Favignana & Levanzo Day Trip: Small Boat, Lunch & Swim Coves

4.92

(196 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The day didn’t start like I pictured — I’d forgotten my hat (classic), and the Trapani sun was already threatening. Our skipper, Salvo, just grinned and handed me a spare one from the pile he keeps for “distracted tourists.” The boat — a rib with maybe twelve of us — bounced gently as we pulled away from the port. Salvo started pointing out little islets, telling stories about pirates and tuna fishermen in a mix of Italian and English. It was louder than I expected, engine humming under our feet, but somehow that made it feel more real — not some silent postcard moment.

First stop was Favignana’s Cala Azzurra. The water looked fake-blue, almost too clear to be true. I hesitated before jumping in (it’s always colder than you think), but then you’re floating and there’s this salty Mediterranean smell mixed with sunscreen and someone’s Aperol spritz. We passed around arancine and cunzato bread for lunch later — warm, oily fingers, tomatoes so sweet they tasted like July. There was wine too, of course. I tried to say “buon appetito” properly; Salvo laughed and corrected me (“more like ‘bon appétit’ here!”). After eating, we wandered through Favignana village for an hour or so — old men playing cards in the shade, a cat sleeping on a scooter seat. No rush at all.

Levanzo felt even quieter. Cala Dogana had these white houses right up against the blue water; it smelled faintly of seaweed and laundry soap drifting from open windows. Some people snorkeled at Cala Fredda — I just sat on the pebbles watching fishermen untangle nets. The sun got softer by then; you could hear cicadas and distant laughter from another boat somewhere around the bend. On board again, we finished with slices of melon and a weirdly sweet cantaloupe liqueur (not my thing but worth trying once). I still think about that light over the water as we headed back to Trapani — tired in that good way after salt and sun.