ahotelinitaly.com blog

The southernmost point of Europe, the island of Lampedusa may officially be part of Italy, but lying just 113km from Tunisia (205km from Sicily) it is far closer to north Africa. The largest of the Pelagie Islands (a volcanic group comprising Lampedusa, Linosa and Lampione) its population of 6000 souls exist on agriculture, fishing and - increasingly - tourism. No wonder, this is a quite beautiful outpost, and though arid (with little regular rainfall) supports marvellous flora and fauna. Dolphin and manta live off the coast, and the little islet of Isola dei Conigli (’rabbit island’) is an egg-laying site for the endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtle.

Its strategic position has made the island important throughout history, being a base for (successively) the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs, though it was eventually abandoned as the locals became weary of continual raids by pirates. It then became a principality under Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, who was made prince of the islands in 1630 by Charles II of Spain; the Tomasi family brought in a new population, which has flourished, under tough conditions, to this day.

The island found a degree of fame with the play ‘The King of Lampedusa’ during World War II. This dramatised the extraordinary but true story of how the entire Italian garrison surrendered to a lone British air crew, who had become lost on their return to neighbouring Malta and touched down on the island for help. Lampedusa thus became the first of Mussolini’s possessions to surrender to the Allies - the beginning of a painfully drawn out defeat. More recently the island has become famous as the main transit site for Africans hoping to emigrate to Europe. Lampedusa connects with Sicily, via a ferry to Porto Empedocle, near Agrigento. There is also a little airport, with flights to the mainland, mainly in the summer months.

The Hotel Medusa, Lampedusa is taken from ahotelinitaly.com’s wide range of Sicily hotels.