Isolated in the Mediterranean Sea between Tunisia and Malta, 200 km off the south coast of Sicily, lie the three islands that make up the triangle of the Pelagian archipelago: Lampedusa, Linosa and Lampione. Lampione is uninhabited except for a lighthouse, while Lampedusa and Linosa between them have around 6000 inhabitants, most of whom live on Lampedusa, the largest of the three. The islands belong to the Sicilian province of Agrigento and are the southernmost part of all Italy.

Linosa and Lampedusa each have a beach where the protected species of the Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta Caretta) lays its eggs and these are the last remaining sites in the Mediterranean where they regularly nest. As a result, a few years ago a nature reserve covering all the Pelagian Islands was set up to protect this important ecological concern: the Area Marina Protetta Isole Pelagie.

The islands are a real paradise for snorkellers and divers and boast strikingly beautiful sea with varied hues of turquoise, sky blue and pale green. This is one of the only things the islands have in common however as they are all quite different. Lampione is little more than a desert outcrop of rock in the middle of the sea, while Linosa has volcanic origins and fertile soil for agriculture and its landscape is more Mediterranean. By contrast, Lampedusa’s geological features are North African: it is formed by limestone rocks and in parts of the island vegetation is scarce.

Both Linosa and Lampedusa offer incredible waters, wonderful beaches, beautiful sea-beds rich in marine life – a true paradise for divers and snorkellers – not to mention excellent fresh fish and sea food and the hot African sun.