Motya is a tiny, perfectly round island no more than a mile wide, off Sicily. It lies in a lagoon, surrounded by white salt pans and is very eerie because the only people who live there are the custodians and the archeologists working on the excavations of a Phoenician city.

I first heard of it in the 1960s and was taken around by an archeologist. Then, four years ago, I went back to Sicily and made a point of returning to Motya because I remembered how fascinating it was.

Until the 4th century BC, it was inhabited by the Phoenicians. Then the Greeks destroyed it. It was abandoned and nothing further was built on top of the city, so the moment you start digging, you find something.

As a result, Motya is the main source of information on the Phoenicians, about whom very little is known, apart from the fact that they invented our alphabet. Although it's not a monumental site in the style of Graeco-Roman remains, you do get to see how they lived - through their kilns, the plumbing system, the plates on which food was served.

Phoenician architecture is completely unlike Greek classical architecture - it has defensive walls, lots of towers and houses six storeys high. There's a wonderful description of the Phoenician style in the Bible, because Solomon's temple was built by Phoenician architects.

Only 4% of Motya has been excavated - because the ruins are not touristic, there is never much money for digging. When I walk on the island, I have the feeling that I am walking on secrets that one day will be revealed. It is an endlessly fascinating place, wonderful because it is so empty, wild and covered in flowers.

• Motya, Unearthing A Lost Civilisation, by Gaia Servadio is published by Victor Gollancz at £16.99.