Pantelleria
Pantelleria is an island lying between Sicily, Italy and Tunisia. It is culturally Sicilian in every way. There is a great emphasis on the art of hospitality. It is becoming quite a chic destination. It is striking and hilly, with the countryside dotted with white Dammuso houses. There are no beaches - people swim off the black rocks.
The main centre is Pantelleria Town, along with the much smaller Scauri, Tracino & Kamma and Rekale.
Get in
By boat
Daily overnight ferries run from Trapani in Sicily, running more frequently alongside hydrofoils in Summer. Hydrofoil from Mazara del Vallo twice daily. See Siremar and Ustica Lines.
By plane
- 1 Pantelleria Airport. Pantelleria's only commercial airport.
Services
The airport is served daily year-round by Danish Air Transport from Palermo and Trapani. It is also served seasonally by Blue Panorama Airlines (Milan), Danish Air Transport (Catania), and Volotea (Bergamo, Genoa, Turin, Venice, and Verona). There are also seasonal charters.
Get around
By bus
There is quite a good bus service around the island. See Pantelleria Council [dead link]
By moped
An excellent way to see the island is to hire a moped for a few days - it is small enough to do a circuit in 4 hours or so. Beware - there are only two petrol station on the island - both in Pantelleria Town.
See
- 1 Specchio di Venere. A lake inside the crater of a former volcano.
- Sesi. Black Neolithic funeral mounds.
- 2 Gadir. The pretty seaside hamlet and its thermal pools.
- Piano Ghiraldia. The pretty vineyards in the Piano Ghiraldia at the far (east) end of the island.
- Arco dell'elefante. The wonderful Arco dell'elefante.
Do
Boat tours. For a moderate fee, usually around €35 per person, you can take a slow boat tour around the island. This can be very entertaining depending on who comes along. Usually there is abundant food and wine served on board, swimming stops and a photographic adventure of a very rich volcanic island. From the sea you can see the homes of Armani and many of Italy's most famous people.
Trekking. There are many maintained trails into the complex geology of Pantelleria. Each little region is very different and unique from all the others. For a small island, there is tremendous diversity to Pantelleria.
Thermal pools and the sauna cave. There are many thermal pools on Pantelleria. One of the best places is a large natural sauna cave in the mountains near the region called Monestero. One of the most beautiful vistas on the island can be seen from here. There is also Santaria, a hot thermal pool inside a cave. This is according to legend the love nest of Calypso and Ulysses. All the thermal pools are free and maintained by the community members.
Buy
Art: There are two famous sculptors on the island. One is a local man, a Pantesce Native (Kaku). He has a shop near the old castle in the main village, Pantelleria. The other is a Native American who lives in Rekhale (Turtle Heart).
Ceramics of DiSimone. DiSimone is a very famous ceramics artist who started his career on Pantelleria. Now his work is sold in shops in many countries. He still has his "home" gallery on Pantelleria. Great objects for the household and fancy objects of ceramic art. Very colourful and vivid scenes of the traditional life of Pantelleria.
Eat
- Il Cappero Via Roma. Excellent medium-priced food, very popular with the locals.
- Zabib Porto di Scauri +39 0923916617 - Good restaurant, open only for dinner.
Drink
CiCCi's Bar. A favorite place in Pantelleria village, right near the central square. Generous snacks. Great atmosphere. Cicci is a force on Pantelleria and this bar has great ambience and personality. A must visit bar and cafe in the true Sicilian style.
Passito. You must drink the famous wine of Pantelleria, called Passito. Pantelleria is an island of farmers, not fishermen. The ancient wine is unique in all the world and the best Passito is generally only available locally. If you make friends with local people you can have the adventure of tasting home made Passito. Passito is a rich meditation wine, sometimes called a dessert wine. Passito and Capers are the island's two best known products.
Sleep
- Miryam Corso Umberto 1 ☏ +39 0923 911374. Modern, but functional, overlooking the harbour. Quite cheap out of season.
- Cossyra Cuddie Rosse-Mursia ☏ +39 0923911154. About 3 km (2 miles) from Pantelleria port, this 3-star hotel has pleasant grounds, a pool, tennis courts and a private beach.
- Albergo Miryam Hotel
- Mursia and Cossyra Hotel & Spa Loc. Mursia ☏ +39 0923911217, ☏ +39 0923911154. fax +39 0923911026. About 3 km (2 miles) from Pantelleria port, this 3-star hotel has pleasant grounds, a pool, tennis courts and a private beach.
- [formerly dead link] Blue Moon Hotel, Don Alonso Errera street, ☏ +39 0923 912785. Charming and cheap hotel in the centre of Pantelleria city. They will pick you up at the airport. Nice rooms. €90 for 3-person room.
