Linosa rewards those who come simply to be in an extraordinary place. The island has no nightlife, no organised tourism, and no beachside infrastructure to speak of. What it does have is volcanic coastline unlike anywhere else in Italy, water so clear you can see the bottom at 20 metres, and Caretta caretta sea turtles nesting on its beaches in summer — one of the last remaining nesting grounds in the central Mediterranean.
The main activity is swimming and snorkelling in the coves that indent the black lava coastline. Cala Pozzolana di Ponente, on the southwestern shore, is the most sheltered and has the best access. Cala Pozzolana di Levante and Cala Croce are rockier but less visited. All of them have exceptional underwater visibility.
Walking the volcanic interior takes half a day at most. The path up Monte Vulcano — the main crater — is steep but short, and from the rim you can look into a deep bowl of scrub vegetation and out across a wide arc of Mediterranean.