Dammusu (pant.)

Dammuso - This unique architectural icon of Pantelleria was probably created in the 10th century A.D. and evolved right up to the 17th century. The large dry-stone walls provide perfect thermal isolation and the thick dome roof has the ideal shape to collect the precious rainwater into an attached cistern. Because of the use of natural stone found on the island, the Dammuso blend in very well in the surrounding landscape. Contrary to the common theory that the structure has it's foundation in the Arab world, recent archaeological research points more towards a Greek origin. Nowadays, a great part of the original Dammusi are in the hands of second home owners, who are using or renting them out as holiday lodges. Consequently, the price of even the most ramshackle Dammuso has rocketed in recent years.

Gheddafi hotel

Khadafi hotel - Known among locals as 'Khadafi's hotel', the Libyan-owned resort was build in the 1980's but fell foul of a downturn in Italian-Libyan relations. It remains unopened more than twenty years after it was built, buried under an avalanche of arcane building regulations. Rumours of its grand opening continue to resurface from time to time.

Meduse

Jellyfish - The 'Pelagia noctiluca', commonly known as the 'Mauve stinger', is one of the many different kind of jellyfish world wide, which population has alarmingly developed over the past decades. Here also in Pantelleria, they have become the key issue for whether to go for a swim in the sea or not. Scientists believe that these explosive growths are a clear indication of the our ailing seas. Overfishing, nutrient pollution, global warming and the introduction of non-native species seem to be the causes. These jellyfish stem from the Red sea, but as global warming continues, they can now be found as far north as Northern Ireland, where on November 21, 2007, a one-metre thick by 25square kilometres large swarm of jellyfish wiped out a 100,000-fish salmon farm.

Pietra

Stone - Stone is to Pantescans as snow is to Eskimos. The islanders have been stacking stones for over 5,000 years and the 'muro alto' or high wall of the Neolithic village near Mursia (picture above) is still a standing witness of their craftsmanship. It's estimated that there are about 8,000km of stone walls on Pantelleria. Logically, the Pantescan dialect holds a wide variety of words for stone. A tartisa for example, is a little stone or a pebble; a ciampeddra a flat stone, used to fill narrow spaces when constructing the vaulted roof of a damuso and also applied in a very popular game for children. A mazzacàni, literally translated as 'dog killer', is round middle sized stone, and a strùmmulu is a irregularly shaped, useless stone. Strangely enough, the Pantescans also imported stone from other islands, like the cantùni, a boulder from Favignana and the balàta di Màuta, a slab of calcareous stone, coming from Malta.