"The islands of the high seas", as the Greek Herodotus called them, are the southernmost archipelago in Italy. Formed by Lampedusa, Linosa and the rock of Lampione, they are very different islands. Lampedusa – closer to the coast of Tunisia than to that of Sicily – and the rock of Lampione are part of the continental-African shelf. Linosa, in the middle of the Sicilian Channel, on the other hand, on the other hand, is the emerging tip of an extinct volcano, on the other hand, beyond the sea trench that sinks for almost 3 thousand metres to separate the two continents. Waters from the southern seas and an arid and barren hinterland like the deserts of Africa, the archipelago has a beach, the Rabbits beach, which connoisseurs include among the top ten in the world. The main island, Lampedusa, is also famous for the landings of illegal immigrants on good nights. But the boat people and the many tourists who flock to the archipelago are two worlds that rarely meet on Lampedusa. Unless you are at the Porto Vecchio when the columns of illegal immigrants intercepted by the patrol boats of the coastguard are going under escort to the first reception centre. More or less at the same time, from the New Port, tourists leave by boat, on mopeds or small bus to dreamlike coves and cliffs.
