The Sicilian island of Pantelleria lies just 60kms from the coast of Tunisia and 100kms to the southwest of Sicily itself. It is the largest volcanic island in the province, with a total area of 83 square kilometres. The summit of an undersea volcano, it holds two calderas from previous eruptions and its topography features solidified lava flows and domes, pumice cones and the distinctive Green Tuff deposits. The island hosts hot springs and fumaroles and is slowly sinking due to its underlying magma degassing as it cools. A fortified ancient village and fishing port lies on its northwestern shore, with several even smaller hamlets scattered around the island. Small steamers and hydrofoils bring tourists from Trapani on Sicily, with the dozen or so Pantelleria hotels mostly gathered around the pretty harbour and offering great views of the Mediterranean sunset. A small airport brings even more visitors to the island from Palermo and Trapani. It is a real get-away-from-it-all destination, with stunning volcanic areas of natural beauty. Sadly, it has no beaches, but swimming from the black rocks is possible.

other spellings: panteleriahotels, otelin pantellerai, pantelleira hotell, pantellreia hote, pantelelria hotes