Tourists walk down Via Roma in Lampedusa. Since the late 1990s, the Mediterranean island has been a haven for refugees and migrants. When the Arab Spring caught fire in 2011, the numbers of arrivals shot up.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
Tourists walk down Via Roma in Lampedusa. Since the late 1990s, the Mediterranean island has been a haven for refugees and migrants. When the Arab Spring caught fire in 2011, the numbers of arrivals shot up.
Eric Marrapodi/CNN
Rabbit Beach on Lampedusa has been voted one of the world's best beaches.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
Rabbit Beach on Lampedusa has been voted one of the world's best beaches.
Eric Marrapodi/CNN
A statue of the Virgin Mary overlooks the harbor.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
A statue of the Virgin Mary overlooks the harbor.
Eric Marrapodi/CNN
A boatfull of immigrants approaches the island in March 2011.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
A boatfull of immigrants approaches the island in March 2011.
ROBERTO SALOMONE/AFP/Getty/FILE
Abandoned boats fill a ship graveyard off the harbor.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
Abandoned boats fill a ship graveyard off the harbor.
Eric Marrapodi/CNN
An Italian coast guard officer checks a Tunisian fishing boat in the Mediterranean.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
An Italian coast guard officer checks a Tunisian fishing boat in the Mediterranean.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty/FILE
A child, part of a group of migrants, arrived in Lampedusa in October.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
A child, part of a group of migrants, arrived in Lampedusa in October.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images
A Syrian boy kicks a soccer ball inside the Center for First Aid.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
A Syrian boy kicks a soccer ball inside the Center for First Aid.
Eric Marrapodi/CNN
A Syrian child drew this image after arriving in Lampedusa.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
A Syrian child drew this image after arriving in Lampedusa.
Eric Marrapodi/CNN
A Syrian family arrives at the mosque in Catania, Italy, on nearby Sicily.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
A Syrian family arrives at the mosque in Catania, Italy, on nearby Sicily.
Eric Marrapodi/CNN
Pope Francis celebrates the Holy Mass during his visit to the island on July 8, 2013. It was his first official trip outside Rome.
Lampedusa: A beautiful, perilous stepping-stone —
Pope Francis celebrates the Holy Mass during his visit to the island on July 8, 2013. It was his first official trip outside Rome.
Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images