Pianoconte – Plateau, Trails and Kaolin Quarries

Pianoconte combines an extensive plateau characterized by farmhouses with unusual traces of landscape and culture. Prehistoric sites dating from the late Neolithic and the early phases of the Metal Ages have been discovered here. If you are looking for a place for your trip where trails, agricultural traditions and geological features come together, Pianoconte offers several clearly distinct points of interest.

Trails between Lipari and Quattropani

Pianoconte is connected to the town of Lipari by the scenic road that runs along the entire island. For getting your bearings on the island, a trekking route listed by the Municipality of Lipari is also of interest: it leads from Lipari via Pianoconte and Terme San Calogero to Quattropani. Another tourist route runs from Lipari via Pianoconte and continues towards Quattropani. The two descriptions make clear that Pianoconte is integrated both into longer trail connections and into an exploration of the island shaped by its landscapes.

Kaolin quarries, valleys and a fumarole field

One of the notable landscape features is the trail to the Cave di Caolino. From the turnoff towards Ospedale, a narrow road descends to the kaolin quarries. One route also runs through narrow valleys to the former, now dry, Lake Bagno Secco. Along the trails described, open high plateaus, narrow valleys and geologically remarkable places therefore alternate.

Timpone Pataso can also be explored via a specifically described route. It starts at a bus stop on the Pianoconte–Quattropani road and follows a paved road towards the kaolin quarries. A short descent on the way to Timpone Pataso leads to a fumarole field. This gives you a choice between longer connections across the island and shorter explorations focused on individual landscape features.

Agriculture and Aeolian culture

Pianoconte also shows its agricultural side through documented events and projects. At the “Tramonti di Eolo” event offered by Azienda Agricola Mandarano in Pianoconte from April 26 to July 15, 2025, a trail approximately 800 meters long led through grain and caper fields. This offering explicitly belongs to the past and is not an indication of a current event date.

At the XXXVII edition of the “Sagra del vino e del pane,” the program included a guided visit to the mill and the palmento of Azienda Agricola Mandarano for schoolchildren. Le Macine, a project by the Cipicchia family with a restaurant, fresh-pasta workshop, mill and farm, offers another way to learn about agriculture on the Aeolian Islands.

Which location suits your trip

Accommodation in Pianoconte is particularly interesting as a base if you would like to combine the connection to the town of Lipari with trails towards Quattropani, the kaolin quarries and the plateau’s distinctive landscapes. Families can combine different ideas for day trips: a longer trekking route, a trail to geological sites or an insight into agriculture and local processing. The prehistoric sites add a historical dimension to this selection, without limiting Pianoconte to just one type of travel.

Discover more destinations

For your further search in Sicily, you can also find Itala, Sant’Angelo di Brolo, Santa Domenica Vittoria, Raccuja, Quattropani, Santa Teresa di Riva, San Paolo and Capri Leone.

To the overarching travel overview: Messina.