Ustica Island

Formerly the capital of international tourism , Ustica, one hour by ship from Palermo, rightly constitutes an exemplary case in the management and territorial planning of marine protected areas .

An intense safeguarding activity, combined with research and promotion, has in fact activated an intense tourist flow here supported by a series of cultural and sporting events dedicated to the environment .

Won the local resistance, and instituted the protection in 1982, it is in fact subject to constraint since 1986, with a bureaucratic history that has been a forerunner in Italy.

And so this nine-square-kilometer rock is today the international capital of underwater disciplines and a marine science park . A reality that embodies such biodiversity as to represent as much as 50% of the Mediterranean flora and fauna species.

For this reason it is considered a must by sea-watchers and diving enthusiasts . The islet is characterized by volcanic rocks. A morphology that also influences the seabed and, moreover, all underwater life.

The ideal is to equip yourself for depth excursions, even if a clear view of the imposing rock masses at 40 meters descending to depth appears already in the shallow water. Whether you are an expert in the depths, or new to the first dive, the excitement is guaranteed. Even for the novices the island offers diving courses and lessons organized by degrees and levels.

Thus, even below the coast, small caves and tunnels on a human scale will reserve for us the meeting of bream and damsels, hermit crabs and groupers, octopuses and molluscs.