How to get to Lampedusa, by plane from the major airports in Italy or by ferry from Sicily. Once arrived on the island, how to move? By scooter, by bike or on foot? All information in the article.
Lampedusa it is the last extremity of Italy, it is an island with a curious history and a barren aspect, like a rock emerging from the sea. Rising to the headlines only for the landings of migrants, it is actually a respectable tourist destination and an interesting island for its natural habitat, African vegetation and the incredible clarity of the sea.
Its peculiarity is to be sparsely populated (5000 inhabitants in winter), very little green, it seems that the settlers who populated it in the nineteenth century have cut down all the trees it was rich in to make firewood, but not without its charm in the deserted part.
The sea on which Lampedusa overlooks is called African Mediterranean, a definition that I had never heard and that struck me a lot, also compared to the fact that people fleeing the African continent think it is logical to arrive here, a land so close, so south (we are further south of Tunis) but at same time so Europe.
The theme of migrants was the question that everyone asked me, but honestly I have not met: the Reception Center is very small, the new European program is going to take refugees directly into the sea to take them to large collection centers and prevent disembarkation, and now tragic events of the past are left, in memory, of the battered barges abandoned on the port. The island has also dedicated a monument precisely to migrants who died at sea, it is called Gate of Europe and made by Mimmo Paladino, is located in the south end of the island. But let's proceed in order.
How to reach Lampedusa
The island is 120 km from the Tunisian coast, while Porto Empedocle, the closest Sicilian port, is 9 hours by ferry (departure at 23pm from Porto Empedocle - arrival 8.45am in Lampedusa) with Siremar, all year round.
But don't think I've made this journey. On the island there is a airport recently inaugurated (2012) with flights that connect it to Catania and Palermo, in Rome, Bologna and Milan Malpensa. Scheduled flights are operated by various airlines, from Alitalia to Vueling to Blue Panorama. In the summer period there are many charter flights including the one I bought, flying with NEOS from Bologna.
It is a package, sold only together with the overnight stay, but the quality of this operator was very high, maybe we are used to the minimal services of low cost airlines!
When you arrive in Lampedusa the city is just a few minutes away, the island is indeed inhabited only in its eastern tip. If you have a hotel or accommodation they will probably pick you up with a shuttle, otherwise you can already rent a means of transport here.
Getting around
Lampedusa seems to be the kingdom of the scooters, especially scooters, possibly to be driven without a helmet. You know, the islands are a bit of a world apart, here we are right on the edge of the empire. They will tell you that without a scooter you can do nothing and you are free to believe it. The rental is about 20 euros per day, which become about 100 euros a week: undoubtedly the scooter gives you the freedom to move as you like.
The island is narrow and long (9 km in all) but there is a bus service that connects the city (the center, the port) with the most important beaches. The bus runs every hour, the timetable is posted on the poles and until the evening, the ticket costs 1 euro each and you buy it from the driver.
However, the rentals are numerous, in the city, at the port as at the campsite, and in addition to scooters they also offer quads and Mehari (yes, the car "drilled" on all sides, which makes a lot of island). I also saw cyclists and electric bicycles, a good solution, also considering that all the resources are brought to the island, petrol including, and that you will pay for it 2 euros per liter.
Another recent opportunity to get around the island is Easymoove, an app created by a group of young people that allows you to ask for passes on the island: a network organized in 23 collection points and a cost of 4 euros per passage. The service is new and during July there were important discounts: the app can be downloaded on Google Play and on the Apple App store.
Ultimately the distances of the island can also be covered on foot - this is the most low cost solution! - and if you are lazy, know that the most beautiful beaches can be conquered on foot, they are in fact in the protected area and therefore not reachable by vehicle to the shore; the beaches are all connected by a network of paths.
