Book Hotels
Reserve online, pay at the hotel
'Best price guaranteed' by booking.com
See also: Italy car hire
Visit Lampedusa
Lampedusa is a small island (it is 13 km long from east to west, and the average width is only 3 km) situated about 200 km south east of Sicily and 110 km from Africa where it forms part of the Pelagian Islands.
Hence the environmental characteristics of Lampedusa that belong as much to Africa as to Italy are the main attraction of Lampedusa. The island is best discovered by circumnavigating the island by boat and following some of the country paths on the island itself to discover the beaches and bays to enjoy the undisputed value of the landscape, populated by fauna and flora of great interest.
There is only one town on the island, also called Lampedusa, with a population of about 4000 and the centre for tourist activities on the islands.
The so-called Cala Pulcino, for example, can be reached through a path, or by walking halfway up the ridge that divides the beach from the so-called Isola dei Conigli ["island of rabbits"]. The beaches and bays are located in the south of the island, while the north is composed of bluffs and cliffs falling steeply to the sea; there are also a couple of stacks, one known as “La Vela” [ "the sail"], because of its particular form.
The northern area is accessible only by sea or by renting a boat for a day trip. The landscape is characterized by numerous rocks overhanging the sea, such as the so-called Tabaccara. In fact, Lampedusa is rocky and plantless, and the flora consists of agave plants, thistles, low thorny bushes, myrtles, and a few palm trees planted close to the so-called “dammusi”, domed stone houses, that are widespread in Pantelleria, Lampedusa and Limosa.
These buildings are characterized by extremely thick walls, from 80 centimeters to 2 meters, needed to absorb the thrust of the domes and generally designed to allow the channeling of rainwater.
The old port still retains its traditional characteristics. Among the beaches of Lampedusa stands out the "Tabaccara", a bay accessible by boat and surrounded by a clear sea, from which we access the Bay of the 'Island of Rabbits', the most famous beach of the island, situated at the southern side of Lampedusa.
Lampedusa wildlife
Each year, between May and August, the turtles called "Caretta-Caretta" [“Loggerhead Turtles”] come here to spawn. In addition to the turtles, the fauna of the island is characterized by a large number of lizards of Malta and by “Berte” (birds with a cry like a hiccup), some species of dolphin, the common rorqual, cachalot, the Hawk Queen, peregrine falcon, and the herring gull. Among the peculiar insects , we mention a large grasshopper which has no wings and the 'Julodis', a beetle with iridescent colors.
Continuing on around the coast of Lampedusa from the “Island of the Rabbits” we come to “Capo Ponente” [“Western Cape”], the western extremity of the island, where the view is different: the coast that characterizes the entire northern side of the island consists of a high steep wall that overlooks the sea with numerous caves. Beyond the “Baia della Madonnina” ["Bay of the Virgin Mary"], we encounter the imposing cliffs of the “Faraglione” and "Sacrament", facing a very deep cave of the same name. The north-east side, called the “Capo Grecale”, contains the lighthouse, visible up to 60 miles away. Just beyond the "Cala Pisana", we find the “Grotta del Teschio” ["Cave of the Skull"], from where, through a passage, we reach a beach about 15 km long.
Near the lighthouse of “Capo Grecale”, we can observe a vast landscape, but the vision becomes broader from the so-called “Albero del Sole” [“ Tree of the Sun”], the highest point on Lampedusa and with an evocative view of the “Faraglione” and the cliffs overhanging the sea. Next we can visit the “Madonna di Porto Salvo” [“Our Lady of Porto Salvo”], the protector of fishermen, a small statue placed underwater in the sea near the “Cala Galera”, whose anniversary is celebrated each Sept. 22.
(Since we're on the subject of anniversaries, note that in March the Carnival is celebrated in Lampedusa (the Tuesday before Lent); while in summer, August 24, falls the Feast of St. Bartholomew, the patron saint of Lampedusa.)
Your visit will surely include a chance to taste the typical dishes of Lampedusa, based on the fish which occupies an important place in the culture and tradition of the Pelagian Islands. The local specialty is made with couscous, a traditional fish dish of Arab origin. In addition to the couscous, other dishes of local interest are the eggplant rolls, noodles swordfish and the lentil soup of Lampedusa.
Note: because of its position between Africa and Europe, Lampedusa is also a common arrival point for those seeking to clandestinely enter Europe.
See also Lampedusa history and etymology.