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Rabbit Beach – “Island of Lampedusa” Nature Reserve

Rabbit Beach is the largest beach on the island of Lampedusa, covering approximately 6,000 square meters, and is located along the island’s south-western coast.

It lies within Zone A, the highest protection area of the “Island of Lampedusa” Nature Reserve, established in 1995 to preserve the fragile ecosystem of the island’s southern side.

The beach is of extraordinary environmental importance, as it is considered one of the few regular nesting sites in Italy for the Caretta caretta sea turtle.

Every year, between June and August, female turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs, which hatch about sixty days later.

Since the 1990s, nighttime access to the beach has been prohibited during the summer months in order to avoid disturbing the turtles. The nests are protected and monitored by staff and volunteers of Legambiente, the organization managing the reserve.

In the following years, the entire area underwent major restoration and conservation work to counter environmental damage caused by uncontrolled vehicle access and commercial activities. A dirt road had already been opened in 1980 during the construction of Domenico Modugno’s villa near the beach, which can still be seen today.

The restoration project included the creation of a mandatory stone-paved pathway equipped with drainage channels to regulate rainwater flow.

In order to reduce erosion — partly natural and partly caused by human activity — the surrounding area and the rocky slopes behind the beach were restored through bioengineering interventions and the planting of native vegetation, recreating the typical Mediterranean garrigue landscape of Lampedusa.

Among the most characteristic plant species are Thymus capitatus, or wild thyme, which colors the island purple between May and June with its tiny flowers, and Chiliadenus lopadusanus, locally known as erba puliciana, an endemic plant famous for its balsamic scent and medicinal properties.

Rabbit Island is also home to Italy’s only population of the Common Striped Lizard, as well as a colony of around one hundred pairs of yellow-legged gulls.

Every year, Eleonora’s falcon migrates from Madagascar to nest along the cliffs surrounding Rabbit Beach.

Since 2003, the sea surrounding Rabbit Beach and Rabbit Island has also been part of the Pelagie Islands Marine Protected Area.

Starting from 2021, access to Rabbit Beach between June and October has been regulated through a reservation system, with online booking required via the website prenotazionespiaggiaconigli.it.

Access is divided into two daily shifts, allowing a maximum of 550 people at the same time.

There is also an interesting story behind the origin of the beach’s name.

Although the name “Rabbit Beach” suggests the presence of rabbits on the island, no rabbit colonies have been documented here in recent history.

For centuries, however, Lampedusa itself was considered a hunting ground for rabbits and other animals.

As early as 1766, a map drawn by John Clancy for the Royal Navy already referred to the area as “Rabbit Island.”

Another theory suggests that the name may derive from a misunderstanding between the Arabic word Rabit — meaning “connection,” referring to the sandbar that occasionally links the beach to the islet — and the English word “Rabbit.”

Near the rock known as Panettone, not far from Rabbit Island, a bronze statue of the Madonna and Child was placed underwater in September 1979.

The statue was donated by Roberto Merlo, an underwater photographer and passionate explorer of Lampedusa’s seabed, who survived a serious diving accident thanks to the prompt and generous help of local fishermen.

The sculpture was created by artist Giorgio Crosta and later blessed by Pope John Paul II.



An unmissable experience for anyone visiting the island.