Sicily · Agrigento
Lampedusa e Linosa
Italy's southernmost comune, three islands on the African continental shelf, closer to Tunisia than to Sicily.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Lampedusa e Linosa is on our list
It holds Comuni Virtuosi.
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Visiting
- Best time
- May–Oct
- Getting there
- By ferry, or fly in (LMP)
- Population
- 6,492
- J16°
- F16°
- M16°
- A17°
- M20°
- J23°
- J27°
- A28°
- S27°
- O24°
- N21°
- D18°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in March at 16°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Lampedusa e Linosa is Italy's southernmost commune, three islands in the Strait of Sicily that form the Pelagie archipelago: Lampedusa, Linosa and the uninhabited Lampione. Lampedusa lies 220 kilometers southwest of Agrigento and 260 southeast of Tunis, on the Lampedusa Plateau, a structural high of the African continental shelf separated from Sicily by sea no deeper than 120 meters. The two main islands are geological opposites.
Lampedusa is white Cretaceous limestone, rising to 133 meters at the Sole Tree on the northwest side, with the Spiaggia dei Conigli on the south coast, a protected reserve and a regular nesting site of the loggerhead sea turtle. Linosa is black basalt with three ancient craters, the southernmost active volcano of the Italian system, with dark cliffs and small coves. The flora and fauna match North Africa. Since 1998 the Lampedusa reception center has been the main European entry point for migrants crossing from Libya and Tunisia, and the island has held that role through every Mediterranean migration cycle of the past twenty-five years.
How to get there
Lampedusa e Linosa is on an island and is reached by ferry.
There is an airport on the island (LMP), so you can fly in rather than take the ferry.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Spiaggia dei Conigli
Protected south-coast beach of fine sand, a 220-meter cove inside a 320-hectare nature reserve and a loggerhead sea turtle nesting site.
Riserva Naturale Isola di Lampedusa
Sicilian regional reserve established 1995, managed by Legambiente, covering most of the south coast from Vallone dell'Acqua to Cala Greca.
Linosa
Small volcanic island of black basalt with three ancient craters, around forty kilometers north of Lampedusa, with deep coves and a single village.
Area Marina Protetta Isole Pelagie
Marine protected area established in 2002, covering the waters of Lampedusa, Linosa and the uninhabited Lampione.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Cavalluccio MarinoRistorante
Cavalluccio Marino carries one Gambero Rosso fork (79/100).
Trattoria Terranova da BernardoTrattoria
One Gambero Rosso prawn, at Trattoria Terranova da Bernardo.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Lampedusa e Linosa is an island.
- Reached by ferry. In the series we say we would never live on an island: the ferry is a commitment every time you leave.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 6,492, down 0.5% since 2015
- Homes in the center: €1,200 to €1,800 per m² to buy, €3.60 to €5.40 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Very remote
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 89% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 4, very low hazard
- Regional capital Palermo, across the water
If you are moving here
Who lives here
4% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Honduras and Tunisia, against 9% across Italy. 16 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly France. There are 159 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 51% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Agrigento province ranks 95th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €7,500. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Sicily spends about €1,820 a month, €580 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €524 a year for water, on the Sicily average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone A, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from December 1 to March 15, up to 6 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 2% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
AFRICA, NOT EUROPE
Italy's southernmost commune on the African continental shelf, with flora and fauna of North Africa and seas no deeper than 120 meters between.
LOGGERHEAD TURTLES
Spiaggia dei Conigli on Lampedusa and Pozzolana di Ponente on Linosa, two regular nesting beaches for Caretta caretta.
FRONTIER
Main European arrival point from Libya since 1998, the reception center at the heart of every Mediterranean migration cycle of the past quarter-century.
Common questions
- What is Lampedusa e Linosa known for?
- Italy's southernmost comune, three islands on the African continental shelf, closer to Tunisia than to Sicily.
- Where is Lampedusa e Linosa?
- Lampedusa e Linosa is a comune in the province of Agrigento, in Sicily, at 25 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Lampedusa e Linosa?
- There is an airport on the island (LMP).
- How do you get to Lampedusa e Linosa?
- Lampedusa e Linosa is on an island and is reached by ferry.
- When is the best time to visit Lampedusa e Linosa?
- Best in May–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 9 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Lampedusa e Linosa?
- Pantelleria, Ustica and Lipari.
- How many people live in Lampedusa e Linosa?
- 6,492 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Lampedusa e Linosa a good place to live?
- Lampedusa e Linosa is an island town, reached by ferry, which our Where to Move in Italy series treats as the furthest end of the road. Full fibre reaches 89% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 25 m
- Population: 6,492
- Surface area: 25.22 km²
On the map
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Lampedusa e Linosa appears in
Similar
Towns like Lampedusa e Linosa
What all six share with Lampedusa e Linosa: near sea level
Pantelleria
Province: Trapani
both on the Sicilian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Ustica
Province: Palermo
both on the Sicilian coast · both islands, reached by ferry
Lipari
Province: Messina
both on the Sicilian coast · both islands, reached by ferry
Ponza
Province: Latina
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both islands, reached by ferry
San Vito Lo Capo
Province: Trapani
both on the Sicilian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Realmonte
Province: Agrigento
both on the Sicilian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
The letter
Lampedusa e Linosa is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Lampedusa e Linosa comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Cerveteri, 724 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.