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Special Interest Italy Tours: Scuba Diving in Pantelleria
Tour Features: Stay and Visit ® Italy presents an unforgettable Special Interest Italy tour of scuba diving in Pantelleria, Italy. You will live the "dolce vita" while in our beautiful, hospitable and centrally located four-star hotels. Your dinners (D) buffet style will include house wine and mineral water at Grand Hotel**** Punta Fram Resort & SPA. Breakfasts (B) will be continental style meals.
Day 2 – Pantelleria - Arrive at the airport and transfer to our 4 star Grand Hotel**** Punta Fram Resort & SPA.Pantelleria, the ancient Cossyra, is an island in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea. Hot springs and fumaroles still testify to a quiescent volcanic activity. The Black Pearl of Europe, as Pantelleria is known, is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets. Its small size and remote location help maintaining this secrecy, which goes back at least as far as Homer’s Odyssey. Legend has it that it was in Pantelleria where Calypso kept Odysseus hostage for seven years. Presumably, Calypso would have let Odysseus stretch his legs every once in a while, leaving the cave to explore the island's many other natural wonders such as Lo Specchio di Venere (the Mirror of Venus), a crater lake heated by sulfur springs below, where Venus prepared for her dates with Bacchus, god of wine. Pantelleria is also home to two unique manmade wonders: the Sesi, stone tombs that date from 4000 years ago, and the Dammusi, small one-or-two room lava stone huts with white-domed roofs and thick walls, which were designed by their Arab builders to conserve rainwater (the only fresh water on Pantelleria) and keep cool in the summer, warm in the winter. Today, many Dammusi are available for rent. Pantelleria’s cuisine is also worth mentioning: pesto pantesco is a sauce made from tomato, basil, garlic, almonds, and the capers for which Pantelleria is particularly famous. This island has a very rich Arabic culture and it is extremely evident by the islands’ gardens and architecture. However the culture is very mixed as the Sicilians have engulfed the island with their overwhelming hospitality and palpable charm. It is becoming quite a chic destination. With its’ striking hilly countryside spotted with white Dammuso houses it is a very popular site for scuba diving. Pantelleria does not have any beaches; however that does not stop the swimmers jumping off the black rocks. (D) Day 3 - 8 - Pantelleria - You will enjoy 6 full days of scuba diving off of the majestic island of Pantelleria. (B & D) Day 9 - Pantelleria - Transfer to Pantelleria airport, have a safe return home, treasure the memories and… Grazie and arrivederci a presto! (B) We reserve the right to change the itinerary and schedule times for logistic reasons. DEPARTURES FROM NORTH AMERICA EVERY SATURDAY FROM MARCH TO NOVEMBER UPON REQUEST Price For more information and for reservations contact:
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Day 1 - Departure from your city to Pantelleria
