Picture this:
You’re barefoot, sun-drenched, sipping natural wine on the rooftop of a stone villa older than most countries. Your phone? Somewhere, probably. But it hasn’t buzzed in hours.
No beach clubs. No dress codes. Just cobalt sea, volcanic cliffs, and four friends laughing on a rooftop like they’ve escaped the world.
Welcome to Pantelleria — the wild Italian island almost no one talks about... yet.
But that’s about to change.
While the summer hordes race to Positano and Capri for €30 Aperol spritzes and selfie-stick sunsets, the creative underground is slipping away to Pantelleria — 60 miles off Sicily, and just 40 from Tunisia.
They call it the “Daughter of the Wind.”
It’s raw. Remote. And so damn magnetic it almost feels like you’re trespassing on something sacred.
The island has no freshwater streams, so its ancient homes — dammusi — were designed with domed roofs to catch every drop of rain.
Now, these same volcanic stone villas are being reborn as minimalist sanctuaries for artists, writers, and the occasional fashion legend (yes, Armani has a place here).
It’s where your Airbnb has 200-year-old olive trees and a lavender-scented breeze — not a "please rate your stay" sticker on the fridge.
There’s something happening in Pantelleria right now.
Call it a creative awakening.
Design hotels. Experimental cuisine. Artist residencies. Natural wine tastings that last until sunset (and then some).
Places like Parco dei Sesi, founded by art collector Nicoletta Fiorucci, are blurring the lines between hotel, studio, and gallery. You don’t just stay — you create. Paint. Cook. Write. Reflect.
Or head to Sikelia Luxury Retreat, where ancient dammusi meet modern design, and the restaurant Thelma serves Mediterranean-Arabic dishes under a sky so clear it looks fake.
Even the vineyards feel like installations. At Serragghia, Gabrio and Giotto Bini craft wine from century-old vines, fermented in buried amphorae like some ancient ritual. Try their zibibbo, and tell me it’s not the best glass you’ve ever had.
You won’t find beach clubs here. You’ll find something better.
Skippers like Carlotta Vigo will take you by boat to hidden coves with natural saunas inside the caves.
On land, hiking trails lead past caper bushes and vineyards to geothermal hot springs where the only sound is wind through fig trees.
There’s a lake called Laghetto di Venere — the Lake of Venus — where volcanic mud promises to smooth your skin and maybe even your soul. The water glows milky green. People float like it’s a dream.
Because it kind of is.
Pantelleria isn’t easy. That’s part of its magic.
There’s no scene to chase. No one’s watching.
You show up with sandy feet and sleep in dammusi that feel like sculpture.
You eat seafood cooked in a fisherman’s home — not plated on Instagram.
You talk. Dance. Nap. Swim. Disappear.
And then you realize… this is what travel is supposed to feel like.
Doubt it.
With more creatives, designers, and slow-living seekers discovering Pantelleria every summer, the whispers are getting louder.
The question is:
Will you get there before the crowd?
Or will you be the one who hears about it after it’s already changed?
Welcome!
