What and above all where to eat low cost in Lampedusa, but also what and where to buy on the island of Sicily, here is a post with all the tips for your holiday.
The city of Lampedusa concentrates all the tourist attractions in one long way: via Roma. On this road closed to traffic, tourists stroll late in the evening, in search of fresh air, for the usual "rub" before and after the aperitif, for dinner and to sit at a table while a group or a singer perform.
It is also the maximum nightlife that Lampedusa offers, in fact there are many restaurants on the island but very few attractions: in short, if you are looking for the nightlife perhaps it is better that you change your destination. Via Roma is literally carpeted with coffee tables, where you can have breakfast in the morning with a large pasta or one granita with brioche, according to the Sicilian style. After the desert moment of the hottest hours of the day, via Roma comes to life again, the cafes are preparing to prepare the aperitif that in Lampedusa is based on fish and coast from 7 to 10 euro.
Even the numerous ones shop and the souvenir shops open their doors: there are all kinds, but the souvenirs are all the same and all linked to the theme of the sea. Here is a small list of objects that are good or bad must buy in Lampedusa:
and - the beach umbrella, just arrived, to survive the strong African sun. This umbrella will then be abandoned at the end of the holiday
b - sneakers, which you have not brought (like me) and which are essential to reach the wildest beaches, unless you want to break your feet walking in flip-flops in canyons full of stones
c - the rock shoes, which instead I had brought, obligatory to enter the sea in certain stony beaches
d - the sponges. This is true advice, sponges were once a source of income for fishermen, today the business is no longer in use, but how can you resist the charm of these soft clouds?
is - the shirts with the symbol of Caretta Caretta turtle, which has practically become the island's logo. Every shop on the island sells them, but only one is the original
f - the processed fish. Fishing is after tourism the main activity in Lampedusa, and the processing of fish in oil, in salt is an excellence. In via Roma there are several shops that sell these products, anchovies, tuna, bottarga, mackerel and other less known fish: all the delights to take home.
Qualche advice on where to eat, possibly low cost.
The simplest and cheapest solution is it Sicilian street food, from arancini to panelle to sfincione to pizza. But on the island the call of the fish is very strong. At the new port there are fishmongers that sell catch of the day or small preparations ready to be cooked such as fish skewers or stuffed squid or fish balls. Having the opportunity to cook an experience not to be missed.
Among the numerous restaurants, many offer fixed price menus: among these I can recommend the formula of Trattoria del Porto, at the new port, which for 15 euros each offers a rich buffet of fish appetizers and a first course to choose from among the dishes of the day, all based on fish. Right formula and without excess.
Too much oriented towards "quantity more than quality" is the formula of Queen of the Sea, in via Pollini, cross of via Roma. Here the proposed menu is 20 euros and includes an appetizer, first and second course but as mentioned the quality is not excellent.
On via Roma and neighboring streets there are many other proposals, which you just have to test personally ... It remains to remember one of the most characteristic dishes of Lampedusa, the couscous with grouper.
