Marettimo: the unspoilt paradise of the Egadi

Part of the municipality of Favignana, Marettimo has an area of ​​only 12.3 sq km, with just 680 inhabitants, and reaches its highest peak with Monte Falcone at 686 m above sea level.

Its name of Greek origin "Hierà Nésos" means “sacred island”. The ancient populations of this restricted area of ​​the Mediterranean (Phoenicians, Elimi, Sicani) attributed to it a character of sacredness which can still be enjoyed today. According to the Trapani theory of the Odyssey (by Samuel Butler), Marettimo would 

geographically 

coincide with Ithaca, the homeland of Ulysses; it would be the hero himself to indicate its position. The name with which we know it today, however, derives from the Latin "Maritima", probably due to the abundant presence of wild thyme, even if this is not the only type of grass that grows spontaneously on the island, whose paticoular climate contributed to the development of an extraordinary flora.

Unlike Levanzo and Favignana, which over the centuries have suffered tremendous deforestation, Marettimo enjoys a luxuriant flora that makes it a real botanical paradise, a condition probably due to its position and its rugged and wild nature, difficult to shape by 'man.

In Marettimo there are more than 500 species, some of which are typical of the island and not present in other parts of Sicily.

Its skies are also crossed by different types of birds such as the kite, the heron, the barn owl, the peregrine falcon, the bonelli's eagle, the kingfisher and the Mediterranean herring gull.

Finally, in the waters of Marettimo some specimens of monk seals 

(who seemed to have long since disappeared from these areas) 

have been spotted by some fishermen.

The island was inhabited for the first time, probably around 5,000 BC. (various artifacts found on the island and preserved today in the sea museum, testify to this); probably Marettimo was a support place for those crossing the Mediterranean in search of shelter and provisions.

The official entry in the history books is dated 20 March 241 BC, with the battle that ended the first Punic war. Several authors cite Hierà as the place where the peace treaty between the Romans and the Punics-Carthaginians was signed after the dramatic Battle of the Egadi Islands in which the Carthaginian fleet was defeated by the Romans and an armistice was signed.

From that moment on, the Romans made the island a military garrison to control the route between Tunisia and Rome. The complex known as the "Roman Houses" remains from this historical period, located in the upper part of the island, consisting of two small buildings and a small Norman church.

The Roman domination was followed by the invasion of the Vandals, then the Byzantines and the Saracens. The construction of the watchtower on the promontory of Punta Troia is probably attributed to the latter.

Then it was the turn of the Arabics, which remained for over a century, leaving many words relating to fishing and housing that are still adopted today.

The expulsion of the Arabs was the work of Count Ruggero D’Altavilla who in 1078 brought Christianity to the island.

The following centuries saw alternating: Swabians, Angevins and Spaniards. With the latter, Marettimo lived a period of great isolation and constant threat from pirates, as did all of Sicily, to the point that the inhabitants of Marettimo were forced to live in the caves of the island.

In 1637, the Spaniards, now bankrupt, were forced to leave the island.

A slow but constant repopulation began slowly, especially at the end of the eighteenth century under the Bourbons who tried to reform the state, revaluing the territory.

With the French Revolution, the castle of Marettimo became a prison for political prisoners.

Only between the middle and the end of the 19th century in an atmosphere of peace brought by King Ferdinand II of Bourbon, and with the arrival of the Florio family in Sicily, the inhabitants of Marettimo abandoned the caves to build their houses in tuff.

The Florio family gave a strong economic and cultural boost to the Egadi islands, with the construction of the tuna traps and with the flourishing of the cultivation of the fields.

The island of Marettimo is well connected to the mainland thanks to a convenient hydrofoil and ferry service, departing from Trapani and, in the summer, also from Marsala.

The races are very frequent and make it easy to move around the Egadi archipelago. In a few tens of minutes it is possible to easily reach Levanzo and Favignana from Marettimo.

You can move around on foot on the island, as it is forbidden to use cars, except for a few authorized vehicles.

The most popular activity is generally the boat tour of the island, often with organized tours; Marettimo is in fact the island of the Sea Caves; more than 400 caves and inlets, many of which can be reached 

only 

by sea. Here you will not find equipped beaches, rather small coves, surrounded by nature,  bathed by crystal clear waters, and rich in fish.

A couple of these beaches can be reached on foot in a few minutes because in the immediate vicinity of the town, others require slightly longer paths, through the mountain or the woods.

But Marettimo is full of wonders not only of maritime kind, and usable in all periods of the year. It is in fact possible to engage trekking or climbing activities by entering its wildest paths.

A paradise full of the signs of the history that has passed through it, yet at the same time uncontaminated and of which time seems not to have disturbed nature.