Finally on vacation: from Campania to Sicily, Pantelleria Island (LINK). Superb, just sea and rocks. Wild. Almost like a desert island.
How not to be captivated by the Passito di Pantelleria, a fortified wine with an amber colour and a sweet taste to be enjoyed at the end of a meal with dry almond-based sweets.
Or as an aperitif accompanied by blue cheeses, with sour cherry jam. A very welcome souvenir for those who receive it.
But the magic lies in seeing the island full of vineyards cultivated in the earth so as not to get blown away by the strong gusts of wind that are on the island.
The sapling vine is a peculiarity that has been awarded and included in the Intangible Heritage of the World drawn up by UNESCO.
In fact, Pantelleria is known as the island of the wind and only here grows a variety of Zibibbo grapes whose trunks are practically 'buried' to prevent strong gusts of wind from sweeping them away.
From this particular grape left to dry on the vine, a golden-coloured and sweet-tasting liqueur wine called Passito di Pantelleria is produced. The name derives from the type of production process and the grapes left to dry on the vine and then squeezed to make the wine.
Passito di Pantelleria is recognized as a protected food and wine product.
The island is very wild and overlooks the sea, its scarce production fights with nature but from this fight they take unique aromas and flavours.
Spending my vacation I fell in love with the freedom and the goodness of simple products such as the sweet Bacio di Dama, another food and wine characteristic of the island. A cake made with a particular flower-shaped instrument.
It is dipped in a batter and thrown in hot oil to create crispy wafers that are filled with ricotta and sprinkled with icing sugar.
Usually, when having lunch or dinner in Pantelleria, you cannot give up this combination: the sweet Bacio di Dama with a glass of Passito. But if you have almond pastries or dry biscuits (like Cantucci) you can try unique taste sensations.
I hope this short story will inspire you to visit the island of Pantelleria and taste its fabulous Passito in front of a wonderful sunset on the open sea and immersed in its wild nature.
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