At Peace on the Black Pearl

When my wife, Gwen, and I left this mystical island after our first visit nine years ago, we brought home vivid memories: the fragrance of wildflowers and sea air, the scenery suffused with a thousand hues, the peace that had settled over our souls. We returned three years later to make the memories come alive again.

Pantelleria is 70 miles southwest of Sicily, and just 44 miles off the Tunisian coast--actually closer to Africa than Europe.

The ferry from Trapani, in western Sicily leaves at midnight and reaches Pantelleria at 5 a.m., so we opted for the speed of flight: a half-hour jump from Trapani’s airport.

From the air, Pantelleria looks like a round scarab; the Phoenicians called it the “Black Pearl of the Mediterranean.” The water changes color like a kaleidoscope with the slant of the sun, yet it remains nearly transparent.

A geophysical spasm thrust Pantelleria out of the sea 300,000 or so years ago. Several warm mineral springs attest to the still-active geology, and steam puffs out of the ground here and there. The island is contoured by steep cliffs, craggy, dark and foreboding. Where planes descend, however, suddenly the landscape turns flat, green and reassuring.

We were returning to Pantelleria with some trepidation, for there had been talk of attempts to put it on the international tourist map. But once in the main town and port (also named Pantelleria) we realized our concerns were unfounded. Yes, the airport is more modern, the flights more numerous, and we did spot a supermarket and a new gas station on the way to town. But the place is still unassuming--quiet and slow.

No high-rise hotels had sprung up cheek by jowl along the coast, as has happened in other places we once liked. No traffic jams either; on the ride to our hotel we passed only a handful of cars.

Celebrities--designer Giorgio Armani, actor Gerard Depardieu and pop stars Madonna and Ricky Martin--have found the island, but they mostly keep to themselves. Some discos and clubs have opened, but one has to search for them. Along the port promenade, people walk or sit at sidewalk cafes to see and be seen, but in a subdued, family-style fashion. Pantelleria is still a long way from becoming a Capri or Portofino.

There are five hotels in town and another five or so peppered around the island, and private homes and condominiums are available to rent. We returned to the whitewashed, Moorish-style Mursia Hotel, two miles out of town. It is modern and efficiently elegant but not, as resort hotels can be, overbearing.

We went back to the Mursia because of the gracious, smiling hospitality and the one-stop practicality. If we needed a car or a boat, one was available for rent, and the restaurant’s food was excellent and affordable.

The ocean was just outside our room, and the constant breeze brought in the sound and fragrance of the sea. We knew not to expect a sandy beach; there are hardly any on the whole island. Instead, steps lead down to the water, with its promise of memorable swims in hundreds of coves and inlets all around the rocky black island.

Volcanic eruptions have piled lava upon lava, creating grotesque constructions: Arches plunge into the sea, rocky columns sprout from it, and one landmark, l’Elefante, looks like the huge beast dipping its trunk into the water.

A multitude of indigenous plants thriving in the tortured landscape attracts botanists from around the world. One plant with lily-white blossoms that sprouts everywhere from cracks in the gnarled rocks is particularly valued. It takes so well to the soil and climate that its edible buds, capers, are grown, harvested and packed commercially, generating a sizable income for the island.

A good road circles Pantelleria, mostly along the cliffs 300 to 400 feet above the water. It affords magnificent views and superb picnic stops, and the whole circuit can be driven in a few hours.

By deviating slightly from the coastal route, we could visit the sites of settlements established 5,000 years ago by the Sesioti, a tribe of entrepreneurs who came to the island, probably from Sicily, to quarry and export its obsidian. This glass rock was the black gold of the Neolithic era, essential for producing sharp-edged tools and arrow points.

The Sesioti left funeral monuments to mark their place here, sites that have been generally left alone to age without much intervention. To us this added to their attraction; they have escaped the embalmed, preserved feeling of the fenced-off official archeological grounds found in the rest of Italy.

Pantelleria has historically been a steppingstone between Africa and Europe. Lying at the intersection of Mediterranean sea lanes, it was strategically very appealing to Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Moors and Normans. In turn, each group took over the island, leaving its cultural and architectural footprints.

All this diversity spawned an array of names for the island. Its location in the sea routes earned it the Greek name of Kossyros, the “Smaller One,” probably a comparison with Malta, to the southeast. To the Romans it was known as Cossyra.

Of all the influences, Arabic is still foremost: The local language retains some Arab-derived words, and many sites have Arabic names. The name of the island, according to local archeological buffs, is a corruption of the Arabic bent al-rion , or “daughter of the wind,” a sobriquet that couldn’t be more appropriate. The winds that sweep the Channel of Sicily hit the island from all four directions 337 days a year.

The wind is one of Pantelleria’s shaping forces. The good news for the visitor is that there is always a protected leeward side somewhere on land or sea. And generally it is a warm wind: The average temperature is 68 degrees.

Of course, it is much warmer in summer, when the southern sirocco blows up from the Sahara, and slightly colder with the northern libeccio during the short but still mild winter months.

On the eastern part of the island lies the fishing village of Gadir, with its hot mineral springs that form bathing pools on the edge of the sea.

Gadir’s claim to fame is the set of dammusi that Giorgio Armani built there for himself and his celebrity guests. Dammusi , the traditional constructions peculiar to Pantelleria, derive their name from the Arabic damus , “domed edifice.” Large or small, built of volcanic stone blocks, these one-story houses are unique for the squashed-down domes (really more bumps than domes) on their otherwise flat roofs. Each room has one dome: Count the bumps and you know how many rooms a dammuso has. The purpose of this design is to collect rainwater; it slides off the dome into a gutter and then into cisterns.

Many of Pantelleria’s old, spartan dwellings have been made modern and comfortable. An admirable example sits high on a hill in the village of Tracino. An abandoned windmill dammuso has been transformed into a series of elegant dining rooms, with windows and terraces offering wide-angle views of sea and sky. The restaurant, I Mulini (the Windmills), serves traditional local dishes enriched with modern interpretations. Memorable were the ammogghiu , a garlicky sauce of grilled tomatoes, herbs and first-pressing olive oil; the ravioli amari , or “bitter” (to differentiate them from the sweet kind, a dessert filled with cheese and mint); and the mustazzoli , cookies accompanied by Moscato Passito di Pantelleria, the wine that is the pride of the island.

Pantelleria’s food generally marries different gastronomic heritages and products of land and sea, a union that creates a family of culinary delights. Herbs, vegetables, fruits, olives seem to combine the aromas carried by the wind and buried in the soil to achieve an intense, concentrated flavor. The list of special dishes is long. But to us, the best was the couscous di pesce --fruits of the sea and of the land joined together. Couscous is steamed in the aromatic broth of a stew of different fish (grouper predominating when we were there) along with peppers, zucchini and eggplant.

Between feasts, we explored the island. South of Gadir and down from Tracino begins a series of spectacular sea coves and grottoes. Because they are at the bottom of perpendicular cliffs, they can be enjoyed only from the sea. Boats can be chartered for the purpose; we chose one called Green Divers to take us around the island. The three young sailors, all expert scuba divers, guided us in and out of the grottoes while filling us with their lore.

The tales, like the caves themselves, became more colorful as the tour progressed. Just northwest of Pantelleria’s southern tip is the Grotta di Sataria (Grotto of Good Health). Legend has it that this is where Ulysses, though pining for Penelope, spent seven years with the lusty nymph Calypso. Calypso’s grotto sports three successive pools with water temperatures progressing from tepid to warm to decidedly hot. A swim in those crystal clear waters is an indelible experience.

The cruise ended at sunset, and the crew promised that no matter how many times we circumnavigated the island, it would be a new experience.

The next day we went walking again, taking on the challenge of the uphill road to Monte Grande, the top of the island. From the lookout point at the summit we gazed down on a mosaic of green cultivated patches separated by walls of black rocks, with white dammusi dotting the terraced landscape. Here we reflected that although the island has many names--”Black Pearl of the Mediterranean,” “the Smaller One,” “Daughter of the Wind”--if we had our way, we would call Pantelleria “the Unspoiled.”

Guidebook: Rocking Along in Pantelleria

* Getting there: From Los Angeles, the easiest route is to fly to Palermo, Sicily. Connecting service to Palermo through Milan (one stop) is available on Alitalia. Restricted round-trip fares to Palermo begin at $1,186 until June 15, increasing to $1,288 until Aug. 31. You can fly or take a ferry from Sicily.

* Where to stay: In the town of Pantelleria: Port Hotel, Via Borgo Italia 6, 91017 Pantelleria; telephone 011-39-092-391-1299.

On the coast: Mursia Hotel, Contrada Mursia, 91017 Pantelleria; tel. 011-39-092-391-1217, fax 011-39-092-391-1026, https://www.mursia.pantelleria.it. Room and breakfast for two about $80.

Cossyra Hotel, Contrada Kuddie Rosse, 91017 Pantelleria; tel. 011-39-092-391-1154, fax 011-39-092-391-1026. Room and breakfast for two total about $80.

* Where to eat: Le Lampare del Mursia, Contrada Mursia, local tel. 0923-91-1217. Gala Friday night dinners with entertainment; fish and vegetable couscous for two, $60 to $70.

La Favarotta, Contrada Khamma Fuori, tel. 0923-91-5347. This is the “in” place of the moment; specialty is rabbit stew; for two, $70 to $80.

At both places, reservations advised during summer.

* For more information: Italian Government Tourist Board, 12400 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Los Angeles, CA 90025; tel. (310) 820-1898, fax (310) 820-6357, https://www.italiantourism.com. Also https://www.pantelleria.it.