or Lipari Islands
Volcanic island group, Tyrrhenian Sea.
Located off the northern coast of Sicily , the seven major islands and several islets have a total land area of 34 sq mi (88 sq km). The main islands are Alicudi, Stromboli, Vulcano, Lipari (the largest; 13 sq mi [34 sq km]), Salina, Filicudi, and Panarea. Vulcano and Stromboli are active volcanoes. The Greeks believed the islands to be the home of the god Aeolus, who kept the winds confined in one of their caves. They have been inhabited since the Neolithic Period (New Stone Age) and were held successively by the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Saracens, Normans, and Aragonese.