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.

Port of Pantelleria

Cala Cinque denti

Five Teeth Bay - A popular spot for expensive yachts to moor in the shelter of this spectacular bay. On the south side it is possible to swim through a natural stone tunnel to reach a small inland sea pool, called Scarpetta di Cenerentola or Cinderella's slipper.

Punta di Nica

Nica - This minuscule fishing village is located in a lava gorge. Close by, there are thermal springs in the sea, which temperatures can reach almost 100°C. It is also home to a house belonging to Vincenzo Visco, former finance minister of Romani Prodi's two governments. The house fell foul of planning regulations and the owner received punitive fines.