Visit Lampedusa
The island of Lampedusa is part of the group known as the Pelagie islands and stands far off the south coast of Sicily (just over 200 kilometres distant) and only 113 kilometres from Tunisia (hence it is closer to Africa than Europe).
The other islands in the group are called Linosa and Lampione.
The island is only about 20 square kilometres and has one town, also called Lampedusa, with about 6000 inhabitants. It s here that you will find the restaurants and other facilites such as bike hire and moped hire, and most accommodation options are in and around the town. There is a lively waterfront area in the town with boats and cafes
It is the stunningly clear waters and pristine beaches and coast of Lampedusa that attract visitors to this remote outpost of Italy - diving and snorkelling are especially popular - and you can also explore the arid interior of the island, a beautiful if rather arid landscape
The popular beaches are mainly to the south of the island, while the rockier coast of the north is well worth seeing on one of the boat trips that circumvent the island. There are various attractive beaches with the most popular being the so-called 'Rabbit beach' (isola dei Conigli), although rabbits are not found here!
The name 'rabbit beach' is actually a mistranslation of a historic word meaning 'to connect', nothing to do with rabbits but referring to the thin strp of land that joins the island to the beach
The majority of visitors to Lampedusa are from Italy.
Note: the geographical position of Lampedusa makes it popular with African refugees seeking to gain access to Europe, and there is a camp on the island to house the immigrants, arriving frequently from Libya. This is perhps a significant deterrent to visitors.
You can find more local travel ideas in the South-West Sicily guide,