Description of the attraction
Pantelleria is a small island belonging to the province of Trapani, 100 km southwest of Sicily and 60 km east of Tunisia. The area of the island is only 83 sq. Km. Its highest peak - Monte Grande (836 meters) - has numerous fumaroles, which indicates the volcanic origin of the island. True, the only historically documented eruption took place in 1891 - it was underwater.
In the northwestern part of Pantelleria is the capital of the island with a population of only about 3 thousand people. The fortified city stands on the banks of the only harbor accessible, however, only to small ships. You can get here by ferry from Trapani or by plane.
According to archaeological excavations, people appeared on Pantelleria about 35 thousand years ago, and they were Iberian or Ligurian tribes. In the 2-1 millennium BC. Sesiots lived here, leaving behind buildings that are extremely similar to the Sardinian nuraghes. Then for some time the island was uninhabited until it came under the rule of the Carthaginians, who considered it an important point on the approaches to Sicily. It happened around the 7th century BC. The Carthaginians built on the hills of San Marco and Santa Teresa, located 2 km south of the modern capital of the island, the Acropolis. It has preserved stone walls, cisterns and reservoirs for water, several burials and the ruins of a temple in which terracotta figurines were found.
The Romans, who finally occupied Pantelleria in 217 BC, used the island as a place of exile for important officials and members of the imperial family. The Romans were replaced by the Arabs, who in 700 AD, destroyed the entire population. They gave the island its name, which means "Daughter of the Wind" - because of the strong winds blowing from the African coast. Only Roger of Sicily was able to expel the Saracens - the decisive battle took place in 1123.
In relatively recent times - during the Second World War - an Italian base for torpedo boats was located on Pantelleria, which took part in attacks on British convoys. In 1943, during the landing of Allied troops in Sicily, Pantelleria was subjected to large-scale bombardment from the air and from the sea, after which it was captured.
Today the island, which is called the "Black Pearl of Sicily", is a very popular tourist destination. On its western shore, you can see an ancient settlement, surrounded by a rampart of obsidian blocks and measuring 7.5 meters in height and 10 meters in width. On the territory of the settlement, the ruins of a hut with pottery were discovered, which are now kept in the Museum of Syracuse. In the southeastern part of Pantelleria, there are the aforementioned "ceci" - burials similar to the Nuragi of Sardinia, but smaller in size. They consist of round towers with burial chambers. The largest tower has a diameter of 18-20 meters, but most of the "ceci" is three times smaller. They also contained ceramic items.
In addition, Pantelleria is famous for its sweet wines - Moscato di Pantelleria and Moscato Passito di Pantelleria, which are made from the local dzibibbo grape variety.
