Its shape is that of a butterfly resting on the Mediterranean. The Greeks called it Aegusa but in medieval times, because of the warm wind that caressed her , the Zephyr was called Favignana. The island is part of the Egadi ( Aegades ) , which means " island of the goats " and it is here that Homer is describing land Ulysses in the Odyssey , the natural features of the island with such clarity and wealth of detail that can not be have no doubt that the first " tourist" island it was the Homeric traveler .
Theatre of ancient battles , the Egadi still echo the cries of the sailors who fought or the singing of the massacre learned from the Arabs. The traces of the first settlements are located in Levanzo the smallest of the Egadi . At Favignana in the east there are traces of the earliest Paleolithic tribes of which remain testimony in caves near the Cala S. Nicholas had to be for centuries the island´s harbor. In 241 BC the Romans conquered the islands (Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo) after the final naval battle of the First Punic War in which Catulus Gaius Lutatius he defeated the Carthaginian fleet . The myth says that the body of water in which the battle took place became red for the blood shed by the fighters and it was then that the place was named Cala Rossa one of the most beautiful beaches of the island.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire the Egadi fell into the hands of the Vandals and Goths . Later it was the turn of the Saracens. In 1081 were occupied and fortified by the Normans. Then followed the fate of Sicily until the sixteenth century, when it became the property of the Pallavicini - Rusconi in Genoa and then , in 1874 , of which Florio potenziarono traps of Favignana.
Favignana is the largest island of the archipelago. It is located nine miles from Trapani and with its beaches , cliffs, picturesque and romantic coves and clean sea is one of the most popular tourist destinations . Inside is worth visiting the quarries of tuff and sandstone , the pride of the inhabitants of Favignana you extracted the stone with which they were made some of the island´s most beautiful residences . Today Favignana is a place that manages to combine the new with the old flavor linked to ancestral traditions such as the slaughter is certainly the flagship. The island has tied its economy mainly to fishing and in particular to that of tuna. Every year during the period from April to July renews the tradition of the massacre . The word derives from the Spanish matar , to kill, and historically and symbolically sums up the struggle between man and nature. The massacre is a popular ritual , a ceremony full of intense and cruel multiple symbolic and cultural meanings . The schools of tuna gather each year driven by the currents of the eastern Mediterranean in the warm waters of the Strait of Sicily for mating. E ´ at this time that the fishermen , under the command of Saddam , organize the sophisticated capture method according to an ancient technique and rigidly codified . Pets are guided into a system of networks and anchors that will channel them into so-called " death chambers ." At this point the vessels close to each side of the quadrilateral and tonnaroti hoist networks where the tuna choke stunned to the lack of space and water . The real slaughter begins when the sailors hit the tuna with the harpoon and hoist them on the boats while the water turns red with their blood.
Participate in the massacre is not difficult. You have to be in the very early morning sail to the pier where the tuna fishermen . The colors and sounds of the massacre are unforgettable. The propitiatory songs ( the cialome ) of Arab memory , give rhythm to the tuna fishermen who are preparing to become actors of the show of a death that , in the island, is nothing more than survival for fishermen and their families. In fact, the work of the traps in Sicily , as well as on the Egadi , was , and still is, an important item of the economy. This is testified by the many traps that make up the true monuments of industrial archeology chief among them that of the small rock to " limited number " of Formica on which you can land only booking .
Marettimo is ideal for those who want to discover an unspoiled setting for lovers of diving and cave tours . On the island there are no cars and the pace is slow and serene away from the clamor of the fashionable seaside resorts . Marettimo is the most mountainous and green of the Egadi , dominated by Monte Falcone , the highest peak . At Punta Troìa you can visit a fortress dating back to the Bourbon era that was once used as a prison . Above the town center are instead traces of Roman domination and even a small Norman church . The island is full of beautiful caves accessible by boat. To remember the Cave of the Thunder in the northern coast of the island. From here begins the scenery of the west coast with dolomite rocks overlooking the sea and the caves the astonishing colors. On this side there is a cave " Perciata " full of stalactites and stalagmites in the cavity called " crib " they created shapes resembling the characters of the Nativity . After Punta Libeccio the beloved of the dives will " backdrops for their soundings " with moray eels, conger eels , grouper , amberjack , sea bream and many other species of fish and aquatic plants. Among these the endless seagrass meadows represent a suitable habitat for the reproduction of many species of organisms that find shelter and food . The area is part of the Egadi Islands Marine Nature Reserve since 1991, and the sea is so clean that , after ten years , she returned to spend their holidays here the monk seal sighted between March and April 2010. The Egadi could come soon become part of a great Marine Park which will also include the coast of Marsala with Stagnone , Mozia and Santa Maria.
The smallest of the Egadi Levanzo is that thanks to the shape and range to a limited human activity has kept its wild preserving several endemic species. The island is inhabited by a few hundred people and the absence of roads accentuates the impression of having stepped back in time. The inhabitants of the island until the early 1800s lived in cave dwellings and the real village took its present appearance only around 1850 . The old town has the appearance of a crib nestled on the shore of Cala Dogana . One of the most famous places of the island is the Grotta del Genovese where inside there are graffiti dating back to 9200 BC witness of a community dedicated to hunting and fishing for tuna and tribal ties cemented by magic rituals.
From the slopes of Pizzo del Monaco is possible to reach Cala Tramontana , one of the most fascinating places on the island thanks to the color of the rocks, the transparency of the sea, which characterizes the whole archipelago , and the flora and fauna. Levanzo is known for the presence of more than 400 species of plants including a dozen typical of the area . Strange but true fact the island also produces tasty mushrooms.
The kitchen of the Egadi is of course based on fish and tuna in particular. The latter is prepared on the grill, and onion stew with sweet and sour . Not only that, you eat all the tuna and seafood lovers will surely enjoy the superb bottarga , the heart, the musciame . On the islands there is also a great tradition of canned fish that can be purchased in different shops selling typical products of trap. Among the traditional dishes of the island stand out even swordfish rolls , fried shrimp and squid, boiled lobsters , grouper with potatoes , butterflies cream cuttlefish with fennel . Among the desserts baked figs with ricotta and cassatelle .
HOW TO GET THERE The Egadi are accessible only from the sea. From Trapani , the nearest port , you can reach thanks to the hydrofoil shipping companies Siremar (0923.545411) and Ustica Lines ( 0923.22200 ) There are numerous daily connections , especially in the summer . The shipping time are very low. Also of note , the connections from Naples to Favignana, with a stop in Ustica and last landing in Trapani , carried out by the Ustica Lines hydrofoil , with office in Trapani by Admiral Staines (tel. 0923.22200 ) . Finally, to consider the possibility to use the buses that ply between Trapani and Palermo. The Segesta (tel. 0923.21754 ) organizes trips with departure from the port of Trapani and Palermo arrival at the center, connected to the airport "Vincenzo Florio" Birgi by a bus service .
Source: bed-and- breakfast.it
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