Scalo Ditella is the main pier for anyone wishing to reach and stop at Panarea, the smallest of the Aeolian islands, or rather what remains of an ancient volcano destroyed by the sea. It lies northeast from the relief of Milazzo, covers an area of 3.3 square kilometers, and stretches out over a 5-mile path.

The entire island is traversed by a slope that divides it vertically, reaching its highest point with Pizzo del Corvo on which an iron cross has been prominently placed. The town spreads out on the eastern and southwestern ridge, thanks to a territory with a softer morphology that gives way to discrete slopes with flat stretches. The northern and western slopes are mainly rocky, traversed by steep cliffs; in the coastal strip, high walls make landing operations difficult.

From information from boaters, we know that there are no particular adversities in sailing in the vicinity of the island, while remaining a fair distance from the coast. From a maritime point of view, the western side of Panarea offers good shelter from the north and west winds due to the many coves on the coast. Recommended anchorage points are Cala Junco, Baia Milazzese, Cala della Nave, but especially Scalo Ditella.

The latter represents the main landing place located near the town of San Pietro, north of Punta Peppemaria. It consists of a concrete pier almost 100m long and 10m wide that rises on a sandy seabed allowing the landing of hydrofoils, ferries and the conduct of normal economic activities.

Equipped with bollards and mooring rings, the southern side of the wharf is for the exclusive use of hydrofoils; the front part of the wharf along with the first 5 meters of the northern side are reserved for the landing and movement of ferry vessels; the remaining part of the wharf, to the north, is designated for fishermen and boaters. The pier is affected by quadrant I, II and IV winds and is a good shelter in case of quadrant III winds.

It is a port of call with several services for boaters including fueling, water supply, outdoor storage, garbage pickup, and mooring. Also adjoining the port area is a slipway, a mobile crane, an ATM, a pharmacy, restaurants, hotels, a grocery store, and a medical guard.

There is also a buoy field with a transfer service in the immediate vicinity of the Ditella slipway, for which reservations are recommended, especially in the summer period. Although it is the only effective landing place, anchoring is prohibited within 200 m of the pier head to leave room for operating tankers and rowing boats