What is Ustica known for?

First marine protected area in Italy, 1986, with schools operating year-round on one of the Mediterranean's clearest reserves. Ustica lentils grown on volcanic soil without pesticides, Slow Food Presidium alongside the local broad bean. Place of political confinement under Bourbons, Savoy and Fascists; Mussolini held Gramsci and Bordiga among 1,500 internees.

Sicily · Palermo

Ustica

A volcanic island fifty-two kilometers north of Palermo with Italy's first marine protected area, lentil fields on lava, and a long memory as a prison.

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Nearest hub

1,311

Population

May–Oct

Best time to visit

Why come

Ustica is a small volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian, fifty-two kilometers north of Capo Gallo, 8.65 square kilometers of basalt and tuff with two old volcanoes at Punta Maggioreand Guardia dei Turchi just below. The island was used as a place of confinement by the Bourbons, the Savoys, and finally the Fascists: Mussolini banished thousands of political opponents here, often 1,500 at a time, including Antonio Gramsci and Amadeo Bordiga, until the 1950s. In November 1986, Italian fishermen pushed through the establishment of the first marine protected area in Italy, around 15,000 hectares of sea where diving schools now operate one of the Mediterranean's best-known reserves. The lentils and broad beans of Ustica, grown without pesticides on volcanic soil, are Slow Food Presidia. On 27 June 1980 Itavia Flight 870 was shot down nearby in the sea, the Ustica massacre, killing all 81 on board.

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Gallery

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Known for

Area Marina Protetta Ustica
Italy's first marine protected area, established November 1986 over roughly 15,000 hectares, world-known for diving and biodiversity.
Punta Maggiore
Highest point of the island at 244 meters, vestige of an ancient volcano; the main peak above the village.
Villaggio preistorico dei Faraglioni
Bronze Age fortified settlement on the cliffs, one of the best-preserved prehistoric villages in the western Mediterranean.
Grotte marine
Sea caves around the coast, accessed by boat, formed in the basalt and tuff of the old volcanic flows.
Riserva Naturale Isola di Ustica
Terrestrial nature reserve covering the volcanic interior, with lentil plots, fig trees and Mediterranean macchia.

When to visit

Best months · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through October is the season the island works for. Ferries and hydrofoils run from Palermo, the sea warms in May, the diving season runs to November. July and August bring crowds and the highest fares, although the population at peak still stays in the low thousands; the protected area regulates boat traffic. September and October are the best months for divers, the water still warm and the visibility highest. November through April is quiet, ferries reduce, many guesthouses close, and the wind off the Tyrrhenian can isolate the island for days at a time.