Marettimo, on the edge of the world suspended between the waves of the sea
From the Trapani coast, the Egadi Islands are blurred silhouettes in the salty air: gentle yet rugged islands, which the ancients already called Aegates, from the Greek Aigatai meaning “land of goats,” and which today attract travelers and tourists in search of their own Neverland. Could it be Favignana, the most famous of the three, with its cobalt blue sea beaches and tuff quarries? Or is it Levanzo, a patch of rocky land with white cottages and explosions of fuchsia bougainvillea among salt-cracked walls?
No: you have to go further, push on to the last landing, observe the massive and remote silhouette approaching, and finally-when the hydrofoil docks at the long pier of the Scalo Nuovo-place your foot on the ground and allow yourself to be enveloped by the intense fragrance of thyme, rosemary, and savory: it is the island of Marettimo, the wildest in the archipelago, the farthest from the coast. The last glimpse of land before the blue immensities of the Mediterranean Sea.
The nerve center of the island is the only inhabited center, gathered around Punta San Simone and the two piers, Scalo Vecchio and Scalo Nuovo. The village is well worth a visit, if only because time seems to pass a little more slowly here than elsewhere: it may be the small blue and white houses, it may be the sleepy and serene air, it may be the heady scent of Mediterranean scrub, saltiness and exquisite Sicilian cuisine that wafts from the small local family restaurants, all wild herbs and sweet and salty aromas, who knows. The fact is that one would like to stop forever.
Unlike nearby bustling Favignana, mass tourism does not arrive here. Cars cannot be used, and for sleeping you can only turn to bed and breakfasts and room rentals in fishermen’s houses. The scents are those of the Mediterranean scrub, composed largely of endemic species, and the shade is that of Pizzo Falcone, the mountain that makes Marettimo what it is: a land unsuited to comfortable tourism and perfect instead for those seeking preferring nature in the wild, with little, if any, human alteration.
The beauty of the landscape, the quality of the trails and the suggestion of its colors have made Marettimo a beloved destination for hikers from all over the world over the years. Indeed, the old mule tracks recovered by the Forestry Department create a dense network of trails, suitable for easy rides as well as more challenging walks.
Marettimo’s mountainous nature also manifests itself in its coastline, which is precipitous and very rich in ravines and caves that can only be visited by sea. In high season, almost all fishermen offer a boat tour to the caves, a distinctive feature of an island where sea and rock constantly dialogue.
So, one at a time, here are the Cave of Thunder and the Cave of the Bombard, the Cave of the Camel, the Crib and the Ficaredda, whose name comes from a fig tree that decorated its top in the past. And so on. A boat visit to the caves is a must for the Marettimo experience: this is the only way to admire the true heart of the island, which remains hidden to those who do not take the time to discover it. And it is only here, at sea level or just below, that it is possible to glimpse the sweet soul of Marettimo, its sapphire-colored liquid heart, which has always breathed together with the sea.
James Gandola