Planning a vacation to Favignana and not sure what to see? Well, then you’re in luck because today we’ll talk about it. One of the first things to know is that the island of Favignana is best experienced slowly and intimately, which goes against the rhythms and trends of contemporary tourism.
For this reason, the things we suggest doing in Favignana should still be interpreted and adjusted according to your preferences, the time available, and of course, the time of year you’re visiting. Favignana is a challenging island to describe because there’s always the risk of forgetting something since the island offers so many diverse attractions depending on certain circumstances.
The first thing we recommend is getting lost among the charming alleys of the island. The oldest part of the village of Favignana dates back to the year 1600. The historic center revolves around the ancient district of Sant’Anna, and today most of the streets and alleys are paved with “balate” in “pietra argentéria.”
The town is also built around three squares: Piazza Marina, Piazza Europa, and Piazza Madrice, all connected by the main street. The first, Piazza Marina, with its Palazzo dei Parodi and the church of S. Antonio, is the center of the island’s working life connected to all activities related to the sea.
The second, Piazza Europa, is where the town hall building and the statue of Ignazio Florio are located, while the third square, Piazza Matrice, is where the parish church stands. We recommend taking a stroll through the alleys and streets of the town, especially during those times when the island is not particularly crowded.
During those moments, it seems like stepping back in time, and with a little imagination, it’s even possible to “see” fishermen at work on the nets among the alleys and also the workers from the quarries, dirty “yellowed” by dust, returning home at sunset. In short, on this island, you can really daydream with your eyes open.
Vacation in Favignana what to see? Here are a few ideas
The underground gardens are another feature of this wonderful island, as they are the “children” of man’s extractive work, which in Favignana has dug many times to extract the stone, thus abandoning the “exhausted” quarries to their fate.
Very often, nature has intervened here, creating abandoned quarries that host spontaneous Mediterranean vegetation. In other cases, however, man intervened with a “constructive” spirit, turning them into small vegetable gardens or large gardens, and the most striking example is that of Villa Margherita, whose gardens offer an unforgettable and exciting experience.
But what dominates the Island of Favignana is the fortress of Santa Caterina, also called the Castle of Santa Caterina. The ancient fortress was built on top of the homonymous mountain at 310 meters above sea level and necessarily deserves a visit even just to enjoy the wonderful panorama of the Egadi Islands and the coast of western Sicily.
Here the visit is free, and you can access the entire building starting from the underground and reaching the top of the terrace. There used to be a chapel dedicated to the Saint, but then it was used as a prison cell by the Bourbons. The important thing, however, is to be very careful and never venture alone and at times when the light is not sufficient enough.
