Elevation 50 m (160 ft) Area code 090 | Province Province of Messina | |
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Ginostra is a small village set in a natural amphitheater in the southwest of the island of Stromboli, north to Sicily, southern Italy. The village has about forty permanent residents, and fewer than a dozen mules and donkeys. The tiny village is surrounded by olive, lemon, caper and prickly pear. Structures consists of white stucco buildings similar to those found in other Mediterranean islands such as Santorini.
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Map of 98050 Ginostra, Province of Messina, Italy
Facilities
Ginostra can only be reached by boat due to a lack of roads or trails on the island. Boats dock at the new pier, opened in December 2004.
Until February 28, 2004 the village had no electricity or running water. Electricity is now supplied by the photovoltaic panels and diesel generators located near the marina, and running water comes from rainwater collected in wells, and is supplemented by ships from Naples. Despite the new electrical grid, there is no street lighting. The village has a single telephone booth.
Life in the village revolves around the plaza outside the church, the grocery store and two restaurants in the bazaar, and the war memorial at the end of the climb from the port. Key public services in the village include a post office and medical facilities. Given the extremely small size of the village, there are no motor vehicles present. Some donkeys are used to carry luggage, particularly uphill from the harbor to the village.
Tourism
There is some tourism in Ginostra mainly involving hikes on the volcano, and boating and fishing around the island. Ginostra has no real beaches. Each August the population can reach up to 300 people as houses are occupied by tourists. It has become a popular destination for day trippers from nearby islands although there are no real facilities for an overnight stay. Each year Ginostra becomes the home for the renowned Roman architect Jacopo Fedi, who specialises in catching and cooking octopus. Indeed his dinner parties at La Pilona have become infamous affairs, attended by those eager to sample polpo e patate. With links to the mainland and Sicily by ferry and Aliscafo, Ginostra is becoming more and more popular with the rich and famous.