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Ustica (Italian pronunciation:[ˈustika];[3]Sicilian:Ùstica) is a smallItalian island in theTyrrhenian Sea. It is about 5 kilometres (3 mi) across and is situated 52 kilometres (32 mi) north ofCapo Gallo,Sicily. Roughly 1,300 people live in thecomune (municipality) of the same name. There is a regular ferry service from the island toPalermo in Sicily.
Excavations begun in 1989 at Tramontana, also known as Faraglioni, have unearthed what was a large prehistoric village dating from the 14th to the 13th century BC. The foundations of some 300 stone-built houses were discovered, and the defensive walls of the settlement are among the strongest fortifications of any period known in Italy. It is believed that these early settlers came over from theAeolian Islands.
In historic times, the island has been populated at least since about 1500 BC byPhoenician peoples. Inancient Greece, the Island was namedOsteodes (ossuary) in memory of the thousands ofCarthaginian mutineers left there to die of hunger in the 4th century BC. TheRomans renamed the islandUstica,Latin forburnt, for its black rocks. The island is also known locally as the "black pearl".[4]
In the 6th century, aBenedictine community settled in the island, but was soon forced to move because of ongoing wars betweenEuropeans andArabs. Attempts to colonize the island in theMiddle Ages failed because of raids byBarbarypirates.
In the mid-18th century, the island was settled by approximately 90 people from the island ofLipari, an island also located north of Sicily, but east of Ustica. They brought with them the patron saint of Lipari,Bartholomew the Apostle, who became the patron saint of Ustica as well. In the mid-to-late 19th century and early 20th century, as the population of the island grew too large, hundreds of Ustican families emigrated to the United States. Many of these families settled inNew Orleans and surrounding areas, where there are today thousands of descendants whose ties remain strong to Ustica. Among them was Angelina Caravella, the mother of famous jazz singer and trumpet playerLouis Prima. A smaller number of families settled in San Jose and San Francisco, in New York, Massachusetts, Oregon, Montana and in Chicago.
During theFascist years in Italy and until the 1950s, Ustica was used as an island prison.[4]Benito Mussolini banished thousands of political opponents to Ustica, often as many as 1,500 at a time; many were homosexuals. BothAntonio Gramsci andAmadeo Bordiga were sent there.[5] In the early 1940s Yugoslav war prisoners were crammed onto the island, and many of them died from malnutrition and tuberculosis. In the 1950s they were followed by suspectedMafiosi expelled from Sicily.[6]
On 27 June 1980,Itavia Flight 870 crashed into the sea off the island while en route toPalermo, killing all 81 people on board. The event became known as theUstica massacre.[4]
Ustica is particularly known forscuba 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 island's volcanic geology.
Ustica contains the remains of theBronze Age settlement of Villaggio dei Faraglioni. It showcases organized urban planning with huts and narrow roadways along its northern periphery, representing a well-preserved example ofancient Mediterranean civilization between 1400 and 1200 BC. Recent archaeological investigations unveiled a sophisticated fortification system beneath the village. Using non-invasive techniques such asground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography, researchers identified an 820-foot-long arc-shaped stone wall, standing 13 to 16 feet tall.[7]
Ustica's climate is classified ashot-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csa). The annual average temperature is 18.13 °C (64.6 °F), the hottest month in July is 26.58 °C (79.8 °F), and the coldest month is 11.27 °C (52.3 °F) in February. The annual precipitation is 525.72 millimetres (20.70 in), of which October is the wettest with 78.85 millimetres (3.10 in), while July is the driest with only 3.91 millimetres (0.15 in).
Climate data for Ustica, elevation: 250 m or 820 ft, 1991-2020 normals, extremes 1946–present
