin Barbarossaransacked Lipari andenslaved the entire population.[9] Five French galleys underCaptain Polin, including the superbRéale, accompanied Barbarossa's fleet on a diplomatic mission toSultan Suleiman in execution of theFranco-Ottoman alliance. French priestJérôme Maurand lamented about the depredation to his Christian fellow men during the campaign at Lipari: "To see so many poor Christians, and especially so many little boys and girls [enslaved] caused a very great pity." He also mentioned "the tears, wailings and cries of these poor Lipariotes, the father regarding his son and the mother her daughter... weeping while leaving their own city in order to be brought into slavery by those dogs who seemed like rapacious wolves amidst timid lambs".[10]
A number of the citizens were ransomed in Messina and eventually returned to the islands.
Charles V then had his Spanish subjects repopulate the island and build the massive city walls atop the walls of the ancient Greekacropolis in 1556.
The walls created a mighty fortress still standing today. The acropolis, high above the main town, was a safe haven for the populace in the event of a raid. While these walls protected the main town, it was not safe to live on the rest of the island untilMediterranean piracy was largely eradicated, which did not occur until the 19th century.
Lipari Island is the largest of a chain of islands in avolcanicarchipelago situated in betweenVesuvius andEtna. The island has a surface area of 89.72 km2 and is 30 km from Sicily. Besides the main town, most of the year-round population resides in one of the four main villages: Pianoconte is almost due west across the island, Quattropani in the northwest, Acquacalda along the northern coast, whereasCanneto is on the eastern shore north of Lipari town. The highest point on the island is Monte Chirica at 602 m (1975 ft).[15]
A pumice mine just east of Acquacalda.View of Lipari.
Geologists agree on the fact that Lipari (island) was created by a succession of four volcanic movements, the most extensive of which was the third one, presumably lasting from 20,000 BC to 13,000 BC. A further vast phenomenon should have happened around 9000 BC.[18] The last recorded eruptions occurred in the 5th century AD when airbornepumice, together withvolcanic ash, covered the Roman villages of the island. The volcanoes are considered active, and steamingfumaroles andhydrothermal activity may still be seen. As a result of its volcanic origin, the island is covered with pumice andobsidian. Pumice mining has become a large industry on Lipari, and the pale pumice from Lipari is shipped worldwide.
The large archaeological museum extensively covers history of the Aeolian Islands from prehistoric to classical times,vulcanology, marine history, and thepaleontology of the western Mediterranean.[19]
The ending sequence ofKaos byPaolo and Vittorio Taviani showed children sliding down the vast slopes of white pumice that flowed into the sea. Today the pumice slope stops about 1 metre (3 ft) from the sea.[22]
On 25 July 2013, the mayor of Lipari issued an ordinance banning the wearing of "bikinis, thongs or other swimming costumes in the town centre" to be punished with a fine of 500 euros[24] (equivalent to about $700 in 2014).
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