Lipare

The eruption of Mt. Stromboli capped the evening of a marvelous day spent on the island of Lipare (emphasis on the Li, not the par!). We toured the island, known for its pumice and obsidian quarries, now shut down, and its marvelous capers, the bud of a beautiful climbing plant that’s pickled. After our bus tour, we ended in an archaeological museum filled with funerary urns. These large jug-like pots were filled with the deceased (whole, not, cremated!) and buried. There were small ones for children and larger ones for adults, all buried in great pits. They buried their treasures with them, just as the pharaohs did. Some of the most fascinating finds were small clay masks that were done as models for the larger ones the actors would use when producing a Greek tragedy or comedy. The masks clearly were of a comic or tragic nature and the archaeologists could even determine, in some cases, the play that the masks were intended for. After a lovely stroll around the town’s picturesque and winding streets, we ended back at the pier and reboarded to head for Catania, Sicily.