What to see and where to eat in Ustica, the island of unique sunsets loved by Antonio Gramsci

The coming-of-age novel of the Palermo baby boomer (with a few lire in his pocket) often included, before university, a short trip of a couple of days to an island of rugged beauty located about two hours by hydrofoil from the port of Palermo: Ustica.

Ustica immediately struck visitors with the superhuman charm of its deep sea, its steep and jagged coasts, its impervious paths, fields of wheat, prickly pears, vines and legumes, scattered with rare olive trees and shrubs of Mediterranean scrub. The Marine Protected Area would arrive in 1986, but the respect of the local community, divers and fishermen for the territory in the broad sense was absolute even then, and it allowed the new reality (we are talking about almost 16,000 hectares!) to create a sort of paradise for divers and sea lovers, among the most beautiful and richest in Italy, where you can admire groupers, dentex, amberjacks, octopuses, lobsters, barracudas, octopuses and countless marine species such as Posidonia oceanica.

Sober and discreet tourism

The island, unlike others in Sicily, has never known the noisy tourism of the rich, the flashy and intrusive worldliness: it has remained essential, authentic, timeless, proud and dignified in its sober and almost austere beauty, characteristics that attract people accustomed to relating calmly with both humans and the environment. Among the reasons for a visit, the “gastronomic reason” has many arrows to its bow: fish, of countless species (moray eel included!), abounds, brought ashore every morning by the small local fishing fleet, and you can easily find it in some improvised corner, or you can go early in the morning to the Pescheria Aurora, run by Danilo and Simona: no need to ask, everything is on display, just choose from the day’s catch laid out on the counter… and that’s it!

Pescheria Aurora

All the goodness of Ustica

Another suggestion: along the Tramontana road, farmers sit with their baskets to sell the produce of Ustica’s vegetable gardens – aubergines, tomatoes, grapes, peaches, melons, the island’s renowned Slow Food Presidia, Ustica lentils and broad beans, with their exquisite taste. Going more canonically for a traditional restaurant, Il Faraglione run by Giorgio and Gabriele Tranchina (who also manage the Sogni nel Blu residence) has beautiful breezy terraces overlooking the port: here fish is a must, from crostini with gamberetti di nassa (an extraordinary local delicacy) to the luscious shellfish soup and the spaghetti with “patelle”, that unforgettable rarity of the sea. Of the same category is the historic Sogni nel Blu – Da Umberto&co., a reliable name for three generations.

Sogni nel Blu – Da Umberto&co.

The Natale sisters unexpectedly closed a restaurant loved by many, Carruba; a real pity, but Martina and Maria Clara have somehow replaced it – and it’s worth going – with Carruba in una scatola, a charming little terrace on the square where they prepare tempting breakfasts of homemade cakes, bread with ricotta and honey, and then, at lunchtime, sandwiches with vegetables, dairy products, caponata and so on. Tavernacolo, open all year round, for lunch and dinner, is a modern village tavern; platters of cured meats and cheeses, or lentil soups, pasta with cuttlefish ink and tuna, or the fried dish of the day. Good drinking too, with branded local wines (just one, necessarily), other labels and the house wine. Sweet-toothed visitors should not miss Il Terrazzino run by Manlio and Serena, always open: don’t miss, when available (it is a rarity), the pasta with delicious moray eel sauce.

Tasty pizzas, aperitifs and after-dinner drinks

Pizza la Piazza by Luca Lo Piccolo deserves a visit: flavoursome seafood proposals and well-executed pizzas (always book). New this year, Basilicò, in the historic centre, is making a name for itself with a varied and quality offer: cocktails, wines, a short menu (notable the calamarata with scorpionfish and cherry tomatoes), desserts, savoury delicacies in abundance. Meanwhile, under the Spalmatore tower, in the charming little cove a stone’s throw from the sea, L’Acquario is a beach club with “feet in the water” that offers evocative views and good meat dishes (the owner runs the island’s only butcher’s shop), though it’s worth tasting the fish dishes too. And speaking of sea views, Ailanto Park, a nightclub and mixology bar on the northern cliffs, offers an “amazing” one, from magnificent terraces (where, it is said, many couples were born and later married).

Alianto Park

Where to stay in Ustica

Among the most renowned accommodation, the historic Hotel Clelia and the Residence Timeo, with spacious and comfortable rooms; but also Hibiscus, which is much more than a farmhouse with rooms: it is a high-quality farm that cultivates and sells the famous Ustica lentils (and more) and remains to this day the only winery on Ustica, an absolute reference point for wine production, with its own vegetable garden worth a visit. Also very interesting is Il Giardino di Giancarlo – Educational Oasis of Giancarlo Lo Sicco, four thousand square metres cultivated with vegetable garden, orchard and olive grove, created to remember the pioneering work in the field of food and wine of the well-known journalist who died prematurely.

A final thought regarding this island that alternates between brazen beauty and whispered beauty, well-kept paths for long invigorating walks, areas of archaeological finds of great interest, secret coves, infinite silences, memories of the time when Ustica, during the Fascist era, was also the island where important political prisoners were sent, the most famous of whom was Antonio Gramsci, confined here for 44 days starting on 7 December 1926 (the house still exists). Even in that distressing situation, he wrote to his family impressions still valid today: “delightful landscapes and visions of seas, dawns and marvellous sunsets”, “extremely courteous population”, “very healthy walks” and also “unique rainbows of their kind”.

Where to eat in Ustica

Pescheria Aurora – via Tre Mulini – 339 7670564 – Facebook

Il Faraglione – via Pio la Torre – 366 3751213 – Facebook

Sogni nel Blu – Da Umberto&co. – p.zza della Vittoria, 7 – 338 7414970 – Facebook

Carruba in una Scatola – p.zza Capitano Vito Longo, 4 – Facebook

Tavernacolo – p.zza Capitano Vito Longo, 17 – 339 2749073 – ustica.tavernacolo.it

Il Terrazzino – p.zza Umberto I – 388 8990301 – Facebook

Pizza la Piazza – via Spezieria, 3/10 – 338 5604865 – Facebook

Basilicò – via Tre Mulini – 334 8043248 – Instagram

L’Acquario – c.da Spalmatore – Facebook

L’Ailanto Park – c.da Falconiera – 333 5059783 – Facebook

Hotel Clelia – via Sindaco, I – 091 8449039 – hotelclelia.it

Residence Timeo – v.lo Terzo della Chiesa Vecchia – 091 8449040 – residencetimeo.com

Hibiscus – c.da Tramontana – 091 8449543 – agriturismohibiscus.com

Il Giardino di Giancarlo – Oasi didattica di Giancarlo Lo Sicco – c.da Tramontana – 339 2530638 – ilgiardinodigiancarlo.it

cover photo: Il Faraglione