Aeolian Festival in the World

A festival for the children of the Aeolian Islands scattered across the globe

The Aeolian Festival in the World is a cultural event that, since 2013, has celebrated the great diaspora of the Aeolian Islands, the volcanic archipelago off the northern coast of Sicily, in the Province of Messina. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, poverty, volcanic eruptions, and phylloxera drove thousands of Aeolians to leave their native rocks and set sail for Argentina and Australia. In places like Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, and Melbourne, entire communities of Aeolian origin were born, still preserving the language, surnames, and traditions of the islands today. The festival was created to reconnect this thread, symbolically bringing the descendants of emigrants back home through what is now known as "roots tourism."

An itinerant event between Lipari and Salina

The event is distinguished by its itinerant nature: over several evenings in early September, it visits different islands and municipalities of the archipelago. The squares of Santa Marina Salina, Malfa, Leni, and Lipari become open-air stages, while the Castle Theatre in Lipari hosts the opening ceremonies. Each stop offers film screenings, conferences, testimonies from emigrants and their descendants, musical moments, and performances, with a special focus on Argentine culture, from tango to the stories of families who left overseas.

Memory, twinning, and great figures

The heart of the event lies in tributes to Aeolian figures who achieved success abroad and the twinning agreements between the Aeolian municipalities and cities of emigration. Among the celebrated figures is the cardiac surgeon René Favaloro, a pioneer of coronary bypass surgery with Aeolian roots linked to the Val di Chiesa in Salina, to whom commemorative ceremonies, honorary citizenship awards, and screenings are dedicated. There are also tributes to historic diaspora associations, such as the Aeolian Islands Society of Melbourne, and institutional meetings with the mayors of the municipalities of Lipari, Malfa, Leni, and Santa Marina Salina.

Organization and the Aeolian Museum of Immigration

The festival is organized by the Circe Cultural Association, based in Malfa and chaired by the historian Marcello Saija, in close collaboration with the Aeolian Museum of Immigration, an institution that collects documents, photographs, and memories of the great Aeolian emigration. The event is sponsored by the municipalities of the archipelago and has established itself as one of the key cultural appointments of the late Aeolian summer.

Why attend

• Discover the little-known history of Aeolian emigration to Argentina and Australia.
• Experience cultural evenings outdoors in the most picturesque squares of Salina and Lipari.
• Attend screenings, conferences, testimonies, and performances related to "roots tourism."
• Meet extraordinary figures like René Favaloro and learn about Aeolian communities overseas.

For those visiting the Aeolian Islands in early September, the Aeolian Festival in the World is a unique opportunity to grasp the deep soul of these islands: not just sea, volcanoes, and Malvasia wine, but also a history of departures, returns, and bonds that span the oceans.