{{Infobox settlement | name = Marettimo | native_name = <!-- If different from name --> | native_name_lang = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. --> | settlement_type = [[List of islands of Italy|Island]] | image_skyline = Marettimo-panorama.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = Port of Marettimo | pushpin_map = Italy | pushpin_label_position = left | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Italy | coordinates = {{coord|37|58|10|N|12|03|26|E|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|Italy}} | subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Italy|Province]] | subdivision_name1 = [[Province of Trapani|Trapani]] | subdivision_type2 = [[Comunes of Italy|Comune]] | subdivision_name2 = [[Favignana]] | established_title = | established_date = | seat_type = Municipality seat | seat = | unit_pref = Metric<!-- or US or UK --> | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_rank = | area_note = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 686 | elevation_max_m = | population_footnotes = | population_total = 300-700 | population_as_of = | population_rank = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_note = | timezone = | utc_offset = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = | area_code = | website = | footnotes = }}
[[File:Aegadian Islands map.png|thumb|A map showing the Aegadian Islands. Marettimo is the westernmost island.]] '''Marettimo''' ({{IPA|it|maˈrettimo}};<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dipionline.it/dizionario/ricerca?lemma=Marettimo|title=Marettimo|work=DiPI Online|author=Luciano Canepari|author-link=Luciano Canepari|accessdate=17 January 2020|language=it}}</ref> [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]]: '''''Marrètimu''''') is one of the [[Aegadian Islands]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]] west of [[Sicily]], [[Italy]]. It forms a part of the municipality (''[[comune]]'') of [[Favignana]] in the [[Province of Trapani]]. It takes about an hour to reach the island from [[Trapani]].
==History== The ancient name of the island was '''Hiera''', part of the Greek name ''Hierà Nèsos'' (Ἱερά Νήσος), which means "Sacred Island" in Greek. Indeed, its Latin name used by [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] was also "Sacra".<ref>[http://www.parrocchie.it/egadi/madrice/rubriche/mar103.htm "Frammenti per la Storia dell'Isola di Marettimo"], ''Il Giornale delle Egadi'', December 1998. Retrieved 20 May 2013.</ref> The name Marettimo probably comes from the words ''mar'' (sea) and ''timo'' (thyme) due to the profusion of thyme on the island. However, it may stem from a local pronunciation of the word "maritimo".
The island was an important observation point during Roman times, hence the Casa Romana, where it was easy to observe passing maritime traffic. The sea routes between Italy and North Africa and Italy and Spain (via Sardinia) would pass Marettimo.
[[Muhammad al-Idrisi|Abu Abd Allah Muhammad al-Idrisi]] (1099–1165 or 1166), the Moroccan Muslim geographer, cartographer, Egyptologist and traveller who lived in Sicily at the court of King Roger II, mentioned this island, naming it جزيرة مليطمة (''jazīrat Malīṭma'', "the island of Malitma") on page 583 of his book ''Nuzhat al-mushtaq fi ihtiraq ghal afaq'', otherwise known as [[Tabula Rogeriana|The Book of Roger]], considered a geographic encyclopaedia of the medieval world.
There is a well restored Byzantine-Norman church adjacent to the Casa Romana. There are several impressive grottos around the island's coast and innumerable spots for excellent swimming in pristine waters on the western coast accessible only by boat.
==Geography== Marettimo is the second largest of the Aegadian Islands. The highest point is ''Montefalcone'' with a height of {{convert|686|m|0|abbr=on}}. The island has about 300 inhabitants in the winter and 700 in the summer (not including tourists), who mainly live from fishing, tourism and traditional handcrafts. Fishing is predominantly conducted in the summer months.
==Flora and fauna== The island is home to about 500 plant species, many of them indigenous and very rare, among the most endangered being ''[[Bupleurum dianthifolium]]'', ''[[Brassica macrocarpa]]'', ''[[Scilla hughii]]'' and ''[[Thymus richardii]]'' subsp. ''nitidus''; the last was chemically investigated.<ref>Ammar Bader, Guido Flamini, Pier Luigi Cioni and Ivano Morelli, Journal of Essential Oils Research, Vol 13 pp.8-10</ref>
There is a sizeable population of donkeys and horses on the island. There are wild goats, rabbits, eagles, peregrine falcons and plenty of screeching gulls.
==See also== * [[List of islands of Italy]]
==Gallery== <gallery widths="105px" heights="130px"> File:Marettimo2.jpg|The village of Marettimo File:Marettimo3.jpg|Inside the village File:Casa Romana1.jpg|The ruins of the "Casa Romana" settlement. File:Town of Marettimo.jpg|From a ridge above town: Scalo Vecchio on the left, Scalo Nuovo on the right, and the Casa Romana in the left foreground. File:Scoglio Cammello.jpg|Scoglio del Cammello </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Wikivoyage}}
*[http://comitatoisoladimarettimo.wordpress.com Comitato Isola di Marettimo]
{{Portal bar|Geography|Islands|Italy}} {{Aegadian Islands}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Aegadian Islands]] [[Category:Car-free islands of Europe]]