Renting a damusso on Pantelleria

How to rent a damusso—traditional house—on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria

The kitchen in my rented damusso.Though there are hotels on Pantelleria, to get the true island experience you must rent a traditional damusso.

This is an ancient form of Arab architecture: rectangular walls of lava blocks stacked up to six feet thick against the heat, the roof undulating over a series of whitewashed domes that sit above each room collecting rainwater. Inside, the domes create soaring ceilings of intersecting arches and cupolas.

Damussi stay cool all summer long, and renting one gives you a kitchen and a neighborhood of your own. Last time I stayed, my damusso was in the mountain village of Sibà, where the neighbors were ridiculously friendly, strings of tomatoes hung against sunny walls to dry, and dogs napped in the middle of the sole road, not even stirring when I steered my scooter around them.

Tips & links

Share this page

Search ReidsItaly.com