Overview
Dreamlike setting at the southernmost point of Italy
Isola dei Conigli (Rabbit Island) is one of those magical places that help make Italy one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It is a rocky islet a few metres off the south-west coast of the island of Lampedusa, the largest of the Pelagie islands, nestled in a singularly spectacular bay famed for its beach, Spiaggia dei Conigli.
Rabbit Island covers 4.4 hectares and can be reached on foot or by swimming, depending on the time of day, but remember to book your access to the Spiaggia dei Conigli first. The entire area is home to a rare ecosystem, which is why access is limited in the summer to 730 people per day, between 8:30 am and 7:30 pm. In the evening, you can admire sea turtles, which lay their eggs there, and the majestic herring gull, which nests there at certain times of the year.
Those expecting to see rabbits will be disappointed. The origin of the name, which has never really been established, links back to two possible theories. There are those who claim that there really was a rabbit colony in the past, when the islet was connected to the mainland by a small tongue of land. But the most widely supported theory is the corruption of the name Rabit Island, from the Arabic rabit referring to the isthmus connecting the islet to the beach, to Rabbit Island, due to a transcription error from one nautical chart to another.
Rabbit Island, Italy
