Pantelleria literally “Daughter of the Wind,” rises between Africa and Europe. It is 67 km from the Tunisian coast and 85 from the Sicilian one.
Walter Potenza
Il Principe e il Pirata Restaurant
Buongiorno amici:
Last year, while visiting Sicily, met a chef during an event at San Vito Lo Capo, the stunning strip of land off the northern coast going west. The chef operates a small hotel and annexed restaurant in Pantelleria. Got my self an invitation as a guest for three days, flew from Palermo Punta Raisi, and after a brief 40 minutes journey landed on the island. All around me sun, sea, wind, and salt were waiting. Pantelleria literally “Daughter of the Wind,” rises between Africa and Europe. It is 67 km from the Tunisian coast and 85 from the Sicilian one. It does not belong to any archipelago and is the largest of the “satellite islands” of Sicily, with an area of 83 sq km and a perimeter of 51.5 km. Upon arrival, the stunning mountains held by painted clouds, the scent of prickly pears immersed in salted air.
Stone huts in Mursia
“The black pearl” of the Mediterranean, as Pantelleria is defined, is an island of volcanic origin. Although the last eruption dates back to 1891 and it is now an extinct volcano, its geological life is still in activity with volcanic phenomena very present. All of this contributes to characterize it and make it uniquely spectacular. The highest point of the island is the top of the Montagna Grande at 863 meters, above sea level. The rich-sodium acid rocks materials are unique across the hemisphere, mostly present only on this island, called appropriately Pantelleriti. By studying them, it was possible to identify the birth period of this island about 500,000 years ago, during the tertiary era. The territory’s development is credited to volcanic shifting and the presence of man fighting wind and drought through endless centuries.
Zibibbo grapevines
Looking in the foreground, visible are dry stone walls terrace built for agriculture and gardens, help to protect the citrus tree from the strong winds. Positioned in perfect harmony are the Dammusi buildings with eclectic domed ceiling, perhaps the first examples of Bio-climatic architecture for water collection and thermal insulation. The history of Pantelleria is very ancient. The island’s first inhabitants were probably the Sesioti, who settled around 5,000 years ago in the area between Murcia and Cimillia. They decided to settle here due to obsidian volcano glass, a fundamental element during the prehistoric era.
Crudo seafood selection from Il Principe e il Pirata
Inhabitants of the island’s origins have not been fully discovered. Tombs and monuments made of dry stones positioned in the center of the Sicilian channel is a grim reminder of a violent life, battling Greeks and Phoenicians hungry for the enviable strategic position. Phoenicians founded the main port, started the cultivation of the sapling vine, and built cisterns for the rainwater storage essential for the intensification of agriculture. Under their ruling, the island achieved its autonomy and great prosperity. Cultural sites and churches were built such as the acropolis of San Marco and Santa Teresa. After the Phoenicians, it was the turn of the Romans who conquered Pantelleria in 255 BC. under the Consul Tiberius Sempronio Longo and remained there until 217 BC. The name of the island became Cossyra. Roman presence helped expand the local agriculture and vinification began. Once the Roman empire was extinct, the island became the prey of the vandals, and pieces of evidence such as wreckage, worship, and burial grounds. Then the Byzantines arrived, who enriched the houses with the insertion of mosaics and still the Arabs who remained on this island for over 400 years, probably leaving the most significant sign. From agriculture to architectural techniques (the Dammuso) to the ancient and magical name of Bent-el-Rion: daughter of the wind. Then it was the time of the Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, the Aragonese, and the Bourbons. In 1860 the island was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.
The favere of Pantelleria
Immersed in a quiet and peaceful environment, you can admire this unique volcanic event Le Favare! These are powerful jets of water vapor mixed with minerals, which emerge intermittently from the subsoil in several places, through cracks in the rock. A very suggestive phenomenon, immersed in a Dante landscape! Visiting the Favare is simple. Take the road connecting Tracino to Rekhalpassing through the Piana della Ghirlanda. After a steep hill, you will arrive in Via dei Sofioni. Park your car. Walk for about 30 minutes, and the world’s largest postcard is waiting.
I could be writing forever: just get there!
My suggestion for dinner: Osteria il principe e il pirata – Punta Karace – Pantelleria
