Sicily · Palermo
Ustica
A volcanic island fifty-two kilometers north of Palermo with Italy's first marine protected area, lentil fields on lava, and a long memory as a prison.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Visiting
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- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 29° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Ustica is a small volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian, fifty-two kilometers north of Capo Gallo, 8.65 square kilometers of basalt and tuff with two old volcanoes at Punta Maggiore and Guardia dei Turchi just below. The island was used as a place of confinement by the Bourbons, the Savoys, and finally the Fascists: Mussolini banished thousands of political opponents here, often 1,500 at a time, including Antonio Gramsci and Amadeo Bordiga, until the 1950s. In November 1986, Italian fishermen pushed through the establishment of the first marine protected area in Italy, around 15,000 hectares of sea where diving schools now operate one of the Mediterranean's best-known reserves.
The lentils and broad beans of Ustica, grown without pesticides on volcanic soil, are Slow Food Presidia. On 27 June 1980 Itavia Flight 870 was shot down nearby in the sea, the Ustica massacre, killing all 81 on board.
How to get there
Ustica is on an island and is reached by ferry.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Area Marina Protetta Ustica
Italy's first marine protected area, established November 1986 over roughly 15,000 hectares, world-known for diving and biodiversity.
Punta Maggiore
Highest point of the island at 244 meters, vestige of an ancient volcano; the main peak above the village.
Villaggio preistorico dei Faraglioni
Bronze Age fortified settlement on the cliffs, one of the best-preserved prehistoric villages in the western Mediterranean.
Grotte marine
Sea caves around the coast, accessed by boat, formed in the basalt and tuff of the old volcanic flows.
Riserva Naturale Isola di Ustica
Terrestrial nature reserve covering the volcanic interior, with lentil plots, fig trees and Mediterranean macchia.
Living here
Could you live here?
Ustica is an island.
- Reached by ferry. In the series we say we would never live on an island: the ferry is a commitment every time you leave.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 1,319, down 4.2% since 2015
- Economy homes in the center: €1,050 to €1,450 per m² to buy, €2.60 to €3.80 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Very remote
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 81% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Regional capital Palermo, across the water
If you are moving here
Who lives here
3% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, against 9% across Italy. There are 315 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 54% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Palermo province ranks 97th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €10,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Sicily spends about €1,820 a month, €580 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €524 a year for water, on the Sicily average. In Palermo, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.26, a meal in a pizzeria €13.56 and a man's haircut €17.31.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone B, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from December 1 to March 31, up to 8 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 12% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
DIVING
First marine protected area in Italy, 1986, with schools operating year-round on one of the Mediterranean's clearest reserves.
LENTILS
Ustica lentils grown on volcanic soil without pesticides, Slow Food Presidium alongside the local broad bean.
PRISON ISLAND
Place of political confinement under Bourbons, Savoy and Fascists; Mussolini held Gramsci and Bordiga among 1,500 internees.
Common questions
- What is Ustica known for?
- Ustica is a volcanic island fifty-two kilometers north of Palermo with Italy's first marine protected area, lentil fields on lava, and a long memory as a prison.
- Where is Ustica?
- Ustica is a comune in the province of Palermo, in Sicily, at 49 meters above sea level.
- How do you get to Ustica?
- Ustica is on an island and is reached by ferry.
- When is the best time to visit Ustica?
- Best in May–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Ustica?
- Lampedusa e Linosa, Pantelleria and Lipari.
- How many people live in Ustica?
- 1,319 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Ustica a good place to live?
- Ustica is an island town, reached by ferry, which our Where to Move in Italy series treats as the furthest end of the road. Full fibre reaches 81% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 49 m
- Population: 1,319
- Surface area: 8.65 km²
On the map
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Ustica appears in
Similar
Towns like Ustica
What all six share with Ustica: islands, reached by ferry
Lampedusa e Linosa
Province: Agrigento
both on the Sicilian coast · both near sea level
Pantelleria
Province: Trapani
both on the Sicilian coast · both near sea level
Lipari
Province: Messina
both on the Sicilian coast · both near sea level
Isola del Giglio
Province: Grosseto
both under 3,000 people
Ventotene
Province: Latina
both near sea level
Ponza
Province: Latina
both near sea level
The letter
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Chioggia | Everyone is wrong about this town
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