In May 2022, when I was discovering Sicily with my partner, I wanted to take a trip inside the island in the purest Mediterranean style. Since our flight back to Spain was from Palermo, we decided to go to the island of Favignana, which is located to the west.
Favignana is part of the Aegadian Islands, along with Marettimo and Levanzo.
We drove from Cefalù to Trapani, where we parked the car for a cheap price (in the middle of the street, without much worry, and using the easypark app).
To get from Trapani to Favignana, we took the ferry -which, to our surprise, was a hydrofoil – and sailed to the ferry terminal with the sole purpose of disconnecting for a few days on the island and sleeping in a cave hotel in Favignana.
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Cave Gardens Hotel, a pleasant surprise underground
As soon as we arrived, our hotel owner, Armando, picked us up at the port and, after telling him that we wanted to rent a motorbike, took us straight to one of the local shops. With everything in place, we headed to our cave hotel in Favignana.
If we thought this place looked good from the photos on the reservation, it wasn’t until we arrived that we knew we had nailed it. Cave Gardens was a quiet and intimate cave in Favignana where silence is the main protagonist.
The place was not striking at first sight, since Favignana is a flat island, except for a high mountain that separates the east from the west, and even that is not very high. In this lodging, only 3 of the 5 rooms are on the ground, the rest are underground, in the cave.
Although there are probably dozens of strategically located accommodations, this one is a 10-minute walk from Lido Burrone beach and the ‘Calamoni’. Cala Azzurra and Bue Marino are five minutes away by bike or scooter, and Cala Rossa, the town and port of Favignana are 10 minutes away.
Availability is usually very limited, so if you are planning to go to Favignana and want to stay in this cave hotel, book here!
The tuff caves, something that can only be found in Favignana
When we asked about these caves, which are so characteristic of the island, we discovered that it is something super-typical and autochthonous, encountering several as we discovered the island. Areas of gray stone that were introduced in open spaces of land, most of the time with grass and areas to hang out at the bottom.
If there is one thing that stands out, it is how artificial they look. They are inserted into the earth with a super detailed and straight vertical cut, even creating paths to walk on the surface. In retrospect, we discovered that this inauthentic image is due to the fact that they were created by humans in their effort to extract the local stone called calcarenite, which is used in construction and architecture.
The extraction of this mineral is characteristic of the history of the eastern part of Favignana, with stonemasons called ‘pirriatura’ digging the earth in the past. Today, although this activity has ceased and the quarries have been used for other purposes, it is still possible to see them on the sides of the local roads.
If you go to the island but do not stay in this cave hotel of Favignana, you have the opportunity to get closer to the history and reality of these caves by visiting the Giardino dell’Impossible, a 40,000 square meter area with over 400 species of plants spread throughout the space. Among vertical rock walls, plants of all types and colors, you will be able to see the work of the pirriatura.
More info and tickets at: https://www.giardinodellimpossibile.it/
Personal tip to find a hotel in Favignana
Back to the hotel, although when we planned the 15-day trip in Sicily there were hundreds of accommodations available, once in Favignana (truth to be told, we were unaware of how touristy the destination is), locals told us that in August the island is a hotbed of visitors and it fills up to the max.
We wanted to do a price comparison of hotels out of curiosity – we went in April and checked options for August – and there was not a single vacancy, so if you are going to Favignana and want to make sure you have a place to sleep, don’t miss out and book in advance so you don’t run out of options or have to pay more than necessary. You’ll be glad you did!
