“I’ve been going to this island for forty years now, so much so that I feel like a citizen in all respects, yet I never cease to be surprised by the unique and lively human quality of those who live there ”. Thus begins the letter sent by the stylist Giorgio Armani to the mayor of PantelleriaVincenzo Campo, a few days after the serious fire that hit the east side of the island.
With the letter, the designer announced a donation of 500 thousand euros to the Pantelleria community. “I am writing this message moved by a feeling of admiration e gratitude for all those who – firefighters, carabinieri, police forces, municipal administration, institutions and volunteers involved – have given their contribution to extinguish the terrible fire that struck Pantelleria and that upset us so much. I address my message to you, as a private citizen, in the hope that it will extend it to all interested parties “writes Armani, who was among the first to raise the alarm about the fire and left his villa with his guests precisely because of the smoke that had invaded Cala Gadir making the air unbreathable.
“This is a simple and direct island, but intense, and so I want my words and actions to be: thank you, really ”concludes the letter from Armani who then hosted the mayor on his yacht. The latter gave him an official letter of thanks and presented several projects that could be financed with the generous donation. It is about projects concerning the activities of the Civil protection in specific fire-fighting actions (water systems), the fight against the abandonment of fields and the productive recovery of uncultivated land which is one of the determining factors for the propagation of the fires.
King George in Pantelleria he lives in Cala Gadir, a characteristic fishing village on the north-east side and one of the most fascinating places on the island, in a villa with seven dammusi (the typical Pantelleria houses with the white domed roof and particularly thick walls that make the houses very cool in summer and warm enough in winter), 200 palm trees and a vineyard where his Passito called Oasis. It is not uncommon to meet the designer walking undisturbed through the streets of the island when he is not venturing into the deepest Mediterranean with his yacht. “I think I can consider myself among the first tourists of Pantelleria. But it wasn’t love at first sight, quite the contrary. At first I found it barren, grumpy, rough with no comfort or sandy beaches, with bruising rocks and a constant feeling of discomfort. I couldn’t wait to leave, ”she said in an interview. Then the discovery of Cala Gadir, falling in love with “the light, the black and rugged volcanic rock terrain” and “the people who live there”Said the designer who then in 1981 decided to buy three dammusi, now seven.