On the Edge of Maps: Preliminary Notes for a Study of the Plurality of the Island of Alicudi

The article examines the contemporary insularity of Alicudi, the westernmost island of the Aeolian archipelago, by integrating geographical, historical, and cultural perspectives. It highlights how external representations—particularly those found in travel accounts from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—have helped shape the island’s image, often overshadowing local voices. Today, Alicudi’s identity takes form through a balance between tradition and change, influenced by demographic transformations, tourism, and new cultural narratives, especially those promoted by contemporary women writers. In an attempt to describe Alicudi’s “networked insularity,” the study defines its role as a space that is simultaneously peripheral and connected, not only within the archipelago but also within a repertoire of imaginaries that extends far beyond its geographical boundaries.