Welcome to Salina

The time seems right to introduce ourselves (Bill and Fran) in person. Here we are on the island of Salina in the Aeolian Archipelago about 1 hour (by boat) northwest of Messina. It was the first full day of our first trip to Sicily together in June 2008. It also happened to be the first full day of summer. The volcanic island of Stromboli (the setting for Roberto Rossellini's iconic 1950 film, Stromboli, terra di dio, starring Ingrid Bergman) billowed steam on the horizon. The western shore of Calabria (the toe of Italy's boot) lay just beyond. And yet, we felt so very far away. Salina is celebrated for its luscious dessert wine, Malvasia delle Lipari. Grapevines, caper bushes, and olive trees hug the island's mountainous slopes practically to the water's edge. The handful of producers still making Malvasia delle Lipari on Salina are preserving both the wine and the place. A beautiful pairing - if ever there was one.