Marettimo

Marettimo Ancient names:
Greek: Hiera or Hieronesus - Sacred
Arabic: Malitmah
Land surface and geographical position: Km/q 12; length 7.5km (from Punta Mugnone to Punta Bassana) width 2.5km. Coastline 19km. Height of Monte Falcone 686metres. Position: 37°58' latitudine North and 12°4' longitude East.
Distance from Trapani 20 miles (37km), from Favignana 13.5miles (25km) and from Cape Bon in Tunisia 70 miles (130km).
Population: Marettimo is part of the municipality of Favignana. The island has a population of 819 residents.
Area code: 0923.
Note

The marvellous island of Marettimo is in a world of its own because of what it is, its extraordinary naturalistic patrimony, the beauty of its grottos and its very steep and imposing coasts that tower above an extraordinarily iridescent , crystal-clear sea. Marettimo has approximately 700 residents, all living within a small area of a mere few square metres with narrow roads and white lanes, squeezed between the mountain and the sea. In fact Marettimo has only a few beaches and small, pebbly coves which can only be reached from the sea in boats that are available for hire.

This is the wildest, the most mountainous and the greenest of the islands in the archipelago. It's a luxuriant garden set in the middle of the sea - to be more precise there are more than 500 different botanical species, thanks also the presence of fresh water springs.
Ride on small donkeys up to the Case_Romane, where several paths radiate outwards across the whole island.
Itineraries:
Punta.Troia. castle can be reached by sea but is also accessible via a coastal path that starts in the village. Arabs back in the IX century built a look-out tower on the promontory of Punta Troia. In 1200 Ruggero III had it enlarged and in 1600 the Spanish built the castle you see today, later used as a maximum security prison.
There are still signs of the Roman civilization. Climb the side of the mountain and in approximately 30 minutes you will reach the ruins of a tiny group of Roman houses (Case_Romane) and a beautiful little temple dating back to the first centuries of Christianity, a small byzantine church of the XII century.
The grottos
The Grotta_Del_Cammello is big enough for a boat to enter and reach the gravel beach at the back of the grotto. Up to the 1930s this grotto, located just before Punta Troia, was home to the monk seal, now extinct thanks to the absurd and beastly habit of hunting them.
The Grotta_Del_Tuono is located on the northern coast which ends at Punta Mugnone.
The Grotta_Della_Pipa gets its name from the shape of the homonymous rock called Pipa
The Grotta_Del_Presepio is so named for the stalactites and stalagmites that have taken on the shapes of statues in a Christmas crib due to erosion by the sea and wind.
Grotta_Perciata has this name because of the enormous cleft in the rock face.
Flora and Fauna
There are woods of Aleppo pines, a thriving maquis at Lentisco, rosemary, heather, euphorbia and hawthorn.
The rarer plants species live on the vertical rock faces where they are safe from the goats: Scilla Hughy, Blupeuro and Dianthus..... the yellow flowered Elicriso Pendulo, Sea Fennel, Thyme and other aromatic plants grow lower down and along the coast.
The area is rich in bird life, both migratory and non: quail, turtle doves, doves, woodcocks, francolin, cranes, larks, European horned owl, storks and kingfishers.
There are falcons, kites, rooks and barn owls high up on the summits.

Marettimo's charm lies in its waters and sea floor and to really appreciate them one should explore Marettimo's coast in depth, visiting all its coves and grottos among seagulls in flight and fish swimming quietly among the rocks and waving carpets of poseidonia. But even if you don't have too much time to spend on the island it is still well worthwhile taking a sea trip round it. There are about 400 grottos, both above and below the water, along the island's coast. Set sail from the harbour heading north and you will see that the coast immediately becomes high and imposing, thanks to the Pizzo Capraro massif following almost immediately by Mount Falcone, the highest promontory in the archipelago.

Interactive maps