egadi islands
Dates: June 2017
Route: Drove from Italy via Cefalù, Sicily.
Of all the places we saw in Sicily, these collection of islands had to be our favorite. We stayed in the western Sicilian town of Trapani and decided to do a day trip via boat to Favignana and Levanzo, two of the three islands that are part of a tiny archipelago. The peaceful beaches and turquoise waters in small, secluded bays make them a perfect place to get away from the crows and city life. We took a morning ferry from Trapani and the journey only took about 40 minutes to Favignana and an additional 20 minutes from there to Levanzo.
Our first stop was the island of Favignana, which is the largest and also a bustling fishing village. The waters went from a deep azure to a brilliant turquoise as we entered the main harbor. Given we only had ~2 hrs before the ferry left, we decided to just explore the harbor and the main town. The walk from the ferry dock to town is about 10 minutes and there is not much to see other than fishing life. There is a small beach, Spiaggia Praia, in town and we spent time there swimming and relaxing. We also explored some of the old town and had delicious gelato at the Bar Europa Gelateria. Rupa can eat gelato 24x7 which is probably why she never tires of going to Italy. Our research told us the other places to see were the beaches of Cala Azzurra and Cala Rossa, but alas we had not time to go to either. There was also the main castle, located on top of a steep hill, and it is said that you can see the entire island, which is the shape of a butterfly, from the top.
(Click on gallery images below for details)
Our journey to Levanzo took us past some of the beautiful coves of Favignana and we began to regret only coming for the day. Our regret turned to firm resolve to come back and stay a few days when we entered the main harbor of Levanzo. Being much smaller than Favignana, the water here was so clear it actually looked like the boats were floating on air. You can see this in our drone video and photos. Levazo is a small, unspoiled paradise and some of the locals we met told us that it becomes even more peaceful once the ferry left. After we took a hundred pictures of the harbor, we went on a hike just south of the harbor and into the unspoiled coast that is Levanzo. We could see the small island of Il Faraglione di Levanzo, isole Egadi and wading into the crystal clear waters just made us wish even more that we were staying the night. The island exudes peace and chillout against a stunning turquoise and blue backdrop which ensures we will be going back to stay a few nights there.
(Click on gallery images below for details)
