WINTER ABECEDARY
Pantelleria, the volcano island, instinct of beauty
- The wind is the only true lord that dominates the island, but as a true lover it does not possess it, imprison it, mortify it, rather set it free, release its moods and smells, sometimes protect it, hide it, exalt it in its unattainable being, desire and destiny, celebration and weeping. The wind enters and exits, agitates and calms, caresses and stirs, draws near and away, accompanies and separates. The sky hosts it, the sea shelters it, but the island waits for it and loves it, every time, every day. It almost seems, to the most attentive, that the island itself turns to watch where the wind comes from, and shelters a part of the sea and offers a part of itself instead. To set oneself against the wind is the intelligence of the sky that wants to make itself earth, and allows itself to be laid down. To set in favor of the wind is the intelligence of the sea that wants to make itself land, and lets itself be pushed. The island asks the wind to make the sky and the sea its land. It is true love.
- Pantelleria kisses, mustazzoli, pasticciotti, cassateddre, and cannateddri are typical Pantelleria sweets. All very simple, related to holidays throughout the year, Christmas and Easter, or to special events such as engagement or marriage. They accompany the Pantesco sense of celebration and also correspond to the availability of various ingredients according to their season. Especially in ancient times, they were prepared by involving the entire family units and gave the winter a deep sense of relationships. To understand the Pantelleria dessert entirely, one must complement it with passito wine and dancing in circles in winter.
- Terraces is used for the terraces spread along the island, reaching all the way to the shoreline; ducchene, on the other hand, is used for the outside of the houses, strictly towards the sea, with a design around the house for protection from the wind, with low walls that become chairs, and that allow you to look, to stay, to host, to eat, to rest, to sunbathe, to enjoy the moon, always outside. The outside of the Prince’s Houses is perhaps the reason for the beauty of these houses. The ducchena is an oasis of beauty.
