Pantelleria

Its strategic location, in the middle of the Sicilian Channel, between Sicily (Europe) and Tunisia (Africa) has made Pantelleria a true crossroads of traditions, customs and usages that still remain inherent in the nature of the island. And due to its configuration, its soil is particularly fertile for crops such as grapes, capers and olives, which have always been the engine of the Pantelleria economy.

The fusion of these various traditions on the island has resulted, especially in cuisine, to dishes with an undoubtedly ancient flavour that are still especially alive and current today. It is referred to as a cuisine of the “poor” because it belongs to the world of the peasants that have always inhabited the shores and inland of the Black Pearl of the Mediterranean, the name by which the island is known today due to its volcanic origin.

The fusion of these various traditions on the island has resulted, especially in cuisine, to dishes with an undoubtedly ancient flavour that are still especially alive and current today. It is referred to as a cuisine of the “poor” because it belongs to the world of the peasants that have always inhabited the shores and inland of the Black Pearl of the Mediterranean, the name by which the island is known today due to its volcanic origin.

Over the centuries the simple wisdom of the islanders has been able to create a whole series of dishes with distinct but harmonious flavours, in the same way the extremely varied territory is distinct and harmonious, alternating between the rare flat areas of the valleys of Ghirlanda and Monastero, the gentle slopes of Scauri, Rekhale, Bukkuram and Khamma, and the more inaccessible areas of Dietro Isola and Balata dei Turchi.

Unique landscapes that, like the special and unique cuisine of this island, visitors can enjoy both in the shade of the “canizzo” (shaded terrace) of their own “dammuso” (villa) and in the warmth of a memory that, once tried, keeps its flavours alive.