Lampedusa Island

Lampedusa lies in the central Mediterranean, closer to the coast of North Africa than to Sicily. The largest of the Pelagie Islands, it offered sailors a harbour amid a long open crossing. Its small size and limited resources made it a difficult place for a permanent community, yet its position drew visitors from the shores around the sea.

In the early modern centuries, Christian and Muslim sailors stopped on Lampedusa to seek shelter and replenish their supplies. A chapel dedicated to the Virgin stood on the island, tended by hermits and visited by mariners who left offerings in thanks for safe passage. The refuge was never free from the dangers of a sea crossed by corsairs and rival fleets, but the island's sanctuary became a meeting place for travellers of different faiths.