E
veryday,justbeforethesunbegins
itsdescentovertheedgeofthe
MediterraneanandintoNorth
Africa,thejellyfishhunterappears
atScauri’slighthouse.Hecomes
armedwithhislong-handlednet;
he’saccompaniedbyhiswife.Theysmileand
chatastheyscalethecliffwalltothesea.Thiseasy
athleticismbeliestheirage.Theymustbeat least70.
InthelingeringsunlighttheMedis azure,alive
withfish,jellyfishandurchins.Shedivesin.He
remainsatthewater’sedge,watchingwithnetin
hand,trident-like.He’snotsomuchhuntingthe
creaturesaskeepingthematbay.A crècheoffour-
andfive-year-oldsfrolicinthedeepwater,largely
unattended;whentheyreacheightorninethey
learntodiveandstartjumpingoffthehighrocks.
Thejellyfishhuntersurveysit all– thepopulation
of7,500Panteschihavelearnttorelyoneachother
andtobewaryofwhatcomesfromthesea.
Thedarkcliffsandformationsofvolcanicrock
thathavegivenPantelleriathenameLaPerlaNegra
(TheBlackPearl)havealsoofferedprotectionfrom
marauders.StrategicallylocatedintheSicilianStrait- 100kilometresoffSicilyand 60 fromTunisia–
PantelleriahasbeencontestedsinceNeolithictimes.
Whentheislandwasn’tunderattackbysuccessive
wavesofPhoenicians,CarthaginiansandRomans,it
wasbuffetedbyhowlingwinds.Theisland’sinhabitants
havelonglookedinlandforworkandsustenance.
There’sa gentlepacetolifehere,dictatedbythe
weatherandtheseasonsandthearrivalofthejellyfish
huntereachnightat thelighthouse.Thistimelessness
is sointegraltothecultureit’sperhapsnocoincidence
there’snofuturetenseinthePantescandialect.
A richagriculturalhistoryis evidentinthe
patchworkofancientdry-rockwallsacrosstheisland.
Theterraceshelpsheltervineyardsoftheendemic
zibibbograpeandorchardsofolivetrees,prunedto
waistheighttofurtherprotectthemfromthegales.
Theislandis renownedforitscapers,theresilient
bushesclingingincracksandcrevices,andoregano
andpurslanegrowwild.
Inthe1970sand’80sPantelleriabecamea summer
playgroundfortheEuropeanglitterati,whenthelikesof
GiorgioArmaniandFrenchactorsCaroleBouquetand
GerardDepardieuboughtvillas.Toaccommodatetheir
entouragesandthosewhofollowed,severalhotelswere
builthighabovethevillages.Attheheightoftheboom,
manyPanteschilefttheirfarmstoworkinthetourist
trade.Butthetideturnedinthelate’80sandseveral
hotelsarenowdeserted.Althoughmanyislanders
returnedtotheland,manyfarmsremainabandoned.
Evenso,theislandhasa loyalfanbaseoftravellers,
mostofwhomstayduringthesummermonthsof
July and August, and is home to an eclectic group
134 GOURMET TRAVELLER