Favignana is the largest of the Egadi Islands: 20 square kilometres in the shape of a butterfly, half an hour by boat from Trapani. From land you see the harbour, the town and a few beaches. The rest of the coast, with its tuff quarries, caves and coves, you reach by sea.
An island of tuff and tuna
For centuries Favignana lived on tuna fishing and tuff quarrying. The old Florio tuna factory still stands on the harbour, and the quarries run right down to the sea: they give the coves their square-cut walls and their clear water. The town is small and you can walk round it in an hour.
The best-known coves
- Cala Rossa: tuff walls cut by the quarries and turquoise water. From the boat you swim away from the crowds on the rocks.
- Bue Marino: old quarries by the sea with passages below the waterline, good for snorkelling.
- Cala Azzurra: a light sandy bottom and shallow water, fine for children too.
- Grotta degli Innamorati: you can only see it from the sea, when the waves allow.
Why see it from the sea
By boat you go round the island in a few hours and stop where the wind is calm: the skipper picks the sheltered side for the day’s weather. The coves on the south side are the busiest from land; from the sea you also reach places no path leads to.
On a day tour from Trapani you see Favignana and Levanzo, with swim stops and lunch on board. We leave at 9:30 am and are back in the afternoon.
