Marettimo (; Sicilian: ''Marrètimu'') is one of the

Aegadian Islands The Aegadian Islands ( it, Isole Egadi; scn, Ìsuli Ègadi, la, Aegates Insulae; gr, Aἰγάται Νῆσοι, , the islands of goats) are a group of five small mountainous islands in the Mediterranean Sea off the northwest coast of Sicily, ...

in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

west of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It forms a part of the municipality (''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'') of

Favignana Favignana ( scn, Faugnana) is a ''comune'' including three islands (Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo) of the Aegadian Islands, southern Italy. It is situated approximately west of the coast of Sicily, between Trapani and Marsala, the coastal ar ...

in the

Province of Trapani Trapani ( it, Provincia di Trapani, scn, Pruvincia di Tràpani; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Trapani'') is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, southern Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it ...

. It takes about an hour to reach the island from

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...

History

The ancient name of the island was Hiera, part of the Greek name ''Hierà Nèsos'' (Ἱερά Νήσος), which means "Sacred Island" in Greek. Indeed, its Latin name used by

Pliny Pliny may refer to: People * Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'') * Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...

was also "Sacra". The name Marettimo probably comes from the words ''mar'' (sea) and ''timo'' (thyme) due to the profusion of thyme on the island. However, it may stem from a local pronunciation of the word "maritimo". The island was an important observation point during Roman times, hence the Casa Romana, where it was easy to observe passing maritime traffic. The sea routes between Italy and North Africa and Italy and Spain (via Sardinia) would pass Marettimo. Abu Abd Allah Muhammad al-Idrisi (1099–1165 or 1166), the Moroccan Muslim geographer, cartographer, Egyptologist and traveller who lived in Sicily at the court of King Roger II, mentioned this island, naming it جزيرة مليطمة (''jazīrat Malīṭma'', "the island of Malitma") on page 583 of his book ''Nuzhat al-mushtaq fi ihtiraq ghal afaq'', otherwise known as The Book of Roger, considered a geographic encyclopaedia of the medieval world. There is a well restored Byzantine-Norman church adjacent to the Casa Romana. There are several impressive grottos around the island's coast and innumerable spots for excellent swimming in pristine waters on the western coast accessible only by boat.

Geography

Marettimo is the second largest of the Aegadian Islands. The highest point is ''Montefalcone'' with a height of . The island has about 300 inhabitants in the winter and 700 in the summer (not including tourists), who mainly live from fishing, tourism and traditional handcrafts. Fishing is predominantly conducted in the summer months.

Flora and fauna

The island is home to about 500 plant species, many of them indigenous and very rare, among the most endangered being ''

Bupleurum dianthifolium ''Bupleurum dianthifolium'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is endemic to Italy. Its natural habitat is Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habi ...

'', ''

Brassica macrocarpa ''Brassica'' () is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, or mustard plants. Crops from this genus are sometimes called ''cole cr ...

'', ''

Scilla hughii ''Scilla'' () is a genus of about 30 to 80 species of bulb-forming perennial herbaceous plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. Sometimes called the squills in English, they are native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and ...

'' and '' Thymus richardii'' subsp. ''nitidus''; the last was chemically investigated.Ammar Bader, Guido Flamini, Pier Luigi Cioni and Ivano Morelli, Journal of Essential Oils Research, Vol 13 pp.8-10 There is a sizeable population of donkeys and horses on the island. There are wild goats, rabbits, eagles, peregrine falcons and plenty of screeching gulls.

Gallery

File:Marettimo2.jpg, The village of Marettimo File:Marettimo3.jpg, Inside the village File:Casa Romana1.jpg, The ruins of the "Casa Romana" settlement. File:Town of Marettimo.jpg, From a ridge above town: Scalo Vecchio on the left, Scalo Nuovo on the right, and the Casa Romana in the left foreground. File:Scoglio Cammello.jpg, Scoglio del Cammello

References

External links