Isola di Ustica

Ustica has been colonised since at least Phoenician times and there are some remains of a prehistoric village at the northern tip of the island; sadly fenced off when we tried to visit so we could not get a close look. However, we did go for a morning run on Wednesday 11 June which was a bit of a strain as we chose to run up the hill which overlooks the town. On the top is a necropolis and the rocky peak is covered in ancient graves cut into the rock. The island has a bit of a history of death about it. It was known as ‘the island of bones’ in the Greek era because 6000 mutinous Carthaginia soldiers died of starvation here having been abandoned on the island. Also, in the Middle Ages, the population was repeatedly massacred by pirates.

Ustica has been linked with Homer’s Odyssey with one theory (Ernle Bradford, Ulysses Found) being that Ustica was the home of Aeolus, the god of winds, who gave Ulysses a bag enclosing any contrary winds to help speed him on his way. His unruly crew opened the bag believing it contained treasure and thus they were again blown off course and their homecoming delayed. If Ustica is indeed the home of Aeolus we think he is on holiday because there has not been a breath of wind during our visit.

As well as providing a good excuse for getting our breath back whilst we explored it, the necropolis is also a great vantage point, with views down to the harbour and across the island.

Back down the hill, the town was waking up and starting to become active. There is one main square dominated by the church, and a smaller one a few steps down the hill, and as well as a few shops and a bank. As a result of being the centrepiece of a long-established marine reserve, Ustica is a mecca for scuba diving and the town is full of dive training centres. The cafés are generally populated by tourists who have come to dive and who are studiously working through course notes or dive tables in the sunshine. We picked up a map of the island from the tourist office, which was helpful later when we cycled around the island to visit some of the recommended snorkelling sites.

The church is covered in colourful plaster castings and this theme of brightly decorating was evident elsewhere. Shops and boring utility buildings have been livened up with paintings of fish and most houses also have a colourful tiled frieze. Later, as we cycled around, we noticed that most of the villas are set a long way back from the road. Either side of the entrance gates to the driveways are more colourful tiles depicting the inhabitants, usually involved in their favourite pastime; diving, fishing and boating featured on a lot of them.

On board, the ‘BV Sushi Bar’ was opened up again for one last indulgent sushi lunch whilst the tuna was still super fresh. We ate the rest as seared tuna steaks (the previous night) and tuna kebabs. Normal sushi bar portions are going to seem very miserly in comparison with our recent experience. More wasabi paste and soy sauce are on the shopping list ready for the next big catch.

Armed with our map, swimming and snorkelling kit we used our folding bikes to cycle around the island. The whole coastline is a marine nature reserve but with zones restricting fishing, boating and scuba diving activities. However, swimming and snorkelling is allowed everywhere so we had a free rein to visit several spots. It is clear why Ustica took its name from the Latin ustum (burnt) as the shoreline is black lava rock. We swam in the natural swimming pool (a large rock pool) as well as from 3 ‘beaches’ and, from what we could see with our snorkel gear, it is obvious why Ustica is such a popular diving location. There are lots of different colourful fish, sponges and sea fans, and the water is beautifully clear.

In the end, we stayed 3 nights in Ustica, leaving on Friday 13 June. Whilst we were in the port we knew that 2 yachts had laid their anchor chains across ours so we knew leaving might be a little more tricky than normal. Fortunately, one of the yachts left just before us and lifted their anchor without incident.  However, the other yacht’s anchor was snagged on our chain. We chatted to them before we left so that they would have their engine going to hold them off the quay whilst we lifted both their anchor and ours and untangled them before dropping theirs back in a suitable spot. It was a useful exercise for us as we have not had to do that before but expect it to be a regular activity when we get to the popular Greek harbours where mooring stern to the quay with your anchor deployed to hold the bow in position (rather than using fixed lines to a block on the seabed) is the norm.

Ustica sits out on its own 30 nm north of the western end of Sicily. Our next passage would take us about 60 nm east to the volcanic Aeolian Islands. With active volcanoes, mud baths and lava flows they should keep us busy for a few days before it is time to brave the Greek mythological hazards of Scilla and Charybdis passing through the Messina Strait.

Isola di Ustica