Beloved by a certain glamorous set of Italians (Giorgio Armani, et al.) for its discretion and rough hewn beauty, Pantelleria offers the purest of Mediterranean pleasures. Here photographer Katie McKnoulty explores the coves and craggy inlets where the black-lava cliffs drop down to the sea and there’s no sand in sight. On this, ‘the black pearl of the Mediterranean’ the best swimming spots come by way of lava-formed sunbathing platforms, sleepy ports, and natural thermal spring–fed pools. Don’t come here to be seen on the scene but instead rent a scooter and zip up to a mirror-like crater lake or lay out your towel, swim all day in the port town of Scauri and find a scoop of gelato just when the sun starts to be too much.
Peeking out from the brush and wild rosemary and oregano found all over Pantelleria, are ancient dammusi houses constructed of volcanic stone
Famous for its almond granita, Pasticceria Gelateria Katia, in the town of Pantelleria, the island's main hub, is a welcome reprieve from the midday sun.
Steps from the port in the town of Scauri, where sun-lovers sprawl all day long, Kaya Kaya bar attracts a crowd from morning until midnight.
In the absence of the typical Italian beach clubs and their comforts, on Pantelleria “beach”goers wedge their umbrellas into rock crevices for protection from the strong sun.
Many of Pantelleria’s dammusi are built with terrace living spaces, passiature in the local dialect, the focal point of life in the fiery summer months, for everything from cooking to taking in the surrounding natural beauty, with expansive views of the Med.
Balata dei Turchi, where the remains of a lava flow reach all the way to the sea, forming a gently angled platform on which to sunbathe.
An altar built into the volcanic rock of a building in the town of Scauri.
