The Italian island of Lampedusa that has became synonymous with the refugee crisis that is still rippling through Europe’s politics.
Photographer: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Image
An Island Thrives by Welcoming Migrants
Lampedusa has become synonymous with refugees and locals want visitors to know about their struggles.
The “Gateway to Europe” stands five meters high and three meters wide under Lampedusa’s scorching sun on a cliff not far from the port where tourists embark and disembark.
Pointing in the direction of Tunisia, the 2008 artwork by Italian sculptor Mimmo Paladino was supposed to be a temporary installation. But since the tiny Italian island became the frontier for refugees a few years later, local authorities decided to make it a fixture as a reminder of the thousands of lives lost at sea attempting to reach Europe.