The Egadi's archipelago, the ancients Aegates, islands of the goats, made of the islands of Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo and by the islets of Formica and Maraone, is situated to west in Trapani from which is few Kms away.
Favignana, the greatest, has a surface of 19 Kmqs and a magnificent coast prevalently low, sandy and also jagged.
Flying over the island can be noticed that it assumes the conformation of a beautiful butterfly whose body is constituted from the hill that in its taller point it reaches the 310 ms, and two great wings, one to east, denominated the Plain one and one to west, called Wood.
These wings are of different geologic nature; in fact one is formed from shelly tuff testified by the quarries that connotes the whole oriental slope of the island untying itself in galleries and caverns, where the stonemasons, since 1600, with hard manual job have dug for drawing the blocks that were exported in Palermo and Tunisi; the other, the Wood, introduces him, today, with a bare aspect from the hard rock, and, also turned granite.
After a long period of decadence, the islands were purchased by the marquises Pallavicino of Genoa which in 1874 ceded they to the Florios.
From that moment it begins for Favignana a period of great shine testified from the elegant Building Florio in Liberty style built in 1876 by the architect Damiani Almeyda and from the Tonnara, example of industrial archaeology, that it dominates the port of Favignana.
Favignana doesn't have only history, but also crystalline sea that goes from the blue depth, to the turquoise to the green emerald with sandy coves, rock-cliffs and backdrops rich in posidonia.
The visit in the island is facilitated by the presence of numerous level roads, for the most greater part asphalted, easily practicable in bicycle, that allow to effect the periplus of the island.
Not to lose the excursions:
- to the strong of S. Caterina, today meteorological semaphore, built by Roger Il, King of the Norman, on a Saracen preexisting tower of sighting; (the castle partly reconstructed in Aragonese epoch, in the bourbon period was turned to jail for the political prisoners);
- to the numerous Points: Marsala, Fanfalo, Long, (small village of fishermen), Thin, Iron, Faraglione and San Nicola.
During these excursions, the visitor, in the oriental part of the Plain can admire numerous hypogean gardens that is testimony of ancient cavern no more active some of which are visitable. Of particular beauty and importance are some coves, Red Cove (theater of the famous Battle of the Egadis happened in March of the 241 b.C during The war Punica), Blue Cove, a whole series of beautiful little coves, in the southern part of the island (Cove Monks and Beach Canyon), Cove Stornello, Cove Rotunda, Great Cove and Cove of the Well. The extreme northern point of the island is marked by Point Faraglione where they open some enchanting caves among which Cave of the Persons in love and Cave of the Sighs that it is possible to visit with excursions driven by local fishermen.