We spent a lovely afternoon meandering the streets of Panarea, popping into boutiques on the winding and climbing Il Vecchio Magazzino, and getting little glimpses into how the locals live on the side streets.
We saw several enticing restaurants along the way, but once we settled in for a drink on the incredible rooftop terrace of the Hotel Raya any notions about going elsewhere dashed from our minds.
The view of Mt. Stromboli, which has been erupting for over 2000 years and the boats and ferries coming and going before it engrossed our attention as we found the perfect position.
The wide open view of sea to sky blues can be enjoyed from a number of rustic~chic perches.
It’s no wonder this island and, in particular, this hotel, restaurant and hillside disco is the jet setters favorite destination in the Aeolians. But you don’t need to have private wings to get here, you can take a ferry or hydrofoil to many of these islands.
As the sun set, the full moon began to rise, causing an absolute frenzy of clicking and posing on the deck and the perfect excuse for another glass of wine.
It was hard to leave the amazing array of azures on display, but I did venture down to the powder room. Here the eye feast continued with these classic walls of hand painted blue and white tile from floor to ceiling, the rough gaps and cracks only added to the authentic charm.
Our table below was waiting for us, but we didn’t go until the skies were full of stars and the candles were calling.
As darkness fell, we were all hoping to see a flash or two from Mt. Stromboli, but we had to settle for some serious puffs of water vapor and ash, if you’d like to see some exciting explosions click on Stromboli for a fiery and informative little video from an explorer up on the crater.
A fuoco!

Looks so relaxing! Just one more reason to visit such an incredible country. Jenn@eastmeetssouthblog
Gorgeous! It is amazing how much it looks like Greece!
I want to go…so beautiful!