What to see in the Egadi islands, which are the ones that make up this archipelago of Sicily, with all the aspects and characteristics typical of each island.
Tourist information
The Egadi archipelago is made up of the islands, Favignana, Levanzo, Marettimo and the rocky islets, Formica and Maraone.
The islands, located in front of the western coast of Sicily, between Marsala and Trapani, are mainly of limestone and dolomitic nature.
Favignana and Levanzo are those closest to Sicily and most exploited from the tourist point of view, while the island of Marettimo, the furthest from Sicily, has preserved its original wild character.
Archaeological finds and graffiti dating back to ancient human settlements have been found in Levanzo and to a lesser extent in Favignana.
Over the millennia, numerous dominations have followed in these islands. The Carthaginian period was followed by the Roman one.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the vandals, the goths and the Saracens arrived.
The Saracens were followed by the Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, the Aragonese.
In 1640 the islands were sold to the Pallavicino family, later the ruling house reserved the rights to the castles, the fortresses and its approval on any long-term land concessions.
In 1735 there was the settlement of the Bourbons and in 1874 the Florio family purchased the islands from the Pallavicini, coming into possession of the bare ownership of them and the tuna traps.
This family of very creative industrialists, whose history is linked to that of Favignana, modernized the activity related to tuna fishing and made this industry very advanced in Italy, between the end of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century .
Recommended readings- Mazara del Vallo (Sicily): what to see
- Trapani (Sicily): what to see
- Randazzo (Sicily): what to see
- Milazzo (Sicily): what to see
- Sicily: Sunday day trips
What see
Favignana
The island takes its name from the warm western wind, Favonio. Its territory, mainly flat, is dominated in the center by Monte Santa Caterina m. 310, on the top of which stands the Fort of the same name.
The mountain ridge, characterized by karst rocks and caves, winds through Punta Campana, m.295, Portella del Cervo and Punta Grosso m. 252, the two sides extend, the Piana del Bosco to the west, and the Piana to the east. The limestone nature of the soil has allowed, since ancient times, the extraction of tuff.
In the past, this excavation was as important as fishing, for the island's economy, today it remains a very suggestive landscape, marked by the ancient effort of the quarrymen. The white tuff walls, dug by silent tunnels, overlook a crystal clear sea.
Cala del Pozzo, Cala Rossa, where it was fought in 241 BC the naval battle between Romans and Carthaginians, which marked the end of the first Punic war and the victory of the Romans, (the seabed of this sea preserves the memory of these distant events) then Cala Azzurra, located between Punta Marsala and Punta Fanfalo, Lido Burrone , the largest beach on the island, Punta Sottile where the lighthouse is located, the Bue Marino cove, Cala Rotonda, Cala Grande and other coves, as well as beaches, follow one another along the coast.
Favignana is also the name of the main center of the island, the capital of the archipelago and port.
In the center you can see the elegant Palazzo Florio, built in 1876 by the Florio family, based on a project by the architect Giuseppe Damiani de Almeyda, who also took care of the renovation and expansion of the Tonnara factories. Today the large Tonnara complex is undergoing restructuring and transformation into a cultural center.
Favignana is linked to the ancient tradition of Mattanza, tuna fishing.
Between May and June, during the migration of tuna, this ancient ritual takes place which provides for a long barrier network that forces tuna to enter a series of chambers from which they can no longer exit.
This preparation is done in advance, when the right time arrives the boats of the tonnaroti, at the rhythm of popular songs called cialome, reach the extreme point of the tonnara and the Rais, the head of operations, orders the start of the slaughter.
Levanzo
It is a small island, the smallest of the Egadi islands, located in front of the northern coast of Favignana.
Its appearance is hilly, the highest point is the Pizzo del Monaco m. 278 s.l.m, its coasts are high and rocky.
In the cove of Cala Dogana, south of the island, there is the only inhabited center and the small port.
Rainwater is collected in the cisterns of the Cala Dogana houses and farmhouses scattered in the countryside, as there is no water on the island.
Immersed in unspoiled nature, there is only one road that crosses the island from north to south, the paths wind along the coast and inside, where in the highest part, on the slopes of the hill, you can admire a characteristic flora formed by prickly pears, agaves, spurge, mastic, ferulas and many other endemic species.
On the north-western coast, on the steep limestone wall, at a height of approx. 30 m., Overlooking a small cove, the famous Grotta del Genovese, reachable both from land and from the sea.
The cave contains inside a patrimony of great value of prehistoric figurative expressiveness, made of engraved figures and painted figures representing cattle, deer, horses, fish and human figures.
Along the coast there are enchanting inlets with crystal clear sea, such as Cala Tramontana, Cala Calcara, Cala Nucidda and Cala Fredda.
The seabed of the waters of Capo Grosso, in the northern tip of Levanzo, preserve the memory of ancient battles, and also the waters in front of Cala Minnola, a suggestive cove with the pine forest that reaches almost to the sea, preserve a very interesting archaeological site formed by fragments of a Roman wreck, pottery and amphorae.
Marettimo
It is the most mountainous and wildest island in the Egadi archipelago. Its maximum altitude is Monte Falcone, 686 m. s.l.m., its high and rocky coasts plunge into a crystal clear sea.
Marettimo has preserved an extraordinary naturalistic heritage, rich in many species of endemic plants that cover the entire surface of the island, especially the inaccessible cliffs and vertical rocks, where the most unique and interesting plants are found.
In Marettimo, compared to Favignana and Levanzo, there is an abundance of spring water, the inhabited area is located in the narrow coastal strip in the eastern part of the island.
Taking a boat ride, recommended to visit the rather wild coast, it is possible to admire the beautiful sea caves with crystal clear backdrops, such as the Camel Cave, the Pipa Cave, the Sirens Cave, the Perciata Cave, the Crib Cave and the Bombarda Cave, without forget the suggestive Cala Manione, Punta Troia, Punta Mugnone, Cala Bianca, Punta LIbeccio and Punta Bassana.
To visit the island inside and enjoy its scenic beauty it is nice to go hiking.
Through one of the most luxuriant areas of the island you can reach the Roman houses at an altitude of 248 m. amsl, the Byzantine Church and the traffic light at m. 500 s.l.m .. From the Roman houses a path climbs up to the summit of Monte Falcone, the top of the Egadi.
Another excursion can be done heading south, after leaving Punta Bassana continue north-west and you will reach the western side of the island, the steepest and most dolomitic one, where the lighthouse is located, near Punta Libeccio.
Finally, along the eastern side of the island, you can reach the castle that rises on the suggestive Punta Troia.
