Figure 1.--This photograph shows a baptism ceremony on Ustica in the 1960s. We have no more information about it. Note the the clothing worn by the young teenager: short sleeve shirt, shorts and open toe sandals. This seems standard for Italy at the time. Ustica today is a scubb diving mecca, but tghe usland has a very colorful history.

Ustica is a tiny island in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Palermo on Sicly. Only about 1,300 people live there. The primary connection is a ferry service from Palermo. The island is today primarily noted for scuba diving, but has a fascinating history dating back to the Bronze Age. The first historic peoples were another seafaring peoole -- the Phoenician (16th century BC). Some 300 stone-built houses were discovered at Tramontana along with a strong stone wall. Both go to show the existence of seafaring technology as well as sea raiding/piracy (14th-13th century BC). The earlies settlers appear to have come from the Aeolian Islands. Although tiny, most ofthe mahor Meditrranean opeople played a role in the island's history. The Greeks called the Island Osteodes (ossuary). This was because of all the unburried bones. The Carthaginians left thousnds of mutineers there to die of hunger (4th century BC). The Romans renamed the island Ustica, Latin for burnt aa a result of the many black rocks. A Benedictine community attempted to settle the island (6th century AD). Thy were forced off the island by Arab raiders. This situation continued for cednturues because of the Barbary pirates. Permanent settlers did not return for centuries (mid-18th century). Settlers came from Lipari, aniothr small islnd off Sicily. The patron saint of Lipari was Bartholomew the Apostle, who became the patron saint of Ustica. The population grew to an unsustainable level and as a result emigration to American began (late-19th century). Many settled in New Orleans. The Fascists used the ialsnd as a prison and during World War II set up a prison camp for Yugoslav POWs. Many died of malnutrition. Itavia Flight 870 crashed into the sea off the island while en route to Palermo (June 1980). The 81 people on board were killed. It is know as the Ustica massacre. The cause of the disaster has never been determined.

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Created: 8:34 PM 5/11/2021
Last updated: 8:34 PM 5/11/2021