Have you ever dreamed of disappearing and escaping from real life? I often do. Where do you see yourself?
Sometimes, I think of a white sand beach in Seychelles. But then I recall my memories and long for a black slope in Pantelleria.
Why? Pantelleria is not the kind of paradise you normally figure out as a dream way out. It seems too wild and hostile, and the all-inclusive formula is not foreseen. Maybe these aspects are what make this island a fascinating and desirable destination. I already wrote about the savage landscape here, but now I will write about what goes beyond and why you should visit Pantelleria and enjoy the flavors of its life.
The Passito will make you remember why Bacchus was so in love with wine
As I already wrote here, the volcanic soil (and I would also say soul) allows nature to take its course by nurturing the plants with high power minerals. The sunlight, and the typical Mediterranean climate, do the rest, making the perfect conditions for the ripening process. It is here that the Zibibbo grape-wine grows and from it, the ecstatic Passito wine comes from. You will find several wine producers around the island who will guide you through the rows of the vineyards. Its characteristics are renowned and since the beginning of the last century, it has been awarded for its delicate and fine aroma and its velvety, sweet, caressing, generous flavor.
Zibibbo (Moscato d’Alessandria), a prince among the aromatic varieties on Pantelleria, is cultivated in 20 cm deep hollows. The training system makes the plant grow horizontally to withstand the wind on the island (Bent-el-Rhia, in Arab stands for “daughter of the wind”), protect the grapes and allow the rare water rain to be not wasted.
In 2014 the “alberello pantesco” was recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as a “highly sustainable and creative agricultural practice”.
Pantellerian garden, the secret of a thousand years old agricultural miracle
Pantelleria is like a small miracle of nature, that is why you have to go and enjoy its flavors. All its agricultural productions are an unbelievable
wonder. No matter whatever it is, either a tomato or an orange, capers or oregano, it has a fully enhanced flavor. 600 different species “populate” the island, some from African origins which are not present anywhere else in Europe.
A circular construction, called Pantellerian garden, is an original and traditional system used for citrus cultivation dating back from the dawn of culture in the hot, arid southern Mediterranean countries. The circular lava-stoned walls preserve the citrus in an ingenious, self-sufficient agronomic system able to protect the trees from the island’s two main threats: wind and water scarcity.
The typical Pantellerian garden derives from the myth of the “walled garden” that symbolized life and the female womb. Using the porosity of the lava stones and the temperature shift between day and night to capture moisture directly from the atmosphere. In addition to stone and beaten earth ditches that collect rainwater, the Pantellerian garden provides enough water for the plant even without irrigation.
If you are willing to visit a preserved Pantellerian garden you can have access to the Donnafugata Garden, protected by FAI (Italian environmental fund).
Our tips for your Pantellerian trip
Where to buy good wine
We enjoyed a nice evening with a guided tour, a wine tasting, and food pairing at Cantina Minardi, close to the town center
Azienda Vinicola Minardi Srl Soc. Agr.
C/da Karuscia – 91017 Pantelleria (TP)
Where to buy local products
At Konza Kiffi you will find unforgettable marmalade, jam, tomato sauce, capers, and oregano. We still buy them online, therefore feel like we are there.
Konza Kiffi
Via Beato Luigi Palazzolo, 6
91017 Pantelleria (TP)
The best Granita on the island
Pasticceria Katia
And if you want to know more, just drop me a line!
