Egadi Islands

Favignana is the main island of the Egadi. With its beaches and sea caves it is perfect for anyone who loves clear, transparent water: the best-known beaches are Cala Azzurra, a small sandy bay in the south, and the wide beach of Lido Burrone.

Even more spectacular are the rocky coves of Cala Rossa and Cala del Bue Marino, between tufa quarries and stunning seabeds, while Punta Longa, Preveto and the Faraglioni stacks offer breathtaking sunsets.

Once the queen of Sicily’s tuna fisheries, Favignana has culture too: the former Florio tuna factory, once the heart of the island, is now a museum of the tonnara. The tufa quarries, cut by hand by the pirriaturi, look like great stone cathedrals and tell centuries of island history.

The real star, though, is the sea: by catamaran you reach the most beautiful coves when no one else can get there.

Marettimo is the second largest of the Egadi Islands and without doubt the wildest and most unspoilt.

Its sea caves are its natural wonder: counting those above and below the water, there are more than 400. Don’t miss the Grotta del Tuono, also known as the Grotta del Presepe, and the Grotta del Cammello. Few beaches can be reached on foot; one of them is beautiful Cala Bianca, below Punta Troia, with its pebbles and crystal-clear water.

The island is home to precious plants and wildlife, including rare and sometimes endemic species. Walkers will find many trails leading to coves, beaches and viewpoints, so the whole island can be explored on foot.

Just off the north coast of Favignana, Levanzo is the smallest of the Egadi Islands and the oldest in human history: the prehistoric engravings and paintings in the Grotta del Genovese date back about 11,000 years.

Its little village looks onto Cala Dogana, watched over by a Saracen lookout tower. With no roads for cars, Levanzo is ideal for walkers, along easy, scenic paths to old shelters and endemic plants. From the sea, its coves have some of the clearest water in the archipelago.