Pelagie Islands
(Lampedusa - Linosa - Lampione)
The Pelagic Islands (Isole Pelagie) earned their name from the Greek pelagos, meaning “sea”, and it is a fabulous sea of luminous aqua depths (the cleanest in Italy) that shimmers in the endless sunshine. The islands lie on the very edge of the continental shelf separating Africa from Europe and while Linosa balances on the European shelf, the last peak in Etna’s volcanic chain, Lampedusa lies on the African shelf and is known as “a gift from Africa to Europe”.
To escape, you might consider skipping across the water to the small volcanic island of Linosa, where the black beaches are quieter and the swimming is great.
Tiny Lampione is little more than an uninhabited pimple and isn’t on the ferry route. It is a little pearl in the Mediterranean Sea where groupers, lobsters, yellow and pink coral and grey sharks live. It is also considered a paradise for scuba divers.
In July and August the archipelago’s most popular island, Lampedusa, is over run with visitors. The Mediterranean island of Lampedusa is the largest of the Pelagies Islands and is situated 205 km from Sicily and 113 km from Tunisia. Its population subsists on fishing, agriculture and tourism.
Historically, Lampedusa was a landing place and a maritime base for the ancient Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs. The Romans established a plant for the production of the prized fish sauce known as garum. As a result of pirate attacks by the Arabs, the island became uninhabited. The first prince of Lampedusa and Linosa was Giulio Tomasi, ancestor of the famous writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, author of the famous romance Gattopardo.
The
Isola dei Conigli (literally “Island of Rabbits”), which is close to the south coast of Lampedusa, is one of the last remaining egg-laying sites in Italy for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, which is endangered throughout the Mediterranean. The beach and the neighboring island are part of a nature reserve: here the famous Italian singer-songwriter Domenico Modugno spent his vacations and Lampedusa itself inspired him the popular song “Volare”, and also here died in 1994.
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