Page 8 - The_Egadi_Islands

https://www.thethinkingtraveller.com/italy/sicily/areas-of-sicily/islands-and-archipelagos

from Trapani on Sicily’s western tip.

Largely untouched by tourism, the island is a real hideaway, a
quiet, sleepy place for most of the year. Then, in the summer
months, expat islanders return to see their families, catch up with
the news and renew their vows of love for their home. The story of
Marettimo’s diaspora and how the islanders took up salmon-fishing

in Alaska is the stuff of legend and an intrinsic part of the island’s
identity.

Marettimo packs a surprising amount of history and
archaeological interest for such a small, relatively remote place.

Looking down from a vantage point above the village are the
remains of a Roman military outpost, built after the First Punic War
and testimony to the strategic importance the island played in
antiquity. Next to these ruins is a small Norman church, built after
the Arabs were ousted from Sicily in 1072. It was the same Arabs
who had built a fortified watchtower on the top of Punta Troia, an
unassailable promontory at the northeastern tip of the island.
Roger II (the Norman king responsible for building the cathedral in
Cefalú) transformed it into an impregnable castle, which remained
in use variously as a prison, a military garrison, and a
communications centre until the early 20th century. Recently
restored, it is now open to the public and is reached either by boat

or by trekking along with a splendid, if rugged, coastal path. The
reward at the end of this path is a refreshing dip in the sea from the
rocks below the castle.

Largely untouched by tourism, the island is a real hideaway, a
quiet, sleepy place for most of the year.

Marettimo is a great destination for those who love trekking. A
network of well-signposted walking routes crisscrosses the island,
offering unending panoramas of heart-quickening beauty. Perhaps
the best view of all is to be had from the top of Pizzo Falcone, the
island's highest peak at about 500m above sea level.

Marettimo's coastline is one of dramatic charm. Numerous sea
caves puncture the plunging, precipitous dolomitic cliffs as they
meet the sea. One such is the Grotta del Cammello, which hosts a
pebbly beach and the remains of a Roman settlement. A day or two