Pantelleria, the island of wind

Everytime I decide to visit a new place I always go online checking about eating and drinking in that place. In this case I knew it was the right place, so the die was cast and I chose the island of Pantelleria.
It’s an Italian island, in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Sicily and 60 km (37 mi) east of the Tunisian coast, the largest volcanic satellite island of Sicily with an area of 83 km² (32 sq mi).
The island is known all over the word for three main things, the sweet wine named Passito, made from the local grape called Zibibbo, the dammusi, the typical Pantellerian white stone dwelling (you can find it only in Pantelleria) and capers.
We, myself and my travel friends, decided to travel by hydrofoil, in two hours and ten minutes we were there from the Port of Trapani.

Once there I was surprised by how green and full of vegetation the island is, totally unexpected especially if you think that is one step away from Africa. The land is black, essentially a volcanic rock, extraordinarily fertile as the vegetation, green and covered by colorful bougainville, a plants as well as capers that grow spontaneously in every nook and cranny.
Access to the sea is limited to plopping off promontories, very difficult to reach, we donned the rubber shoes, indispensable for walking on stones.
Life is not easy in Pantelleria. The wind affects the life of its inhabitants. There are two recurring winds, the mistral and the sirocco, the first pretty cold and the second extremely hot. In both cases the wind attacks the vegetation that is forced to remain low to defend itself and it often happens to see trees totally deformed by the wind. We have seen olives trees no taller than 1.5 meters (5 feet), almost a bonsai for regular standard.

We have rented an apartment in Gadir, a small quarter of the island, where people go swimming and take advantage of the natural hot springs, always usable and available to the people, day and night.
There are several coves from where it is possible to reach the sea and a unique place called Laghetto delle Ondine is a destination. This is a beautiful natural pool that gets filled by sea waves during rough sea times. It’s just about 15 minutes walking from the nearest parking lot and it really deserves a visit and a swim.

Do not miss a visit to the Arco dell’Elefante, a natural monument of Pantelleria. It is a unique stack whose shape resembles that of an elephant, with the trunk immersed in the water to form the characteristic arch. Legend has it that when the island lacks water, the elephant pumps it from the sea.
Another place to visit it’s Lo Specchio di Venere, the mirror of Venus. A volcanic lake, shallow at the edges, deep in the center with beautiful colored water. Many visitors coat themselves with grey volcanic mud. The best time to visit this place it’s during windy days, when go to the beach is a challenge.

Do not miss a walk among the Zibibbo fields, grapes plants cultivated as sapling, basins about 20 cm deep, useful for accumulating rainwater and protecting the grapes from th

e wind and also due to the extreme environmental conditions, linked to the constant windiness and to scarce rainfall, compensated by great humidity. In 2014, UNESCO recognized the importance and uniqueness of the “Sapling Vine Agricultural Practice”.
Typical constructions of the island are I Giardini Panteschi, the Pantelleria gardens, built to protect the plants, often just one and almost always citrus fruits, from the strong winds that blow on the island in every season. Structurally, these are dry-walled lava stone fences with a circular plan. Their height can vary from one to over three meters, depending on the size of the plants grown inside them.
Last but not least the capers field, a wonderful expanse of big bushes, a really amazing sight, the branches are laden with beautiful flowers and fruits. Starting from beginning of May until the end of July the hand picking is every 15 days.
Driving around the island you can see cultivated field and an enormous number of wild plants.
If you are looking for an interesting vacation my advice is to visit Pantelleria.

For any further information contact me at
stefania.montalbano@carlozucchetti.it