BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

From its wine to its words, the tiny isle of Pantelleria owes much of its character to the Arabic influences of nearby North Africa. Similarly influential is the island’s rich, dramatic landscape — the origins of which are bubbling beneath the surface

“My nonno told me he could see the camels in Tunisia when he was younger,” says Salvatore Murana. I’ve come to meet Pantelleria’s wine king up here on the Mueggen plateau, but Salvatore doesn’t want to talk about maceration or varietals; he wants to deliver a eulogy to his beloved island, which bobs in the Mediterranean between Sicily and Tunisia.

He claims this is the navel of the world, and while that might not be scientifically verifiable, what’s certain is that Pantelleria is a place where Europe meets Africa. Closer to Tunisia than Sicily — 37 miles and 62 respectively

— this volcanic island, known as the ‘black pearl of the Mediterranean’ for its inky cliffs, has long been multicultural thanks to its strategic location. Colonised by the Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Spanish, before becoming part of Italy, Pantelleria’s culture is as stratified as its volcanic layers.

The Arabs of North Africa, who ruled from the 8th to the 12th century, left the biggest imprint. Even today, the dialect is a mix of Sicilian and Arabic. Village names — Khamma, Gadir, Bukkuram — have an Arabic twang, while the traditional house is the square and squat dammuso with a white-domed roof, brought over from North Africa.

“Our terracing [of the cliffs] is from Arab culture,” says Salvatore. “The canalisation of water is Arabic. Our language…” he looks around. “I live to breathe this land. I love talking about it.” Even Salvatore’s vines are of Arabic origin. Pantelleria’s Zibibbo wine and caramelly Passito dessert wine are made from the Moscato d’Alessandria grape, thought to have originated in Egypt or Tunisia. The islanders have earned UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status for the way they plant them: low, in hollowed-out earth, to protect them from the winds that whip the island. Winemaking isn’t the only thing that’s done differently.

Although this is officially Italy, you won’t find any Renaissance art galleries here; Pantelleria has a museum dedicated to the caper. And instead of the fabled beaches

elsewhere in the country, this is an island of rocky coves that take a scramble to get to.

“There’s no middle way with her,” says Peppe d’Aietti, an author and guide. “She’s wild, hard and made for only a few to love.” Peppe is one of them. He once moved to Sicily for work, but, he says, “the island was always in my head”. Now, he leads travellers on hiking tours away from the spectacular coastline — one of sheer cliffs and jagged lava flows, with knockout sea views — and into the island’s surprisingly green interior.

Pantelleria is a volcanic island, but it isn’t just one volcano, according to Peppe: there are scores of cones on land, with others underwater. What I thought were hills are, in fact, volcanoes, and the plains where Pantelleria’s famously tasty vegetables grow are collapsed calderas.

We head up to Montagna Grande, the highest cone at 2,743ft. Peppe says that on a clear day, you can see Tunisia, but today, the clouds swirl below us around the neighbouring cone of Monte Gibele. Up here is an Eden of holm oaks and arbutus trees, while further down, Peppe spies a rare orchid and grabs a pod of wild peas.

As well as its dramatic coastline, Pantelleria is known for its thermal waters. Above the ancient settlement of Sibà, I walk along drystone terraces and past wildflower meadows to a cliff, where steam curls out of a slit in the rock. It’s the Grotta di Benikulà, where vapours emerge from the mountain into the small cave, creating something like a volcanoheated hammam. I roast inside, emerging drenched in sweat to a view of wildflowers, the plains of the collapsed calderas beyond and the blue Mediterranean in the distance. Again, you can see North Africa if it’s clear, but I don’t need to — Pantelleria’s multicultural history is embedded in the rock.

More info: vinimurana.it

How to do it: Peppe d’Aietti leads twohour hikes, from €15 (£14) per person. pantelleriaculturaenatura.it

Cognoscenti Travel offers bespoke trips to Pantelleria, including accommodation (B&B), car hire and flights from €800 (£682) per person. cognoscentitravel.com