An endless succession of bays, caves, cliffs, precipices, craters, lava flows and fissures – these and more besides are the features of the unspoilt landscape of the Eolian islands, pearls of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north of the Straits of Messina. There are seven islands in the group. The main one is Lipari, which is also the biggest and best equipped with hotels and tourist facilities. The others are Salina, Stromboli, Filicudi, Alicudi, Panarea and Vulcano with its unmistakable smell of sulphur and famous black beaches. Its rocky coasts, natural arches, sandy bays, caves, offshore crags, thermal springs and active volcanoes make the archipelago a place of enormous natural interest.