THEisland of Ustica it is located a few miles from the Palermo coast and far from mass tourism. Paradise for divers and snorkelers. It remains a place to be discovered, where the blue of the sea blends with the red brushstrokes of the sunsets.
Just under 10 square km and just over 1000 inhabitants, which triple with the summer, Ustica is connected to the Sicilian capital only by sea.
Lentils are the gold of the land of Ustica
The island of Ustica boasts a production of unique lentils, so much so that they are recognized as a Slow food presidium. Small and round, dark brown in color with delicate greenish shades, they have always been cultivated on the island's fertile and lava soils.
Lentils are the gold of this land. Their sowing takes place in January. While the harvest, cleaning and processing takes place between the end of May and mid-June in a completely manual way. Twenty years ago at the birth of the presidium, there were just three producers. In a few years they have increased, allowing the recovery of previously abandoned land. From poor food par excellence, therefore, Ustica lentils have become a fundamental ingredient of Sicilian cuisine.
Ustica is above all the sea, an uncontaminated paradise with crystal clear waters in which to dive
An enchanting place among black cliffs that form ravines, caves and underwater inlets, natural pools for thousands of fish and corals that populate the seabed of the Marine Reserve.
Fifteen underwater nature trails, also usable in apnea. And then, the beaches of the Faraglioni, the Passo della Madonna, the Fossazzu, a small and deep natural pool that opens into the cliff at the foot of the Punta Cavazzi lighthouse.
Leaving the sea you can take a bike ride through the dirt paths, or comfortably seated on the small bus that runs through the country lanes of the town.
