Isola delle Correnti in half a day: where the two seas meet

20 minutes

You start from Portopalo di Capo Passero, the southernmost municipality in Sicily: it is further south than the city of Tunis. It is a small village of fishermen and farmers, surrounded by the fields and greenhouses of Pachino. Piazza dei Due Mari is a terrace from which you can see the tonnara, the Castello Tafuri, the stretch of coast, and the two islands: the island of Capo Passero, with its fort, and the Isola delle Correnti, the one you are heading to. It is the right place to orient yourself before you set off: from here you can see where you will go.

20 minutes

A little further on, you can see the remains of the tonnara of Portopalo, one of many in Sicily: like in Marzamemi, here tuna fishing played an important role in the local economy. Next to it stands the Castello Tafuri, which can be recognised from afar and is usually viewed from the outside.

20 minutes

From the centre of Portopalo, Isola delle Correnti is about 8 kilometres south: it is 14-15 km from Marzamemi and about 10 from Pachino. You can only reach it by private vehicle, as there are no public transport links. You cross the expanses of fields and greenhouses of Pachino: a territory that seems almost forgotten. The closer you get, the narrower the road becomes, and the last stretch is unpaved, directly on the sand: it leads to a large parking area just a few steps from the sea.

20 minutes

On the path leading from the beach to the island, on a small rise, stands the statue of Cristo Redentore. It has been here since 2019 and is sculpted with open arms, facing the island, as if to welcome those arriving. At the base, there are some plaques, including one from the CAI, celebrating this place as the southernmost point and recalling the legend of Ulysses. The place is linked to a legend: it is said that here Ulysses, returning from Troy, landed and consecrated a monument to Hecuba, queen of Troy.

40 minutes

The Isola delle Correnti is a small round island, only 4 metres high above the sea, connected to the mainland by a strip of land that can be partially submerged at high tide. On the island, there is an active lighthouse, built in 1865 and managed by the Navy. The rectangular building next to it, where the keeper once lived with his family, is now abandoned. Around it grows Mediterranean vegetation, with capers, wild leeks and shrubs of the maquis. To protect it, since 1987 the island has been included in the natural reserve plan.

60 minutes

In front of the island stretches a long and deep, golden beach, with some establishments where you can rent sunbeds and umbrellas. The name of the island comes from the point where the waters of the Ionian and the Mediterranean meet: merging, they create ripples and shades of blue that change continuously. Here the wind is often strong, and it is an ideal spot for those who practice water sports. For this reason, the currents can be treacherous: it is not a suitable place for letting children play in the water unsupervised. At certain times of the year, some stretches are fenced off and prohibited, as this is where the Caretta caretta turtle lays its eggs. There is still plenty of space.