Favignana is the biggest of the Aegadian Islands (the archipelago also includes the islands of Levanzo and Marettimo, and two uninhabited rocks, Formica and Maraone), and it is located 7km west of the coast of Sicily, in front of the city of Trapani.  The island has been not famous among tourists for a long time, with most of the visitors being people from the main island.

Aegadian Islands – Map

Favignana is actually one of the most beautiful corners of  Sicily, for many reasons. Its relaxed, traditional atmosphere shows that the island has not been spoiled by tourism, and while local people are very friendly and happy to welcome guests, you can still find an authentic environment in which people will welcome you but still continue with their normal, daily life.

Fishing is a very important part of the island life, and Favignana is still famous for the ancient fishing technique of tonnara, which has Arabs origins. Tuna is indeed one of the most important product of Favignana, and if you love good food you won’t miss the many variations of tuna that are available here: among those, we would advice you to try the delicious “tuna sausage” that small restaurants in the village of Favignana will serve you.

The island has a “butterfly shape”, and as all the other Aegadian Islands is part of a natural reserve. You will simply get shocked by the beauty of many corners and beaches of Favignana: stunning Cala Rossa (Red Cove), so called  from the bloodshed caused by a major naval battle that was fought on 10 March 241 BC, a short distance offshore, between Rome and Carthage, will leave you speachless. And for sure you will enjoy a great swim here.

Cala Rossa – Favignana

There also many other great spots for swimming, and also for diving: Cala Azzurra is one of them, and has clear blue waters and a beautiful location. Lido Burrone is a nice sandy beach, very easy to enjoy.

Favignana features also a lot of caves of sandstone rock (“tufo”): most of these caves are now transformed into gardens (“giardini ipogei), and in some part of the island you can walk through the caves to reach the sea; this is the case of  “Bue Marino”, a great rocky beach surrounded by yellow caves.

Bue Marino – Favignana

Favignana offers a wide choice of accomodation solutions: B&B (prices around 30/45 euros), hotels, houses for rent.

It’s easy to reach the island: the closest airport is Trapani, which is now connected with many European cities by Ryanair. From Trapani, you can then easily reach Favignana by ferry with Siremar and Ustica Lines.

Some other useful links:

Aegadian Natural Reserve

Comune di Favignana

Tags: aegadian islands, favignana, sea, Sicilian Islands, travel, tuna