To Lipari, 26-27 May 2023

After spending the night on Stromboli, we headed up to Lipari to explore the main island of the Aeolian archipelago. And we were very impressed with what Lipari had to offer...

We started our journey from Stromboli, where we anchored in the middle of the night near the boat that supplies fresh water to the island. The next morning we headed south towards Lipari. And Lipari proved to be a very attractive island to spend a day off after Stromboli.

Interesting halo around the sun on the way. Very clear that the inner circle is always darker than the outer circle. 

Here is the explanation provided by Chat gpt:

"A sun halo, also known as a 22-degree halo, is an optical phenomenon that occurs when sunlight is refracted, or bent, by ice crystals in the atmosphere. The ice crystals act as tiny prisms, separating the sunlight into its constituent colors and bending them at specific angles.

When the sunlight passes through these ice crystals, it gets refracted and scattered. The scattering of light causes the appearance of a circular ring around the Sun, creating the halo effect. The angle at which the light is bent determines the radius of the halo.

The reason the inside of a sun halo appears darker is due to the specific angle at which the light is bent. The light entering the ice crystals from the Sun is spread out and bent at an angle of approximately 22 degrees. This angle is important because it causes the light to be redirected away from the halo's interior region, resulting in a darker appearance.

Inside the halo, the light is still refracted, but it is directed at angles that do not intersect with the observer's line of sight. As a result, less light reaches the observer from the inside of the halo, making it appear darker compared to the surrounding sky.

It's worth noting that the halo itself is not a physical object but rather an optical illusion created by the interaction of light with ice crystals in the atmosphere."

The city centre is very relaxed and nice and we ended up having a very good time exploring the place, quite unexpectedly.

Below is Cathedral Saint Bartholomew. 

On the painted roof, you can see the story of  Judith beheading Holofernes

The cloister

Saint Bartholomew (Bartolomeo) was one of the most venerated apostles, particularly because of his terrible flaying and martyrdom. On account of his name's meaning, he was especially fitting as a patron for the Liparians, skilled sailors whose livelihoods depended on the sea.