ParadouTravel

Pantelleria

Pantelleria, a windswept, stark, ancient volcanic island less than 35 miles off the coast of Tunisia, is most definitely the place to head to when you want to leave the world behind. This island, closer to Africa than to Italy, is a welcome refuge for those that truly want to get away. It is a far cry from the sophistication and nightlife of the far more glamorous Sardinia and Capri. But on Pantelleria, peace, solitude and amazing ancient and natural beauty are all around you…, which for a high strung New Yorker, needing a fix of CNN and the requisite DSL or better Internet connection, proved a bit hard to take. Fortunately my cell phone worked.

We stayed at Santa Teresa, in Siba, in the shadows of Montagna Grande, the highest peak on Pantelleria. We were greeted each morning with the sight of its foreboding peak covered in threatening clouds. We would start some of our days with a quick drive and hike to the nearby Bagno Asciutto, a natural thermal sauna in a cave along a hiking path. You could not help but think what people have sought the soothing steam of this very cave over the long centuries – Romans, Carthaginians, Phoenicians. Most of the ancient travelers of the Mediterranean, have at one point paid a visit to this isle.

As Pantelleria is a volcanic island, thermal springs were plentiful and accessible, assuming you were willing to climb down, sometimes rather precarious paths to the Pantelleria beaches. The island is peppered with incredibly beautiful swimming coves and grottos some only accessible from the sea. Fortunately Zodiac boats are available for rent in Pantelleria and Scauri.

Pantelleria, while being slowly discovered, has not quite caught tourist-fever yet. The people live their lives to their own beat, not the whims of the visitors. The island is not overrun with giftshops or fashion boutiques, in fact finding an place thats open between the hours of 1 - 5PM can prove somewhat frustrating. The restaurants by and large, are not overly memorable, serving decent food. The specialty of the island is a seafood couscous, which is quite good. However, while there the dish I kept seeking out was either pasta with ricci (sea urchin) or pasta with botarga (pressed tuna roe). Because our lodging had a small kitchen and an outdoor patio, we were able to shop locally and prepare some lunches on our own. This is where Pantelleria shines. The seafood of course was spectacular. For one meal we were able to get some gamberi rossi (red shrimp), that were so incredibly fresh and sweet, each time I think of them I still taste them and am instantly transported to Pantelleria.

While Pantelleria has some conventional hotels, I would highly recommend staying at one of the dammusi at Santa Teresa. A dammusi is a cut-stone, thick-walled, dome-topped Moorish house. This has been the traditional architectural style of Pantelleria since before the 10th century. The houses are beautiful, comfortable and completely fitting with the surrounding landscape. They speak to the seeming outward inhospitability of Pantelleria, but quickly reveal the soothing comforts that the island also provides to those that are willing to make the journey.

Pantelleria is famous for its capers, eggplant and passito wine. While trying to describe the unique flavors of the first two is a bit difficult, the passito is another story. A wonderful dessert wine, made from the Zibbibo grape. While similar to a Sauternes, the passito is less sweet and does not have the cloyingly sweet finish that many Sauternes do. Look for this wine. It is available at some NYC wine shops.

Pantelleria offers much to the ocean lover. Everything from ocean swimming, deep sea diving, sailboarding, and deep sea fishing is readily available and inexpensive relative to other places.

What made Pantelleria truly unique were, of course the people. We met many characters and quite a few people with whom we hope our paths will cross again. There was Franco, the gentleman who owns the local car rental company. He crashed the car he was renting us, while teaching me how to drive a stick in the parking lot of his agency. Upon getting out of the car, he took a look at the dent, rubbed his head and said, “Ok, we note that on the contract.” There was Valentina and Diana. Two middle-age, Russian women with an indomitable spirit of adventure, who left Russia wanting to see the world, and also wanting to support their children back home. There was the local vintner, Salvatore Murano, who although we spoke no Italian and he no English, invited us to his house in the Monastero Valley, for dinner and a tasting of the fabulous wines he makes including some California-style huge cabernets, and a 30-year passito that was absolutely out of this world. And there was Marco Borghesi, an old school goldsmith whose creations are truly unique.

In all, while I was a bit glad to return to civilization after a week on Pantelleria, as the island disappeared beneath our wings, I was planning my return.