Slowly but surely I am getting the feeling that Evalitaonthego is becoming very Italy focused! But what to do if you are blown away every time you visit this fantastic country and keep discovering hidden places and little gems wherever you go. This time it was the Aeolian Island of Salina which made me not wanting to ever leave again.

Salina is part of the Aeolian Islands near the Northern coast of Sicily and might be less known than its neighbouring islands such as Lipari, Vulcano or Stromboli, but was able to keep its authenticity and modesty with a few little villages spread over a surface of 27  square kilometres. Filmlovers may be familiar with Salina due to the famous movie “Il Postino”, which was mainly shot in an old house owned by a painter and the narrow beach below the rock and tells the story of a simple postman who makes friends with poet Pablo Neruda, discovers poetry and thus conquers the Trattoria’s beautiful niece. What makes the island famous today are its capers and the Malvasia wine. 95 percent of Italian capers come from the small island off Sicily, and at least the locals claim that they are the best in the world. Harvest time is from the end of May to August, when the flower buds of the caper bushes are picked. Since the shrub produces new flowers all the time, it can be harvested practically every week. Pickled in salt and vinegar, the bitter taste of the buds disappears.

Our immense enthousiasm about Salina was certainly due to our choice of place to stay: Heavenly Principe di Salina in the little village of Malfa is an incredible 12 room boutique hotel and run by wonderful Anita and her family. While Anita is leading the business, knows everyone, cares about every single guest in person and is charmingly omnipresent, her mother, a retired surgeon reigns over the kitchen and prepares fantastic dinners with the help of a chef every evening. Guests may sign up for the typical Italian family-style dinner with fresh local ingredients each day until 6pm and are charged 30 EUR for an extremely delicious meal with several courses – to die for! Breakfast is conveniently offered until 11am on the long communal table on the upper terrace and does not lack anything. From homemade cakes to yammy egg dishes we were spoiled with a great choice of breakfast options. This long table with a panoramic view of Stromboli and the ocean fastly became our daily place to check our e-mails while gazing into the blue. I wish this would be my office!

The décor and interior design of this luxury boutique hotel is very stylish, with crisp white walls, cozy living room style lobby and outdoor lounges, private terraces in the rooms and a fresh blue infinity pool surrounded by canopy beds for endless relaxation. When planning this trip I feared that one week in one hotel could be a little too long and I was clearly proofed wrong – guess I could have easily stayed a month. Principe di Salina, SP182, 3, 98050 Malfa ME, Italien

In order to be flexible in venturing around the island it makes totally sense to rent a little car and visit the few villages which are all maximum 7 or 8 kilometres away from each other. For visitors keen on hiking, the island offers many hiking trails leading them through an unspoilt nature, such as Monte Fossa delle Felci, which at 962 metres is the highest mountain of the Liparen. During the ascent the green variety of the island surprises again and again. Wild roses and mallows bloom everywhere, and olive trees, vines, capers and ferns grow on the mountain slopes.

Once in a while we strolled through Malfa towards the sea in order to reach the beach – La Spiaggia dello Scario. It is composed of pebbles and stones and swimming in this crystalline water is just heavenly. No big crowds, very relaxing and just another part of the island which makes you completely slow down. You will get there by taking steep stone stairs and right at its bottom directly fall into the cozy palm-thatched beach bar Maracaibo. Just a few little tables, cold drinks, lemon granita and good small dishes like Caprese salad, panini and noodles will make sure you stay on and on. Besides umbrellas and kayaks they rent huge air beds which gives lying on the pebble stones a soft touch and are also fun to take into the water. The team is very friendly and chilled – my favourite beach bar on the island.

Aeolian and also Salina cuisine revolves around a few key ingredients – pomodorini (cherry tomatoes), capers, olives, anchovies, wild greens, fresh fish – and in each little village you will find that cozy Trattoria, where a fabulous Nonna will prepare traditional dishes you will always remember. We had a most authentic dinner in the La Locanda del Postino, a small little hotel with restaurant in Pollara and only some kilometres away from Malfa. The delicious pasta and wine was served to us by the owner’s son, who charmed us with his big smiles and his most hospitable attitude – certainly another location to be considered when thinking of a stay on Salina. And at least for once you have to try Pani cunzatu, a speciality which you get best in Lingua, a little village of fishermen southwards Santa Marina. Restaurant Da Alfredo is specialized in this ancient dish, which consists of seasoned bread with caper pesto, almonds, grilled aubergines, fruits from the caper bush, ricotta cheese, tomato and mint.

The port of Santa Marina Salina is still a small nest, but the liveliest of all villages on the island with some bars, souvenir shops and a small pedestrian zone called Via Risorgimento parallel to the coast. We only stayed here for one night, but had enough time to enjoy our sundowner on the nice terrace of Mercanti di Mare. The hotel we choose here was the well known Mamma Santina, tugged away in the little streets above the pedestrian zone. It is a small and uncomplicated hotel well maintained and run by the owner Mario Cullo, a passionate Chef who loves to spoil his guests with Liparian and Sicilian cuisine. All rooms have sea view and I loved the little pool for a quick dip into the refreshing water.