Pantelleria island in Italy, Sicily resort
Rating: 7,8/10 (283 votes)  Pantelleria is an island located in the Sicilian Strait. The total area of Pantelleria is 83 km 2. The highest point of the island – Mount Grande, reaching a height of 836 meters. Pantelleria is an island of volcanic origin. Volcanic activity is evidenced by fumaroles and hot mineral springs. Pantelleria has fertile soil, but lacks drinking water. After the archaeological excavations, traces of a man's stay on the island were found, in layers 35 000 years ago. The first settlement on the island did not come from Sicily, it belonged to the Ligurian or Iberian tribes. At 2 000 – 1 000 BC there was a Sesiot culture. After a rather significant hiatus, the island was conquered by the Carthaginians, and was used as an important point on the approaches to Sicily. During the excavations, city stone walls, reservoirs and cisterns for storing water, terracotta figurines were discovered and Carthaginian burials. In 255 BC. the island was occupied by the Romans, who lost it a year later and occupied it again only 37 years later. During the period of the Empire, members of the imperial families and important officials were exiled to the island. In 700, the Arabs exterminated the Christian population of Pantelleria. In 1123, the Arabs were expelled from the island by Roger of Sicily. In 1311, a significant victory was won by the Aragonese fleet near Pantelleria. During the Second World War, the island was an Italian base for torpedo boats that attacked British convoys passing through the Sicilian Strait. In 1943, the capture of the island played one of the key moments in the Allied landings operation in Sicily. Before the invasion, Pantelleria was bombarded from sea and air, after which a British amphibious assault landed on the island, and the Italian garrison was forced to surrender. On the west coast of the island is a Neolithic settlement with a rampart consisting of obsidian blocks. Huts with obsidian products and pottery were found here. We also recommend reading Mozia Island in Italy, Sicily resort Topic: Pantelleria island in Italy, Sicily resort. |
