TBS Holidays: in Pantelleria with Vera

Just a few lines will not suffice to describe how wonderful my holiday in the beautiful land of Sicily was this summer. This is why I decided to focus on one of my stops, and I picked the location where I spent the longest time, which really left a trace in my heart. I am talking about Pantelleria, the most south easterly island off the coast of Sicily: it’s a wild land brimming with energy, a unique volcanic landscape, a rich, generous land where all sorts of delicious things grow: think capers, olives, almonds and grapes, which the islanders dry in the sun to then produce their world-famous passito wine.

Let me proceed in the right order. After getting to the island with my travel buddy, I was immediately included in island life thanks to the friend who hosted me, who also comes from Biella, in northern Italy, like I do. He welcomed us in his beautiful house, and invited us to discover his love for art: his is a family of collectors, and he and his fathers named a hill in memory of my friend’s mother, who was also in love with this island, like they are. Every year on this hill, their family hosts an exhibition of international artists at the exhibition La Collina di Loredana, (Loredana’s Hill).

Over the following days, we joined a group of friends who were sailing in the area and experienced sailing life with them. Those days were spent discovering little bays, small marinas, caves and thermal springs, both overland and with our boat. The thing that struck me the most of this island’s landscape was its variety: I would never have imagined that there is a lake, inland, called Lo Specchio di Venere (Venus’s Mirror), which is where people go swim on windy days, I didn’t know how clear the waters were, and I also would never have guessed that there was a part of the island that was so sandy and muddy that you can basically have an improvised beauty treatment 🙂

Pantelleria was mostly about nature for us, with its unforgettable sunsets, and those days of strong sirocco that brings hot air from Africawith it . It was also a wonderful gastronomical experience — I will not list the amount of fresh fish, pasta, cous cous and salads I put my  hands on in such a few days, as it might shock you: everything was so fresh, and delicious. About food, if you ever find yourselves in Pantelleria, I recommend having dinner at La Vela in Scauri port, for its fresh fish, and at the Trattoria a Favarotta for the best eggplant I have ever had, and a ton of other local dishes. If you want to try the best Moscow Mule of your life, go and take a seat al fresco at Cornutazzi, the most happening cocktail bar in the port area of Scauri: you will love its retro atmosphere with a contemporary edge. If you make your way to Pantelleria, my advice is to try to experience is as a local as much as you can: you will discover how much magic this wonderful, wild island has to offer.