Marina Corta is the smaller and more atmospheric of Lipari town's two harbours, on the south side of the castle rock. Small fishing boats and ferries to short-hop destinations tie up here; the quayside is lined with cafes and gelaterias. Two churches — the small Anime del Purgatorio out on a tiny harbour breakwater and San Giuseppe just inland — give the square its character.
Most of Lipari's evening drinking happens here. Pick a table at sunset, order a glass of Malvasia and a plate of olives, and the place quietly becomes one of the better southern Italian evenings you can have for the price of a drink.