'Porta d'Europa' ('Gateway to Europe')

By the airport on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, near the ruins of bunkers and military installations, a solitary gateway stands as a memorial to those who’ve died while crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

The monument, aptly named “Gateway to Europe” (“Porta d’Europa”) was designed by Mimmo Paladino in 2008 as part of a project led by the NGO Amani. It’s a memorial to the migrants who perished while attempting the treacherous maritime journey from North Africa to Europe. 

The roughly 16.5-foot-tall (five meters) monument is a high gate made from refractory ceramics. It is a stark reminder of the dramatic deaths and tragedies that have marked the recent history of this small, remote Italian island, such as the death of 360 migrants in a shipwreck on October 3, 2013. The monument was  inaugurated on June 26 2008, the Italian poet. The poet Alda Merini wrote and recited poetry at its debut.