Before we arrived in the Aeolian islands, we imagined that our day would start with a nice jog to the beach, coming back for a scrumptious Sicilian breakfast with nice bread and locally sourced produce, excellent view, beautiful sea, fresh fish to BBQ, and moments of calm. In Vulcano, we did all that and this charming villa provided the perfect idyllic setting, tucked in a scented garden with colourful flowers to unwind and while away our stress. The villa is only a minute away from the Black Beach (Baia di Ponente) and a pleasant ten minutes tree-lined walk from the Port (Porto di Levante). Luigi recommended a car hire place which rented cool vehicles which include Quad Bike and Mini Moke, and so with a discounted day car hire rate, we set off to explore the rest of the island and trattorias that peppered the beach resorts. Our favourite beach is Punta dell' Asino, located south of the island! Don't miss the 800 m climb up Gran Cratere volcano and you will be rewarded with an unparalleled view of the island. We went to Lipari for a day trip, which was much busier and made us loved Vulcano even more upon return! 4 days weren't enough here, and on our last day, we bought some fresh fish caught in the morning by the local fishermen. No doubt they ended up on the BBQ!