Levanzo, Sicily, Italy

Faraglione di Levanzo

Il Faraglione is a small limestone stack rising from the sea off the northern coast of Levanzo, the smallest of the Egadi Islands. The stack continues underwater as vertical walls and stepped reefs, descending to about 35 metres on a rocky and sandy base, all within the Egadi Marine Protected Area. The walls below 20 metres support yellow Eunicella cavolini fans, encrusting orange Astroides calycularis on shaded faces, yellow Parazoanthus axinellae and red and yellow sponges, with patches of red gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata) in the deeper sections. Resident species include dusky groupers, brown meagre, conger eels, octopus, moray eels and scorpionfish; salema and damselfish schools, sea breams and ornate wrasses are common, with barracuda and amberjack passing occasionally. The Egadi MPA is one of the largest in the Mediterranean and protects extensive Posidonia oceanica meadows around the islands. Visibility regularly exceeds 25 metres in summer; currents are moderate.