From S.Pietro to Punta del Corvo

Abandoned olive groves, terraces and dry stone walls surround the stone path for a long time, telling us of an ancient rural history of Panarea, now forgotten under a blanket of worldly vanities and trivialities of August. These cultivations have now been colonized by a thick cistus-like spot of Montpellier (Cistus monspeliensis) that covers the eastern side of the island up to the summit part. From Punta del Corvo (420 m a.s.l.) proceed north, descending in the direction of Castello di Salvamento and dominating the cliff formed following the collapse of a portion of the Panarea apparatus. The cliffs of this side host a flora of extraordinary interest, which includes exclusive species of the archipelago or Sicily, such as the very rare silene of Panarea (Silene hicesiae), the Iberian florida (Iberis semperflorens), the Boccone fennel (Seseli bocconi), the carnation of the cliffs (Dianthus rupicola ssp. aeolicus) and the cornflower of the Aeolian Islands (Centaurea aeolica).

The possibilities for birdwatching are also remarkable: in addition to a colony of the Queen’s falcon (Falco eleonorae), present from June to October, it is possible to observe numerous species of birds during the spring and autumn migratory passage.

Duration: 3 hours

Difficulty: medium

From S.Pietro to the Castle and Piana Milazzese

From the steep path of the Capperaia, behind the church of S.Pietro, we go halfway along the south-eastern side of the island, crossing the thick cistus and the thermophilic mastic (Pistacia lentiscus) and arborescent spurge (Euphorbia arborea) and passing upstream from the Castle, an imposing Dacitic “cathedral”, to descend towards Piana Milazzese along a valley entirely terraced.

From the Piana you can continue to the village of Punta Milazzese, a settlement of the Bronze Age of which have been brought to light numerous huts on the promontory that closes in the east the the bay of Calajunco; alternatively, you return to the town, crossing the beach of Cala degli Zimmari, on whose backwater deposits are observed at the beginning of spring interesting ephemeral plant formations.

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Difficulty: medium