Pantelleria and the right not to feel forgotten: the voice of citizens and the responsibility of institutions

The Dammuso Circle, the association of dammusi owners in Pantelleria, carefully welcomes the letter published on Pantelleria News by a citizen of Pantelleria, who expressed with lucidity and participation the sense of distance and inequality experienced daily by those who live or maintain a deep bond with the island.

The issues raised — from the cost of living to essential services, from the difficulties related to mobility to the limitations that affect even fundamental moments of family life — tell of a reality that goes beyond individual hardship and describes a structural condition of the smaller island communities. Pantelleria, while representing a strategic garrison in the Mediterranean and a unique environmental and cultural heritage in the world, continues to face significant and unacceptable gaps compared to the opportunities guaranteed to the citizens of the rest of the country.

In this context, the issue of territorial continuity takes on a central value. It does not only concern the organization of transport, but represents the tool through which fundamental rights can be implemented: access to health services, the possibility of working and studying, the economic sustainability of daily life and the permanence of the younger generations on the island.

The current uncertainty linked to the failure to define air connections after the deadline of the extension scheduled for the end of March is already producing tangible consequences. Owners unable to plan stays and returns, postponed property visits, suspended events and difficulties in planning the tourist season are concrete signs of economic and social damage that risks spreading rapidly.

The reflections expressed by the citizen recall a simple but essential principle: no territory should feel visible only in moments of strategic or emergency interest. Guaranteeing certain and continuous connections means fully recognizing the role of the smaller islands within the country system and ensuring equal dignity to their inhabitants.

The Dammuso Circle, the association of owners of dammusi in Pantelleria, therefore hopes that the competent institutions can intervene promptly to re-establish conditions of certainty and continuity in connections, preventing an already fragile situation from translating into a further economic and social setback for Pantelleria.

“Pantelleria does not ask for privileges, but the simple certainty of not being remembered only when needed and forgotten when it needs to be reached.”

Pantelleria, March 2026

THE DAMMUSO CIRCLE Association – Pantelleria

Download the official press release here.