Il Giro dell'Isola

Beneath the sheer limestone crags of Levanzo, open water swimmers trace the complete outline of an island whose surrounding waters witnessed the decisive naval collision between Rome and Carthage. The Egadi Ultra Swim | Il Giro Dell'Isola is an open water swimming race organized by ASD Trirock in the sea around the island of Levanzo, located in the Egadi archipelago within the municipality of Favignana off the western coast of Sicily. Held on a Saturday in late May, the event brings long-distance swimmers together for an authentic circumnavigation in the crystalline lower Tyrrhenian Sea. In past editions, the gathering has also offered the companion Egadi Ultra Swim | La Gran Fondo 2026 for athletes tackling an alternative course on the same day.

The 12,000-meter course demands sustained endurance as swimmers tackle the full perimeter of the island. Setting out, the field heads towards an opening buoy anchored inside Cala Calcara, where rugged sea rocks enclose remarkably transparent waters. Swimmers sight forward against the pale cliffs as the coastline guides the pack. Rounding the northern tip of the island, the route passes Capo Grosso di Levanzo, an imposing headland situated close to the waters of the ancient Battle of the Egadi Islands. Pushing through the open swell, swimmers make their way to Cala Tramontana, where a welcome refueling station positioned at the second buoy offers nutrition midway through the circuit. The final stretch takes swimmers past the sea stack of the Faraglione di Levanzo before bringing tired arms into the finish line at the island's traditional fishermen’s harbor.

Capo Grosso and Cala Minnola: the Punic War seabed

About thirteen kilometres from the race area, the Aegates Islands lie between 15 and 40 kilometres to the west of Sicily, where challenging shoals and marine currents define the passages. The Roman fleet had anchored off Aegusa, modern-day Favignana, before engaging the Carthaginian fleet to the west of Levanzo, then known as Phorbantia. On March 10 of that year, Roman ships sank 120 Carthaginian vessels, securing the decisive victory that brought an end to the First Punic War. On Favignana, the northeastern cove of Cala Rossa still carries its name from the blood of the fallen Phoenicians that washed ashore after that devastating clash. The naval conflict in these surrounding waters was fought with brutal maritime engineering.

Warships of the Punic Wars relied on heavy bronze rams consisting of a triple set of blades weighing up to 270 kilograms, built specifically to shatter enemy hulls at sea. About fourteen kilometres away, naval disasters plagued the campaign: in 255 BC, a single storm destroyed 384 out of 464 Roman vessels returning from Africa, and a later supply convoy of 800 transports and 120 warships saw all but two vessels wrecked by heavy weather. During that conflict, the Roman fleet had even attempted to blockade the harbor of Lilybaeum with a heavy timber boom, but prevailing sea conditions broke the barrier. Today, the sea around Levanzo still yields its historical secrets: ongoing archaeological surveys conducted since 2010 have recovered artifacts from the battle site, including massive lead anchors weighing 270 kilograms found near the island.

The race course also floats above peaceful relics of the Roman Empire that followed the naval wars. Swimmers pass above waters holding the wreck of a Roman honorary vessel from the first century BC, which rests at a depth of roughly 27 meters off the coast of Cala Minnola alongside ancient amphorae and fragmented pottery. On the rocky point of Cala Minnola, stone-cut Roman processing basins still mark the shoreline where ancient fishermen produced garum.

Grotta del Genovese: Upper Paleolithic art in limestone cliffs

The island of Levanzo is formed entirely of white limestone rock, carved by wind and sea into numerous natural caves and crevices along the shore. During the last ice age, lowered sea levels created a vast natural land bridge linking Africa to Sicily, enabling the earliest human migrations into Levanzo and Favignana. Human settlement here dates to the Upper Paleolithic, leaving remarkable traces along the coastline. The limestone cavern of Grotta del Genovese contains ancient engravings and wall paintings dating to 9680 BC. On neighbouring Favignana, prehistoric remains uncovered in the Grotta d'Oriente confirm the deep antiquity of human survival on these limestone shores, whose cavities perforate 33 kilometers of craggy coastline.

Capo Grosso Lighthouse and the Egadi Marine Protected Area

About three kilometres from the race start, at the northernmost point of Levanzo, stands the historic Capo Grosso lighthouse. Erected in 1858, its 12-meter tower elevates its lantern 68 meters above the sea, projecting a navigation light visible for up to 11 nautical miles across the open waves. The waters of the archipelago also hold a storied industrial heritage tied to the sea. The Florio family, who acquired the islands in 1874, transformed the economy by expanding industrial bluefin tuna fisheries across Favignana and Formica using the traditional tonnara net system. On nearby Isola Formica, inhabited across millennia by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and Arabs, ancient Florio fishery structures still stand with a fortified tower, a windmill, and a small museum preserving ancient amphorae alongside a historical boat once deployed for the tuna harvest.

Levanzo harbor and the Faraglione: post-swim island life

Nearing the end of the circumnavigation, swimmers round the Faraglione, a dramatic sea stack rising out of the water near the island of Levanzo. On the shore directly opposite the islet, Faraglione beach offers an unobstructed western view across the sea, making it a natural gathering spot in the evening to sit on the stones and watch the Mediterranean sunset. For an easy recovery swim, Cala Fredda sits just a short walk from the village harbor. This small beach of pale sand and smooth pebbles takes its name from the cool currents that swirl steadily through the inlet, offering a quiet sanctuary to soak tired shoulders in clear sea water.

Island life after the race centers on regional culinary specialties. The essential dish is the cabbucio, a hot sandwich made from fresh pizza dough baked in a wood-fired oven and filled with fragrant olive oil, salted anchovies, cheese, and cracked black pepper. Sitting at the water's edge with a warm cabbucio provides a grounding conclusion to twelve kilometers of open water swimming.