Riding a Scooter Around Lampedusa

Ready… set… go… Never before had a holiday been so longed for… in fact, exactly one year has passed since our last vacation, and the tiredness is making itself felt, as is the desire to escape and switch off for a while. The choice of destination was no accident at all… in fact, we wanted to discover other sides of Sicily, and our initial idea was to do a tour of the entire eastern and south-eastern coast of the island. The impossibility of matching up the ferry timetables and the fear of making the holiday anything but relaxing pushed us toward a less demanding destination: Lampedusa.

From friends' stories we already knew that the sea there is beautiful, the island is small and easy to get around in no time… plus the choice to fly down and rent a scooter once there already gave off that free-holiday vibe… So, after various problems with the travel agency, which messed up our plane tickets (starting next year we'll do everything online!), we finally leave on Sunday the 12th. The flight is direct from Rome to Lampedusa, and in just over an hour we're there. The airline, Air One, was impeccable: flights perfectly on time, courteous cabin crew, reasonable prices, perfect baggage handling… definitely better than Alitalia! At 11:30 we're in Lampedusa. Sebastiano, the manager of Residence Le Anfore, comes to pick us up at the airport and takes us straight to the accommodation we chose.

It's a small building near the airport and therefore also close to the town centre; the apartment is charming, not very big but just right for our needs. We also have a small balcony equipped with a barbecue for future fish grills. In short, just enough time to settle in, give the place a quick clean (which was already clean, but we always like to overdo it!), take a refreshing shower, have a quick lunch, and then straight to bed… until the next morning (we were a bit tired!).

First actual day of holiday… obviously we wake up early given yesterday's long sleep. First real contact with the Lampedusan reality… it's really true that you either love it or hate it, the landscape is very particular… totally rocky, the houses almost all white or in pastel colours and without roofs (most have a terrace instead of a roof), the sun beats down hard… We notice it immediately on our first visit to a beach… we go to Cala Madonna.

The heat is oppressive… we settle on some rocks, but there's no wind and we can only stand it for a very short time… in the water it's lovely, all too lovely, we practically stay in all day… when we're not in the water we go to the beach's refreshment kiosk and down mint popsicles to our heart's content… the situation is dramatic, maybe it's because we still have to get used to the almost African climate… Luckily sunset arrives, and a light breeze begins to pick up, reviving body and spirit.

This morning we set off with the idea of going to a slightly quieter little spot… the usual scooter ride… a technical stop in town to buy lunch… if you're a glutton, never set foot in Panificio e Cose Buone… there you can find everything from savoury things (pizzas, stuffed sandwiches, etc. etc.) to sweet things (almond pastries, Sicilian cannoli, cassatelle, etc. etc.) So after sharing a pizza between the two of us, we head toward our destination… today it's Cala Greca's turn.

It's a not very touristy beach, that is, not very publicized, but for me it's a real gem… a small, secluded little cove with a splendid sea bathing it… finally we find a corner of paradise, not much of a crowd, and today it's easier for us to bear the heat too (thanks also to our beach tent!) The water is full of fish, especially swallow fish with their distinctive black colour and forked tail, which look great against the blue of the sea… we have fun attracting them with little pieces of bread, and within 5 minutes fish of all kinds gather and fight over the unexpected meal.

I would have stayed there all my life… anyway, at a certain point, since hunger starts to make itself felt, we go back to base, and for the evening we decide to have our first big night out… straight to the restaurant "La Cambusa" for a proper feast of fish… the food is excellent, the prices are fair and the atmosphere is really nice… truly a lovely evening….. we end the evening on Viale Roma for the inevitable granita and a bit of touristy strolling.

For the day of Ferragosto, since we expected millions of tourists on the island's various beaches, the previous evening we had decided to do something decidedly alternative: namely a ride along the panoramic road that runs along the entire northern side of the island. So we woke up a bit more leisurely in the morning, had a relaxed breakfast (given the amount of food ingested, it would be better classified as brunch rather than a simple breakfast) At 11:00 we're on our scooter. The first problem that arises is getting petrol, since the ride is quite long and, given our tendency to take wrong turns, it's easy to do double the necessary kilometres…. to our surprise we find that all the petrol stations are closed, the pumps sealed, and a sign that says: "Out of petrol, waiting for the ship" … the drawback of living on an island: without supplies "from Italy" you run dry…..

So we drastically change our plans and decide to go see the famous Cala Creta, a beach also famous because nearby is Claudio Baglioni's villa (almost a mayor for the Lampedusans, as he's the creator of the deeply felt event 'O Scià) It's a splendid place; as soon as we get off the scooter, just enough time to take a few steps along the cliff, and an unexpected spectacle opens up before us: a crystal-clear sea that would make Sardinia's envious, water ranging from turquoise to azure to deep blue and green, and the rocks visible in the depths… the beach is non-existent, that is, there's a concrete platform and rocks that go straight into the sea, but the result is still remarkable. It's the ideal place for snorkelling, since the seabed is rocky and rich in fish. After spending the whole day there, at 18:00 we went to visit the WWF Turtle Rescue Centre, which is right nearby.

Lampedusa is in fact famous for its turtles. Every year these animals choose its beaches to lay their eggs, and so quite a few are found off its coasts. Unfortunately, though, too often the turtles fall victim to fishermen (they get caught in nets, swallow hooks and entire tangles of fishing line, suffer fractures to their carapace, which is their defensive shell) This centre was created precisely to save these living beings from an almost certain end. It's the fishermen themselves who hand over the injured animals to the WWF volunteers, who carry out surgical procedures, manage the recovery phase at the centre, and eventually release the healed animal back into the sea.

It's very important to protect the turtles, because they're an integral part of an extremely delicate ecosystem… they feed on jellyfish, thereby keeping our seas clean, and since an excess of jellyfish would cause less oxygen in the water, it also helps the survival and reproduction of other types of fish. At the centre we saw about 10 turtles in post-operative recovery, and there were just as many in "intensive care" as they had been operated on in recent days. In past years it was also possible to watch the release of the healed turtles, which was done from Cala Madonna beach, but the huge influx of tourists and the difficulty for the volunteers (about ten in all) to manage everything without help from the authorities made it impossible to repeat the event this year. SIGH!!! The visit was short but very touching and educational.

On the way back we stopped in town to have a typical Sicilian dinner: pane e panelle, arancini and sfincione (pizza with tomato sauce)…. needless to say, it was a blast… who knows how these Sicilians manage to digest things like that in the heat down here!

We wake up early, have the usual more-than-generous breakfast, fishing rod over our shoulder, and head to the port to buy bait… in fact the day's plan includes, besides the usual splashing about in clear waters, some fishing. Unfortunately the petrol pumps are still dry… only diesel… there's no petrol for us poor fifty-cc riders… so even our itinerary has to undergo changes. We decide to go to a beach not far from the town centre, Cala Croce, and opposite it, one of the smallest beaches on the island, Porto 'Ntoni. To get there we drive along the famous Spiaggia della Guitgia, the town's beach because it's an integral part of the built-up area. The beach is definitely very beautiful, the view from the road is remarkable, but too crowded and too touristy for our tastes. We keep going and reach Cala Croce.

Here too there's a little cove with a beach club and attached restaurant… we opt to settle on the rocks… much more uncomfortable but decidedly quieter… The beach has very shallow waters that slope down gently, but unfortunately today there are many jellyfish… where we are, however, there are rocks, deeper waters but cleaner sea full of fish… while I'm there in the water sunbathing I feel something attached to my ankle and, thinking it's seaweed, I shake my leg… I feel the same sensation on the other leg, so I look down and see a fairly large octopus that has latched onto me…. Ste tries to catch it but it slips away… it squirts its "ink" and takes off….

We went there to fish, and instead it's the octopus that fished me… that's the limit… Ste carries on fishing using the small squid as bait and we catch a few little fish… meanwhile I take up collecting sea urchins, after having a Sicilian gentleman near us explain how to tell the male from the female (in fact it's only the female's roe that you eat!) The day passed like that, in the water, with the result of a nice sunburn but lots of relaxation…. At sunset we get back on the scooter and head home… we're practically on reserve, and we decide to stock up at the supermarket along the way, with the result that we arrive at our destination loaded like donkeys and very precariously balanced. A luxury little dinner of fish and almond pastries with passito…. after all, it's been 2 days since we skipped lunch and we have to make up for it.

A day entirely devoted to the boat trip with the "Sciaranda" At the port in the morning there are many boats offering the full tour of the island, but our choice in the end turned out to be a winner, both for the friendliness and organisation of the crew and for the company of the other vacationers. We set off from the port and circumnavigated the island counter-clockwise (thus breaking away from the other boats, which generally go the opposite way) From the port, the Grottacce (two adjacent caves that enclose natural pools inside, where we took our first swim of the day), Cala Francese, Cala Pisana, Cala Creta, and Mare Morto, a stop for our second swim. The staff then organized a noteworthy little lunch based on fish, and it was the occasion to get to know the other tourists (thanks also to a fun game) From there the situation degenerated into explosive hilarity….

some telling jokes on the boat's microphone, some pretending to spot whales, etc. etc. We set off again to complete the circumnavigation of the island, and we touched various caves including the Grotta dei Sospiri, the Grotta degli Innamorati (over 50 m high, from whose top fall drops of fresh water that spring from the rock), the Grotta del Solaro, Capo Grecale, Punta Alaimo, Scoglio Vela, Faraglione del Sacramento and Capo Ponente. We thus finish seeing the northern coast of the island, characterised by high cliffs dropping sheer into the sea. The southern part, on the other hand, is lower, and this is why most of the beaches are found here: Cala Pulcino (stop for a swim), Isola dei Conigli, Tabaccara (stop for the last swim of the day), Cala Galera, Cala Greca, Cala Madonna, Cala Croce, Spiaggia della Guitgia.

So we return to port, physically worn out by all the little swims we took, but it was truly worth it. The good news waiting for us on land is that the petrol has finally arrived, which means we can go back to using our gleaming scooter without the anxiety of being left on foot… in fact we take it right away and take the opportunity for a technical stop at the legendary Gianni fish shop to stock up for dinner… after all the fish we'd seen in the sea… eating meat would have clashed badly…. Ste, in pole position at the barbecue (as usual), manages to turn out a mega grill of sea bream, pagellus, squid and red prawns that'll make you lick your chops… As usual, we reach the end of the evening exhausted and can't manage to set foot outside the house…. maybe tomorrow.

Today is the highlight of the holiday…. today's plan is to spend the entire day at Isola dei Conigli… everyone has always spoken highly of this beach, judged by all to be the most beautiful on the island… In fact this is the place where Caretta Caretta turtles still nest, and for this reason it has become a Marine Protected Area, meaning boats can't moor near its shores, access to the beach is allowed only from 08:30 to 19:30, and some activities are forbidden (like playing beach tennis or digging holes in the sand) The turtles lay their eggs by making big holes under the sand; when these eggs hatch, the little turtles will instinctively head toward the sea, and it's important that they make this journey because after about 40 years and about 4 trips around the world, as soon as they reach sexual maturity, they'll return right there to their birthplace to generate new lives in turn.

It's impressive to think that out of every 100 little turtles born, only 8 manage to survive; of course those tiny defenceless creatures in the open sea are very easy prey. It's very important to protect this area, because it's the last beach in Lampedusa where this miracle happens, whereas before it happened on all the beaches… unfortunately, humans and unchecked tourism have destroyed this balance. Anyway, as I was saying, before arriving, our curiosity to see this beach was immense….but when we found ourselves in front of it after about 10 min. of walking along the path, we were truly left speechless…. it's a pool… a Caribbean beach…. a paradise…. you see before you all the shades from white to azure to deep blue…. so we continue along the path and when we reach the end we notice that right at the beginning of the beach there's a mega villa….

one of the many examples of illegal construction in Italy… built by Modugno and now owned by Mr. Berlusconi (will he ever do anything right?) The beach is divided into two sections: the managed beach area where you can rent an umbrella or plant your own, and the other half where you can only lay down your towel and stay in the sun…. we obviously opt for the first solution (a tan, yes, but we don't want to char ourselves!) Just enough time to set up our tent and we're already in the water with mask and snorkel…. if from above the sea was stupendous… under the water it doesn't disappoint either… there are so many fish (especially near the rocks) of so many species and colours….for the first time I experience the sensation of being surrounded by schools of fish and it's beautiful… I even forget my fear of deep water and go for it with snorkelling and underwater photos.

They've told us that further out you can even see schools of groupers (fish weighing 40 kg and over!) After the swim Ste decides to relax under the tent while I clamber up the rocky ridge in front of Isola dei Conigli… When I reach the top, I think I've seen the most beautiful panorama on the island…. on the left is the Spiaggia dei Conigli… on the right is Cala Pulcino (also beautiful and reachable by sea or by land with a 40 min.

walk) so I improvised as a professional photographer and I must say the results are postcard-worthy (is it thanks to the photographer or the subject?) When I get back to the beach Ste tells me his nap was disturbed by a friendly little snake that wanted to come and cool off a bit in the shade with him… I can just imagine the fright!!! One last refreshing dip and then the long hike back up the hill to pick up the scooter; of course the day wasn't exactly relaxing, but it was truly worth it! The effort must be rewarded with an evening stop on Viale Roma… where Ste enjoys a huge cup of gelato (incredibly creamy, never eaten a better gelato) and I have the inevitable Sicilian mulberry granita….

the classic stroll among the little shops and market stalls (I realise that the image of the turtle is exploited and commercialised in every possible way: T-shirts with the image, knick-knacks, ashtrays, jewellery, all turtle-shaped…. too bad that in the end it's only the WWF and Legambiente volunteers who take care of these little animals, without any help from the local authorities)

Maybe it was all the running around yesterday… maybe it's that we ended up staying up late too… but today our day doesn't start before 11:30…. ah yes, it was so nice in bed; we have our nice brunch breakfast and head straight to the beach. Given the late hour we opt to go to Cala Guitgia, the beach immediately after the port. For being the town beach and so close to the port, the water is still crystal clear, the view from above is very beautiful, but for us it's decidedly too chaotic. In Riccione style: long rows of umbrellas, lots of people, lots of chaos, the possibility of renting Sea Bikes (bicycles with enormous wheels to be used like pedal boats), photographers snapping tourist photos of bathers to be bought in the evening on Viale Roma… good heavens… in short, we can't manage to stay more than 2 hours…. just enough time for me to break my flip-flops and we head home.

There I change my sandals and Ste arms himself with his fishing gear… next stop: Punta Sottile. Punta Sottile is a rocky promontory and is located at the southernmost point of Lampedusa, which is why it's also the southernmost point of the European continent. To get there you take a road that runs alongside the airport runway… you pass Cala Spugne, Cala Maluk, Cala Francese and then the paved road ends, and after about 200 m of dirt road we're at our destination. Near Punta Sottile there are 2 beautiful coves shaped like caves…. We then pass in front of the fish farming facility and arrive at the rocky point.

There the second mishap of the day occurs, namely just when I'm among the rocks, my second pair of flip-flops breaks (what luck!)… but with MacGyver spirit I do a repair with fishing line that's a real jewel! Ste enjoys himself fishing; they say it's a very fish-rich spot there, but what we manage to pull up is only a little fish… maybe we're doing it wrong! Anyway, since we'd already set our minds on a fish dinner, before heading home we stop at the fish market and get mussels and clams for the inevitable pepata and greater amberjack roe to make pasta with… the result was astonishing…. all washed down with a nice sparkling white wine…. it goes without saying that later in the evening we weren't in any condition to go out…

Today, on the other hand, we wake up practically at dawn because an intense day awaits us. For the day we decided to take a gamble… and rent a boat for a "private" tour of the island and visit the various little coves at our own pace! For the rental we did a bit of legwork both at the new port and the old one… and the boats for rent are all 40 hp so no boating licence is needed to drive them, and they're all equipped with a canopy for shelter from the sun in the hottest hours and cushions… for a 2-seater boat they ask from €130 to €100 + petrol….

Luckily we don't despair, keep looking, and find Centro Diving Lo Verde, which rents us the boat for €80 + petrol… well, from the initial €130 that's quite a difference… Before leaving, Pippo tells us that even though the weather is splendid at the moment, it's likely to change rapidly in the afternoon, so he forbids us from doing the full tour of the island and advises us to do the southern part of the island, always staying close to the coast… we take a little spin in the harbour so he can explain how to drive the boat, and then we set off… the trip was so much fun…. great because you can stop wherever you want.. maybe just long enough for a quick swim and then set off again… unfortunately, though, the sea turns out to be quite rough right from the start….we stop for lunch at Cala Pulcino…beautiful, beyond words….

Around 15:00, though, we set off again because my stomach can't take the swell any more… and thank goodness….the return trip was a nightmare… in the meantime the sea had become very rough; with that little boat we were making some scary jumps… Ste proved himself a seasoned captain… but of course we'd got a bit anxious…. In fact around 16:00 the diving centre manager calls us on our mobile to find out where we are and warn us that conditions are worsening, so he strongly advises us to come back… No problem, shortly after we're in port… what a relief to get back into calm waters… We return the boat; Pippo asks us laughing how it went and tells us that given the situation it will surely be an experience we'll never forget! We believe it! We stay at the port to enjoy the sunset and then straight home.

For the evening we opt to eat out… I had found a flyer advertising a place where you could eat Grouper Cous-Cous and Grilled Fish for €20, by reservation only. We call to book and the girl tells us dinner is at 21:30…. already that strikes us as a bit odd… anyway we get there and it was a truly beautiful evening. Basically it's in the form of a private club; everyone dines together and they do no more than 20 covers a night… the little tables are in a small garden lit with candles and enriched by the scent of incense… the food is excellent and they keep bringing things until you're the one who says stop…. While eating you also have the chance to meet people; in fact we chatted all evening with a very likeable Calabrian couple who had a little dog named Italia because she was born on the occasion of the 2006 World Cup. One last little glass of almond wine and then straight home.

The day doesn't start with the best premises… in fact there's bright sunshine, but by now we're experts on island weather and you can tell the weather doesn't promise well… what's more the sea is very rough.. our destination will be Mare Morto. This cove is in fact called that because it's sheltered from the currents and therefore a place where the sea is almost always calm. Indeed when we arrive we realise that the difference from the other beaches is there…. we take the opportunity for an unscheduled little swim… In the afternoon, as predicted, the weather changes and the sky clouds over…. so there's no point staying on the beach suffering the heat, and we take the opportunity to tour the island by scooter…. It was really a good idea: the first stop was the Lighthouse….

it's a fantastic place; maybe the slightly gloomy weather played a part, but the atmosphere there was indescribable…something that can't come across in photos or in words… then the view from up there is beautiful; you have the sea as far as the eye can see…. absolute silence, only the crashing of the waves on the rocks…beautiful….the road then continues and runs along the entire northern part of the island; every now and then there are little lay-bys from which you can look down from the top of the cliffs…from there the volunteers spot dolphins, and in particular at Crocifisso you can see the falcons that nest on the rock below… For the rest the road continues through nothingness….

a shepherd or two with goats… then desert… stretches of arid land and dry-stone walls dividing the plots of land…we reach O'Scià, the island's VIP venue, also hyper-commercialised….too touristy for us! We also visit Casa Teresa, an ancient Dammuso (the typical Lampedusan dwelling) skilfully restored, which gives an idea of what life there might have been like hundreds of years ago. Continuing on, you reach the southern part, we drive along Cala Pulcino and Isola dei Conigli, and arrive at Rifugio Pinocchio… a sort of centre for managing the island's stray dogs…. Let's not call it a kennel, because unfortunately it has no funding from either the State or the local authorities….. the whole facility is run by a single person (Paola) and it survives on tourists' donations.

For this reason a sign invites tourists to leave their holiday leftovers there at the Refuge, so as to feed the dogs, whose numbers are always growing. In fact about 15 dogs are inside the refuge, but there are just as many outside, plus the litters that are left by anonymous people there at the refuge. At the moment there are 2 litters, for a total of 16 little creatures waiting to be adopted…there you see them and immediately fall in love with them… unfortunately I don't have the space for another dog at home, but some tourists who have the possibility go home with the little dog in tow…it's a beautiful gesture; if only everyone were like that! In our small way we left food and money and a promise to help the refuge financially even after returning home.

Last stop at the Monastery, dedicated to the Madonna, patron saint of Lampedusa….a beautiful building with a lush garden (perhaps the first I've seen on the whole island). We go home.

This morning the awakening isn't the best… the heat is oppressive and the body gives in a little…. so we go back to Cala Croce, which is one of the best-equipped beaches, and spend the day there….we even treat ourselves to lunch at the beach bar…a vegetable cous-cous and an octopus and potato salad for the modest sum of €20 each…. decidedly too expensive for my tastes… but it's done now! We spend the day there, the sea is always a bit rough but the swim turns out to be fun anyway, even without mask and snorkel. In the evening another little stroll on Viale Roma to buy souvenirs and the inevitable granita.

The longing to go back to Isola dei Conigli is strong, so we set off early and head for our destination…. unfortunately the sea is very rough today too, and the beauty of the beach suffers considerably for it: nothing compared to the splendid landscape we'd found before us just a few days earlier… the sun, however, is beating down, and today we rent an umbrella (€7 a day); the day passes pleasantly between a little swim, a walk along the water's edge and moments of total relaxation in the shade (maybe playing cards; by now we're UNO fanatics).

Second-to-last day…already the melancholy is starting to assail us….We decide to visit the beaches below the airport, even though they hadn't been particularly recommended to us…for the record we had to try those too! Cala Spugne I advise you against…same for Cala Maluk….they don't shine for their beauty…Cala Francese on the other hand is quite nice….a small and quiet little beach where you can experience the thrill of being the only person swimming..which is no small thing….Near the shore, on a rock jutting out of the water, there's a statue of Padre Pio…for the rest it's all pretty anonymous.

In the evening we do happy hour at a bar in the harbor where, besides the aperitif, they offer you grilled fish and cold pasta….very nice…then for dinner we opt for the Restaurant "Le mille e una notte" where the sign announced Sicilian and Tunisian specialties….There was nothing Tunisian, little Sicilian…we ate quite well but 45€ for a first course, a second course and a salad seemed a bit too much to me!

And here we are at the day of departure SIGH! The luggage is already ready so there's nothing left to do but leave…fortunately the residence where we're staying lets us leave our bags at the reception and provides us with a bathroom with shower to change after the day at the beach…after all our flight is at 17:00…. So in the morning we go back to Cala Creta, a place Ste fell in love with at the start of the vacation….it's splendid as always…we even spot Claudio Baglioni who has a house up there and is sunbathing on a rock all by himself… Around 12:00 we say goodbye to the sea and head downtown to do the last "food" shopping and have lunch….Splendid little lunch at a rotisserie based on Sfincione (the Sicilian pizza with tomato sauce), arancini and Sicilian cannoli…how we'll miss these things….

It's an extremely hot day, I don't know whether because the temperature is objectively hotter or because it's the first day we're not at the beach, so I take a little scooter ride solo to do a last photo reportage of the island and to get a succulent plant to bring home. We go take that shower….which barely helps since after 5 minutes we're sweaty again, and straight to the airport. The check-in is tiny and there are a lot of people…the luggage exceeds the allowed weight by 5 kg and they charge us a good 35€ for the trouble….(who knows why on the way there they hadn't given us any problems!) For the rest nothing else to object to…the takeoff is thrilling with the runway ending directly over the sea, we even have spectators photographing us….the flight is quite calm and we arrive right on time….back in Rome where it all began…