In the interview, Ettore Raffi spoke about his experiences of life at sea and his voyages to Tunisia, Panama, Mississippi and the Mediterranean. He travelled to Malta three times during different periods. He shared memories regarding trade between Lampedusan fishermen and sailors and the Maltese. The Lampedusans used to consider Malta as a rich island because of the availability of tobacco, sugar, chocolate and bars of soap. He recalled relations between Maltese, Italian and British sailors, as well as the nightlife in Valletta, particularly related to Strait Street, and Maltese women. Ettore Raffi gave us his opinion about Maltese culture, the period between 1964-1979, the Dom Mintoff government and the changes after Independence.

Dates covered: 1800-2017. Giovanni Fragapane is considered the historian of Lampedusa. He started the interview with an explanation of his research, the sources he used and the history of Lampedusa. He traced the relations between Lampedusa and the Knights of Malta. He described the origin of the Maltese colony in Lampedusa from 1800 to 1843 and its impact on the Island. In the second part of the interview, he focused on his experiences and memories about Malta. He described the conference for peace in the Mediterranean after the Gaddafi crisis and the Mintoff period. The last part of the interview focuses on the history of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lampedusa, the history of the statue and the religious feast.