"Pantelleria - Itineraries and underwater archaeological sites"

- from the Superintendence of underwater archaeological heritage of the Sicily Region -

The creation of underwater cultural itineraries contributes significantly to increasing the recognisability and social and cultural value of a heritage - the underwater cultural one - which has long been neglected and, above all, at the mercy of a few speculators. The dissemination and valorisation of the underwater cultural heritage have been one of the most heartfelt activities of the Superintendence of the Sea since the beginning, designing and activating, among the many activities, the routes/itineraries or underwater archaeological parks that can be visited, in line with the principles of UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Submerged Cultural Heritage. This initiative is based on the belief that the protection of the sea cannot ignore the knowledge and awareness not only of the so-called professionals, but also of the wider public.

In Pantelleria there are five underwater cultural itineraries and they are:
Cala Gadir - Cala Tramontana - Punta Limarsi - Punta Tracino - Punta tre Pietre

- from MARENATURASICILIA -

Cala Gadir - Pantelleria
Anchors and amphorae - 3rd century B.C. - 2nd century A.D. - Rock, sand, posidonia meadow

Between the 3rd century BC and the 2nd century AD. the use of Cala Gadir, an excellent natural shelter from the winds, as a landing place is also proven by the existence of multiple traces of shipwrecks, pertaining to cultures of different origins, which lie here. Of these wrecks, mainly parts of the cargo and limited wooden parts of the hulls are visible. The route is located in a portion of the seabed which slopes down to a depth of 30 meters from the inlet of the marina in a north-west direction. The dive can start from the ground or by descending along the vertical of the buoy located halfway along the route. From the ground, proceeding for 20 meters in a northerly direction you reach a rocky ridge at the base of which, at about 16 meters deep, there is a wooden fragment of a boat half hidden in a crack in the ridge itself. Continuing in a north-east direction, at 27 meters deep, you come across a group of 6 Punic and Roman amphorae. Continuing in a north-east direction, on a plateau about 29 meters deep, there is a Roman lead anchor block (3rd – 2nd century BC). Going up the ridge in a south-east direction to a depth of about 24 meters, various finds are found including some amphora necks and a large fragment of a Greek-Italic amphora. In a southerly direction, going up about 16 metres, various ceramic fragments conclude the route. Here it is active in the remote control system.

Cala Tramontana - Pantelleria
Anchors, amphorae, millstones - 3rd-2nd century B.C. and a modern Libyan fishing vessel wreck - Sand, seagrass meadow

Cala Tramontana and the adjacent Cala Levante have been used since ancient times as shelters and landing places. From the reconnaissance carried out since 2004, various archaeological emergencies have been highlighted due to the probable presence of at least three wrecks referable to a variable time span. Inside Cala Tramontana, in addition to a hoard of around 4000 Punic coins, a significant quantity of raw and worked red flint was recently found, which suggests the presence of a much older fourth wreck dating back to prehistoric times. The starting buoy of the route can be reached from land from the Cala Tramontana pier or from the sea, mooring the boat to the appropriate buoy. The itinerary begins at about 8 meters deep on a seabed of oceanic posidonia which slopes gently towards a sandy plateau. At 18 meters deep you come across the wreck of a modern fishing boat beyond which the first archaeological finds are visible: fragments of Punic amphorae, lithic anchors, a stone anchor stump, and fragments of various ceramics. Continuing you can come across Punic amphorae, Greco-Italic amphorae, a lithic millstone, an amphora from the imperial age and a lithic anchor with two holes.

Punta Lirsi - Pantelleria
Anchors, amphorae, ingots - Various eras - Rock, sand, seagrass meadow

Since ancient times the site must have been a place of anchorage sheltered from the winds, as suggested by the presence of numerous anchors of various ages. The route begins at a depth of 16 meters where the first find is located, a trapezoidal stone anchor. At a depth of 23 meters there is a concentration of finds: a small modern iron anchor, a lithic anchor of indefinite shape which has two deep sling grooves, a modern Hall-type anchor with chain, a rectangular lithic anchor with three deep sling grooves. These large, freshly hewn stones were used as threshers in field work and were probably reused as ballast or rudimentary anchors. You continue to descend among the rocks scattered on the sandy bottom up to 24 meters and, skirting the vertical wall you come across a modern iron anchor with four curved shackles and another stone anchor with two harness grooves. At 18 meters there is an amphora neck with two handles, and between 13 and 9 meters two large modern admiralty-type iron anchors.

Punta Tracino - Pantelleria
Anchors, amphorae, ingots 2nd century B.C. - 12th century A.D. Rock, sand, posidonia meadow

The promontory of Punta Tracino separates Cala Levante from Cala Tramontana. The northern side of the Punta, thanks also to its location along the eastern coast of the island of Pantelleria, is naturally protected from the effects of the wave motion coming from the II and III quadrant. Over the centuries, this conformation has favored its constant use as a natural shelter area in the presence of adverse weather and sea conditions. In fact, innumerable finds have been identified in this body of water, the quantity and chronological extension of which indicates continuous use since the 6th/5th century. B.C. until the Byzantine age. Along the itinerary it is possible to admire some of the amphorae (Dressel 1B and Keay 25) probably lost by some ship anchored behind Punta Tracino. The route is made more interesting by the possibility of being able to observe the evolution that anchors had in the ancient world: we start with an archaic lithic anchor, then move on to the remains of a lead anchor, until arriving at a more recent, but no less fascinating, iron anchor of the type generically defined as "Byzantine".

Punta Tre Pietre - Pantelleria
Lithic anchors, rock, seagrass meadow

Punta Tre Pietre is the oldest landing place for cargo ships coming from the Mediterranean routes because it is close to the winds, and therefore probably chosen as a place of shelter. This is attested by the presence of a large number of lithic anchors of various shapes and sizes which have been abandoned on its seabed over the centuries. The route is located in a portion of the seabed which slopes south-westwards from Punta Tre Pietre until it reaches a depth of 26 metres. The itinerary consists exclusively of lithic anchors of various shapes and sizes. The route begins at a depth of 26 metres, through a gully at the beginning of which there is a large ovoid anchor with a distal hole. Going up the gully, at a depth of 20 metres, a rectangular anchor rests between two rocks. At 19 metres, other rectangular and square anchors with a central hole can be found among the rocks. At 18 metres, a slightly concave ovoid anchor with a central hole. Going back to 17 meters you come across the largest group of finds: a rectangular anchor with a central hole close to another rectangular anchor with a distal hole, an irregular drop-shaped anchor with a central hole and a rectangular anchor with three holes. The route is completed by moving from the gully just followed to the left where, at a depth of 14 metres, there is another quadrangular anchor with a central hole stuck between two large stones.