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Alicudi () is the westernmost of the seven islands that make up the Aeolian archipelago, a
About Alicudi
Alicudi web
{{Authority control Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Messina Stratovolcanoes of Italy Aeolian Islands Pleistocene stratovolcanoes
Alicudi () is the westernmost of the seven islands that make up the Aeolian archipelago, a volcanic
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...
island chain north of Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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. The island is about west of Lipari
Lipari (; scn, Lìpari) is the largest of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the northern coast of Sicily, southern Italy; it is also the name of the island's main town and ''comune'', which is administratively part of the Metropo ...
, has a total area of , and is roughly circular. It is located at .
History
The island was formed by the long-extinct ''Montagnola''volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Ear ...
, roughly 150,000 years ago. It has been suggested that the last evolutive act of the island took place only 27,000 years ago.
The island was first populated as long ago as 17th century BC, as some archaeological evidence from this period has been found. Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
ceramic fragments, dating from many centuries later, can be found on the eastern coast of the island.
The modern name of "Alicudi" is descended from the island's Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...
name of ''Ereikousa'', derived from erica
Erica or ERICA may refer to:
* Erica (given name)
* ''Erica'' (plant), a flowering plant genus
* Erica (chatbot), a service of Bank of America
* ''Erica'' (video game), a 2019 FMV video game
* ''Erica'' (spider), a jumping spider genus
* E ...
(heather) growing on the island’s slopes. For many centuries, Alicudi was the target of frequent incursions by pirates. Consequently, the island’s population was forced to find shelter in small houses constructed on high terraces and also meant that simple agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
and cultivation of the peach
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-f ...
were the foundations of the modest island economy.
In more recent times, the island became known for its alleged witches and sorcerers whose explanation has come to be attributed to ergotism in local grain-based foodstuff which was consumed regardless due to scarcity.
Demography
Today there are around 120 inhabitants who mostly live offfishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
, or the small agriculture of the island. There is only one restaurant on the island and the menu depends greatly on what fish the local fishermen have caught, or what food supplies the hydrofoil brings.
See also
* List of volcanoes in ItalyNotes and references
*External links
About Alicudi
{{Authority control Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Messina Stratovolcanoes of Italy Aeolian Islands Pleistocene stratovolcanoes