The patron saint of Pantelleria is Saint Fortunatus, celebrated on 16 October. The island preserves numerous remains of its ancient history: the most important are those of the Sese archaeological park, in the Mursìa and Cimillia area, with its Bronze Age hut settlement, a monumental fortification wall and the associated sesi necropolis. Further traces of ancient Cossyra, the Punic and Roman settlement that occupied the island, are visible on the small hills of San Marco and Santa Teresa.
The Barbacane castle, probably built on an original Roman-era structure, still dominates the main harbour today: a stern, Renaissance-looking fortress, formed by an irregularly quadrangular body with an internal courtyard, joined to a square tower originally separate. In 1488 the castle had four very tall and slender towers; today it houses a museum holding the famous heads of Pantelleria.
