Page 555 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

East of here lies the Cala dei Cinque Denti, where fantastically shaped rocks jut out
of the sea like monstrous black teeth – hence its name, “Bay of the Five Teeth” (though
the rocks are really best seen from the sea). Just beyond, a minor road cuts away to the
lighthouse at Punta Spadillo, where the cliff edges are covered with a carpet of
surprising greenery that’s somehow taken hold in the volcanic rocks.

The Specchio di Venere and Bugeber

From the first road junction on the northwest coast, it’s a ten-minute walk up and
around before you get the initial stunning views of the small Specchio di Venere
(Venus’s Mirror), shimmering below in a former crater. Though it glistens aquamarine
in the middle, the lake has a muddy-brown edge, deposits of which you’re supposed to
apply to your body and allow to bake hard in the sun. Then you dive in and swim,
washing all the mud off in the pleasantly warm water. A path skirts the edge of the

lake, around which horse races take place as part of the August ferragosto
celebrations.

Beyond the lake, the road climbs up for another 2km to the hamlet of Bugeber, set
amid tumbling fields of vines and craggy boulders. The bus back to town runs past
here three times a day; alternatively, walk the 3km past the lake back to the main road,
where you can pick up any of the buses from Tracino.

Gadir

At a fork in the road past Punta Spadillo, the bus can drop you at the top of the smartly
engineered route down into Gadir, one of the most perfect spots on Pantelleria. It’s a
small anchorage, with just a few houses hemmed in by volcanic pricks of rock, which
– when the wind is up – can be battered and lashed by violent waves. At other times,
people lie about on the flat concrete harbourside, and splash in the small thermal

pools hereabouts.

Cala Levante and around

The lower road from Gadir toward Tracino is one of the loveliest on the island,
following slopes that are terraced and corralled behind a patchwork of stone walls.
Vines grow in profusion, with capers and blackberry bushes in the hedgerows. It’s an
easy, fairly flat hour’s stroll to the charming Cala Levante, a huddle of houses around

another tiny fishing harbour. There’s good swimming from the rocks – provided the
sea’s not too rough – and a bar-restaurant above, with a terrace overlooking the sea.
Where the road peters out, bear right along the path at the second anchorage and keep
along the coast for another five minutes to view the Arco dell’Elefante, or “Elephant
Arch”, named after the lovely hooped formation of rock that resembles an elephant

stooping to drink. Again there’s no beach, but it’s a good place to swim anyway.