Arriving by the sea and approaching the shores of Pantelleria’s port during a hot August afternoon, the view that appears in front of your eyes is one of a welcoming and colorful village, with an Arabic and, at the same time, Greek style for the low buildings and their putty left raw.

Immediately you feel you have arrived in an island that is accustomed to be kissed by the rays of the sun and to be caressed by the breath of the wind, sometimes so sweet and refreshing and others so determined to get your feet off the ground.

With this postcard printed in the eyes together with the sensation of an intense heat that immediately makes you want swim in the crystal waters, you put your first foot on the dock of the port of Pantelleria and deeply breathe a strong sea odour; an incredible “desire for discovery” runs through all the nerves of your body.

The port where ships and hydrofoils from Sicily dock, is one of the access points to the island, directly connected to the main town, Pantelleria precisely, where the local town flourishes with its shops, supermarkets, ice cream kiosks and many tourists that exponentially multiply the number of island’s inhabitants during the summer time.

The walk along the port is not long, but it instantly combines all the main meeting places in a single path: from the places to make aperitifs, to the small cafes where you can taste the passito, the typical liqueur wine of the island, to the square to access the church, to the castle made by stone.

Everything seems to be part of a timeless setting, where all flows slowly and you see people relax while is warmed by the sun and while beats the glasses overflowing with cold wine, smiling and loudly speaking.

Going into the streets of the town, you discover many other small businesses that offer typical products (in addition to passito wine, also salted capers, small and in dark green), cafes where you can eat excellent granitas, small supermarkets, ironmongery, beachwear shops with tools for fishing, clothing shops and others that sell wellness products made with the thermal mud of the Venus Lake*.

Any detail conveys authenticity and desire to connect with the place.

Pantelleria is an island that winds you with its heat rising from the scorched earth and from the black and hot obsidian stones, but despite the summer temperatures, it is easy to find refreshment just looking at the deep blue that surrounds everything.

You feel at peace, you feel brimful as if you were in a corner of paradise, between the Sicilian culture and the sun kissing every angle of the earth.

You feel at peace when you drive the narrow roads that lead you from the town to the various districts where dammusi** arise, when you have the window lowered and the wind caresses your skin, while you observe the panorama made of terracings and vineyards that sink into the sea, looking an orange sunset on horizon that you have never seen anywhere else in the world.

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Even when the night falls, an immensity pervades you and you feel a magic that touches the mountains while the island wraps itself in a black cloak illuminated by many small stars.

Pantelleria is an island that never stops shining, neither during the day when the sun is high, nor in the night, when the stars light up the very dark sky. For those who are not used to seeing the stars, each evening offers an incredible show, on an island that turn itself into a contemporary amphitheatre.

An amphitheatre with no artificial reflectors, where rocks act as steps from which to observe that wonderful scenario which is the deep sea and in where a gentle wind and gentle waves are the background.

Walking during the day along the harbour side, you have not seen yet the sunset or the night falling on the land and sea, but you already know without seeing anything that you can only expect magic from this enchanted place, over the excitement of this place that reveals to you in advance many surprises for the eyes and the heart.