Known for its shoreline of jagged volcanic cliffs and sea-formed lava inlets, the Italian island of Pantelleria sits southwest of Sicily and just 50 miles east of Tunisia — on a clear day, it’s possible to see across the strait to Kelibia.

First inhabited during the Bronze Age, Pantelleria’s 32 square miles were subsequently conquered by the Carthaginians, the Arabs, the Romans and Roger II, King of Sicily, with clusters of dammusi — whitewashed, dome-roofed stone dwellings dating as far back as the 10th century — surviving it all. By the early 1800s, the island had been tamed anew by caper farmers and winemakers. The past decades have brought yet another set of arrivals; as other glamorous coastal spots (Portofino, Sorrento) were besieged by cruise ships, Pantelleria (population 7,500) emerged as an understated holiday destination for in-the-know Italians — Giorgio Armani and the actress Isabella Ferrari both have houses here.