Page 546 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

MAKING A LIVING ON PANTELLERIA

Surprisingly, most of Pantelleria’s population of 8500 are farmers rather than
fishermen. With a soil nourished by frequent past eruptions (the last in 1831), the
islanders traditionally preferred tilling to risking life and limb in a sea swarming
with pirates on the prowl. Farming on Pantelleria does have its problems, however,
not least the numerous chunks of lava and basalt in the earth that preclude
mechanical ploughing, not to mention the incessant wind, scorching sun and almost
complete lack of water. The islanders have come up with methods of minimizing

these disadvantages by some ingenious devices that would bring a gleam to an
ecologist’s eye. The prolific zibbibo vines are individually planted in little ridges
designed to capture the precious rainwater; and the famous giardini arabi – high
walls of stone built round orange trees and other plants – afford protection from the

wind and the salt it carries with it. All over the island, various cooperatives (often
signposted from the road) sell homegrown produce to visitors and locals – capers,
wine, jojoba oil, honey and candles. If you want to buy, look for the words “azienda
agricola”.

Pantelleria town

If you arrive off the ferry at dawn, PANTELLERIA TOWN, the only settlement of
any size on the island, presents an undeniably romantic aura, revealing a spread of
serene, white-painted cubes. Only close up do these emerge as modern rather than
medieval, as most of the town was flattened during the last war when Allied bombers
pulverized what had become one of the main German bases in the Mediterranean.
Consequently, much of the town has a homogeneous appearance, its low-rise concrete

buildings spreading back two or three streets deep from the harbour.

While it may not fit the stereotype of the idyllic island port, Pantelleria town has a