VULCANO PORTO (Italy), July 13 (AFP): Without natural drinking water, residents of Italy's Aeolian Islands are mulling whether to build more desalination plants that will also cater to the large number of tourists, or continue bringing in water by ship.
An existing desalination plant with large white silos on Vulcano, one of the archipelago's eight islands, has made it autonomous for drinking water.
But another island, Stromboli, still depends on ships with water cisterns. When they can't dock in bad weather, "We're left without water," restaurant owner Angelo Mirabito, 66, told AFP.
In the summer, the influx of visitors is a challenge for the Aeolian Islands. which have only around 15,000 year-round residents.
In 2024, the last year for which official data is available, the number of tourist arrivals on the islands lying to the north of Sicily was 146,000 people.
"For 10 years, we have been producing a constant 300,000 cubic metres per year" of drinking water, said Fabio Pupillo, an engineer for Sopes, the company that manages the desalination plant in Vulcano.
The cost of the drinking water produced by desalination plants on the Aeolian Islands is around two euros per cubic metre.
Water brought by ship is around 14 euros per cubic metre-a cost covered by the defence ministry which organises the supply route.
'Almost like gold': water debate rages on Italy's Aeolian Islands
FE Team | Published: July 13, 2026 22:00:15
'Almost like gold': water debate rages on Italy's Aeolian Islands
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