Pantelleria (pronounced Pan-tel-eh-ree-a, stress on the third syllable) sits 100 kilometres from Tunisia and 110 from Sicily. Black-basalt cliffs, no sand beaches at all, Zibibbo vineyards on terraced lava walls, and the low-domed dammuso houses that are the island’s architectural signature. This is not a resort island; the reward for coming is that almost nobody else has.
Three stays we would book again.
Sikelia, Contrada Zubebi
Twenty dammusi converted by architect Giovanni Bulian, spread across a terraced hillside above Balata dei Turchi. Private plunge pools carved into lava, the estate’s own Zibibbo vineyard, and the closest thing Pantelleria has to a proper resort.
€440–€1,100 / night
USD 480–1,200 · May to October
I Mulini Resort, Contrada Mulini
Nine dammusi on the working Salvatore Murana Passito estate. Terrace overlooks the vineyard and the harvest happens under your window in late August. Book the Dammuso Piccolo for the Zibibbo view.
€260–€520 / night
USD 285–570 · Passito winery stay
Dammusi al Tramonto, Scauri
Six restored dammusi on the west coast above Scauri Porto, sunset side of the island. Private terraces, shared pool, walking distance to the fishing-port restaurants at Scauri.
€140–€260 / night
USD 155–285 · village-scale simplicity
Three practicalities that catch first-timers.
- Fly, do not ferry, unless you want a car overnight. Trapani to Pantelleria is 5 hours 30 minutes on Siremar traghetto (from around €40), overnight, three nights a week. DAT and ITA fly Palermo to Pantelleria in 40 minutes from around €70 return. Fly, hire the car on arrival.
- No sand beaches. Bring reef shoes. The whole coast is black lava rock. Swimming spots: Balata dei Turchi (south, drama), Cala Cinque Denti (north, sheltered), Laghetto delle Ondine (east, natural rock pools). Reef shoes are non-negotiable.
- Specchio di Venere at dawn, not noon. The Mirror of Venus thermal lake sits in an old caldera, mud along the shore, 40°C at the spring outlets. Arrive at 7am; by 11am the tour vans park up and the lake edge fills. Free access, no facilities, drive-in from the north side.