I can say with utmost confidence that Panarea, the smallest of the Aeolian Islands, has been one of my favorite travel destinations thus far. The island has a magical quality, from the many geckos that you begin to regard as friends to the perfect way that the moonlight hits the Mediterranean Sea. In all honesty, Panarea was somewhere I would have never set on a travel itinerary of my own. It is an isolated place that I’d never heard of until quite recently. I am so lucky that the family that I work for has a beautiful casa on the island. When I heard about their house on this tiny island I just assumed it would be another long two week ‘break’ with full-time childcare duty. While the above was true, and I was working, I managed to absolutely absorb and enjoy every detail that this little gem in the Mediterranean had to offer.
After the long trip, which took about as much time as my journey from Hawaii to Italy last year, it was such a treat to gaze upon the serene island in the Mediterranean. Upon arrival it seemed as though the pace of our lives completely slowed down…which is remarkable with children. Our days were spent soaking up the sun on either one of the little beaches or on small rented boats. As an avid distance runner I knew that training would be difficult on this tiny island of only 2.1 square miles. What I hadn’t anticipated was that what Panarea lacks in distance, it makes up for in height. With limited roads the only place to run is up!
As the end of June grew near the islands occupants began to increase. Panarea’s only discotech –La Raya (the hotel’s classy restaurant converted after hours)—began to come to life. I headed to La Raya several times with a fellow nanny and some island locals. Nightlife in Panarea is limited and therefore the hot spot for people of all ages. I loved the architecture of the building, it is truly representative of Panarea’s white cubist (yes very Greek looking) architecture. La Raya also boasts three floors, taking advantage of the spectacular views from all angles. The music is great and if you’re lucky you might have a celebrity sighting or two!
As much as I loved the island I also loved the people. The island only has about 200 residents year round, from all over the world. Some of the people that I met—locals and tourists alike—were entertaining and interesting enough to fill up many blog posts. Among the island locals I met was D, a Scottish transplant who does all the ironwork on the island. He was kind enough to take Virginia (my Aussie nanny friend) and I under his wing and show us around. I also became even more convinced about how small the world really is when I met an Italian man who had lived in Waimanalo, Hawaii! We quickly managed to find a group of pretentious Americans whose extravagant jet-set lifestyle was almost comical when combined with their ignorance. Other interesting characters included an eccentric yacht captain who loved mojitos, a Romanian lifeguard, and a group of stuck up Sweeds.
One of the highlights of my trip came on the last two days we were in Panarea. For those of you unfamiliar with Italian cultural traditions—every city or town in the country has a Patron Saint. For the island of Panarea, this Saint is San Pietro and he is celebrated on June 29th. The celebrations began at 10 pm on the 28th with lively dancing and music played in the main square. At midnight, the celebration was kicked into gear with a spectacular fireworks display. The 30th was filled with live bands processing up and down the only main street on the island. The final procession began at the church in the early evening and concluded with a statue of San Pietro being placed on a ship where the procession continued out at sea. The celebration brought visitors from neighboring islands and was in my mind so typically Italian…I loved it! Just like the previous night the people of Panarea danced the night away and watched in awe at the firework spectacle. It was a wonderful way to conclude my two weeks spent on an island in the sun!
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