Ustica

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Ustica is the name of a small island, about 9 km across, situated 52 km north of Capo Gallo, Italy. Roughly 1,300 people live in the comune (municipality) of the same name.

There is regular ferry service from the island to Palermo, Italy.

History

The island has been populated since about 1500 BCE by Phoenician peoples, . In ancient Greece, the Island was named Osteodes (ossuary) in memory of the thousands of Carthaginian mutineers left there to die of hunger in the 4th century BCE. The Romans renamed the island Ustica, Latin for burnt, for its black rocks. The island is also known locally as the black pearl.

In the 6th century, a Benedictine community settled in the island, but was soon forced to move because of ongoing wars between Europeans and Arabs. Attempts to colonize the island in the Middle Ages failed because of raids by Barbary pirates.

In the mid-1700's, the island was settled by approximately 90 people from the island of Lipari, an island also located north of Sicily, but east of Ustica. They brought with them the patron saint of Lipari, San Bartolomeo, who became the patron saint of Ustica as well. In the early 1900's several Ustican families emigrated to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, whose ties remain strong to Ustica.

During the Fascist government in Italy and until the 1950s, Ustica was used as an island prison.

The island became infamous on June 27, 1980, when Itavia Flight 870 crashed a short distance from the island, killing all 81 passengers and crew.

Environment

The island is caharacterized by reduces sources of water, and the vegetation is consequently scarce. The coast has numerous rocks and grottoes

Ustica is home of the honeybee Apis mellifera sicula.

Tourism

Ustica is particularly known for Scuba diving, with a number of diving schools established on the island. Recreational divers are attracted by the relatively deep dives, which are a feature of the islands volcanic geology.

 

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