PONZA

PONZA

PONZA

PONZA

PONZA

PONZA

PONZA

Ponza is the main island on the Pontino Arcipelago. It is composed by two groups of islands. The islands that forms the arcipelago are, nord-west Ponza, Palmarola, Zannone e the small island Gavi, Sud- East: Ventotene and Santo Stefano island, that  during the fascism, in its penitentiary were confined many important people like   Luigi Settembrini,  the anarchist Brogi and the italian  ex - President  Sandro  Pertini (Mussolini was confined in Ponza and the enemies of the fascism had been  imprisoned  in Ventotene).

.The penal colony was closed in 1964 but its  simple structure  seems to conserve  the pain and suffering of those people who were inprisoned until the end.

In that place the only survivor is  the spirit of death, that is strongly present  in every cell, every nook and cranny and especially in the old  cemetery,   where you can still read  the epitaph carved in the stone : here the justice of the man ends and the justice of God  begins.

Long time ago , the entire group of  islands, today belonging to the Lazio region, was discovered   by the ancient roman, as well as  Ischia and Capri and today their remains, several  aqueducts ruins and artificial basins bored in the sea - rocks  as the testimony of their  passage.

Subsequently, in the XVIII the century, the Borboni were the promoters of a great colonization. A a great quantity of persons from the Parthenopean basin moved to the Arcipelago for improving the fields, that were potentially productive, and for colonizing them  for Carlo II and his son Ferdinando IV.

For this the reason the language spoken on the Pontine Islands is similar to the partenopean language.

Today the farming has been nearly abandoned  and  new jobs are specialized in the building sector, fishing  and tourism:  the limpid  and uncontaminated  waters of the Pontine Islands attract  a lot of  tourists every year. 

distances and connections with the Pontine island

The connections with Ponza are guaranteed all year long, but during the summer and the holidays, the service is upgraded.

Ponza can be reached by ship or watercraft from Anzio, Circeo, Terracina and Formia.

During the winter the means of transport leave exclusively Anzio, Terracina and Formia.

From June to September is available a  fast ferryboat, that can also transport vehicles. There are a great number of ferryboats that leave Formia and Terracina and they guarantee the daily connections all year long.The hydrofoil, from Anzio and Formia, is also available (all year long ).From Circeo, a fast farryboat takes approximately an hour for connecting San Felice to Ponza, 20 miles away . 

This last connection is available only for people with no car , from  June to September. 

The distances change according to the place of departure and the means of transport: the ferryboat that leaves Anzio  takes 1 hour and 45 minutes, the ferryboat  that leaves Formia  takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, the hydrofoil takes 1 hour and 15 minutes, the motorship from Circeo takes  less than 1 hour .     

VETOR : ferry-hydrofoil  http://www.vetor.it

SNIP E SNAP ferry-hydrofoil http://www.snapnavigazione.it

MOTONAVE HIPPONION PRINCESS  - navire Circeo

For other  informations please contact the association  Pro Loco di Ponza  telephone number: +39/0771/80031 or internet web site : www.prolocodiponza.it

The Pontine Islands,   compared to other tourist goals,   have not still been discovered from the foreign tourism,   and mostly they assist to the invasion   of the tourism   commonly said of mass, concentrated in  the  August. 

That circumstance  helps the tourists to visit, during other periods the year called “low season”,   places with a wild and breathtaking nature.  In that period,  services are  reduced ( October - April )  but  the quality is higher than the “high season”.  

The temperate climate and  the good quality of the services, with a lower cost,   make the Pontine Islands, from September to July,  particularly pleasant .

Every  period of the year  is characterized 

by natural attractions,

 they make these islands

 an interesting, a cultural - naturalistic

 and an historical place.  

From  April  to May , the broom bloom on the  slopes of Ponza and particularly on the Mount 

Guard, coming down, in country, the landscape seems to be a Van Gogh’ painting  .   

In that period the sea can be rough or calm.

Sometimes  the rough sea can create some problems to the 

ferryboat, that cannot sail for the inclement weather

It happens that who has to leave Ponza is forced to  remain on

 discover a different side of the island charm

On March the first migratory birds coming from Africa,  stop on the island  to rest, while the

 At the beginning of the month of June the first  boats and  the first   tourists   begin to arrive.

July and August   are very calm months,   they coincide with      " everyone' holyday "

and consequently it  is   the moment of maximum tourist affluence.  

September is  the best month about someone. 

Most of the  tourists are back to the cities. the sea is always calm, the weather is good, it's not difficult to see the dolphins and the whales approaching the coast.

From October to December, the weather is mild and the water of the sea maintains an elevate temperature, so  the hunters start to catch the migratory birds directed towards the African summer but  the bathing season by now concluded,   the time is mild and the water of the sea maintains a elevated temperature , much from being able to take a last sea bath.

In this period of the year  the hunters are going to begin the hunting period, in this period   the migratory birds too are going to begin the back migration , they are directed towards the African summer , they are goig to face the first of  the numerous dangers which must themselves be subjected in order to perpetrate and to celebrate the miracle of the life that is repeated, cyclical, every year of their short life that, in some case, is concluded on this bewitched island.