Lampedusa and Pantelleria: Sicily beyond Sicily

Sicily and its islands. Beyond the coast, many treasures: nature, wild beaches and crystalline sea. But also history, tradition. Have you ever explored the Mediterranean? Sicilian Secrets brings you to Lampedusa and Pantelleria. Are you ready for a new adventure?

Two islands beyond the island. Sicily is a continuous discovery, and this is the reason why Sicilian Secrets wants to be your guide and let you explore every corner of this land. Today, we are going to visit the Mediterranean, so the southernmost parts of Italy: Lampedusa and Pantelleria.

Travelers have no limits.

LAMPEDUSA

If you are looking for a unique place, you cannot miss Lampedusa, the largest island of the Pelagie Islands. It’s ‘lost’ in the Mediterranean, between Sicily and Tunisia, that is the closest landfall. Agriculture, fishing and tourism: there’s a lot to see…let’s start our journey!

In the past, Lampedusa was a maritime base for Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Berbers later. In the XIX century it became part of the Kingdom of Italy and was used as a penal colony. Nowadays it’s one of the most attractive tourist destinations and in 2013, the Rabbit Beach (that is located in the southern part of the island) was awarded as the world’s best beach by TripAdvisor. If you love nature, wildlife and the sea, if you have never seen dolphins and white sharks…welcome to the Paradise!

Because of the warm temperature, maybe May-June and September are the best months to plan a visit but if you are an extreme summer lover, don’t waste time and go.

The diversity of landscape is incredible: the island is pretty arid and characterized by a discontinuous vegetation, deep gorges and sandy beaches. It’s an almost unique mix if you consider that the northern coast is, on the contrary, dominated by cliffs that meet the sea in a clash of waves.

You can breathe the nature, actually! Relax but don’t forget to be curious…give the world the opportunity to astonish you. Once you land in Lampedusa, don’t miss the Rabbit Island, one of the last remaining egg-laying sites in Italy for the loggerhead sea turtles. Do you know that the famous Italian singer Domenico Modugno used to spend his holidays here? Moreover, we strongly suggest you taking a boat to discover another beach that you can reach only through a grotto…Parise Cape, note down!

PANTELLERIA

Next stop…Pantelleria! Did you like Lampedusa? Well, now it’s time for another ‘pearl’ of the Mediterranean…and be careful, we are talking about the largest volcanic satellite island of Sicily.

The historical origins of this island date back to 35,000 years ago but it’s thanks to Phoenicians, Romans and later Arabs that its development has started. Do you know that when Arabs conquered Pantelleria in 700 AD, they called it the daughter of the winds? If you wonder why, you have never experienced the strong winds that characterize North Africa!

Don’t miss…

Once you get there, be sure to have enough time to enjoy the nature reserve on the island and the lake (Venus’ mirror) formed in an old volcanic crater. Take a break and bath into its warm water! Moreover, if you love walking, many trekking paths are perfect to train your legs.

Put also archaeological site in your bucket list, therefore don’t miss the middle bronze age village on the west coast. And, last but not least, discover the so-called dammuso, the typical dry-stone buildings of Pantelleria. And when sun goes down…enjoy the sunset with a glass of traditional sweet wine. There’s no better way to end the day.