The Pontine Islands are an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the west coast of Italy. The islands were collectively named after the largest island in the group, Ponza. The other islands in the archipelago are Palmarola, Zannone, and Gavi to the northwest, Ventotene and Santo Stefano to the southeast. These two groups are separed by 22 nautical miles. From Sabaudia-Cape Circeo peninsula to Zannone the distance is 12 nautical miles, while Ventotene faces Gaeta (21 miles). The minimum distance between Santo Stefano and the isle of Ischia is 22 nautical miles.

The archipelago is the result of volcanic activity and has been inhabited for thousands of years. Neolithic artifacts and Bronze Age obsidians have been excavated on the islands. The islands were used by the Etruscans who carved the "Blue Grottos". The earliest recorded history of the islands occurs with the Roman victory over the Volsces at 338 B.C. A local legend says that this was once the lost Kingdom of Tyrrhenia which sank with a narrow strip connected to mainland Italy.

During the reign of Rome's Caesar Augustus, residential expansion on the islands was encouraged and people spread from Ponza to Ventotene. Rome used the two islands as a retreat and a place to exile politically troubling citizens. Some two thousands years later the islands were used for the same reason by the Fascist regime.

The Pontine were abandoned during the Middle Ages due to constant raids by Saracens and pirates. During the 18th century, the Kingdom of Naples re-colonized the islands, that later became part of the Kingdom of Italy.

Ponza and Ventotene are populated, in the smaller islands are nobody. Ventotene and Santo Stefano are land and sea conservation areas supervised by the Italian State.

Currently, tiny vineyards, wild herbs and flowers, and secluded beaches and grottos make them a popular tourist destination.

Pontine Islands Tourist Information

There are only two islands large enough to offer accommodation possibilities and regular ferry connections: Ponza and Ventotene. The other islands in the Pontine archipelago, including the nature reserve of Zannone, can be visited in boat trips from the two larger islands.

Ponza is the main tourist destination, and is hugely popular with water-lovers; the island offers superb swimming opportunities, particularly for those who hire boats. Around 8km long, the island has two principal settlements, connected by bus.

Ventotene is smaller - under three kilometres long - and is more suited to those looking for some serious peace and solitude. The island's ancient and only port was dug out of the volcanic rock. The small island of Santo Stefano, offshore, is dominated by a prison, built by the Bourbons and in use until 1965.

Palmarola is smaller still, craggy and uninhabited. There's a small landing-place for boats and a restaurant (summer only). The green isle of Zannone is a nature reserve, and also the site of a ruined monastery, built in 1213. The remaining island is little Gavi, inhabited only by wild rabbits.

Ventotene and Ponza have several archeological sites; the Emperor Augustus exiled his embarassing daughter Julia to Ventotene (then known as Pandataria); and Nero later did the same with his wife Octavia. The remains of the Roman Villa Giulia can be seen on the tip of the Eolo headland. Over the centuries many other notable exiles arrived on the Pontine islands, including the early saint Flavia Domitilla, Sandro Pertini (a prisoner of the Fascists and later President of Italy) and Mussolini (confined here for a few days in 1943).

Fortresses and prisons mostly date back to the period when the islands belonged to the Bourbons, ownership having passed from the aristocratic Farnese family in 1734. In 1813, Ponza was briefly captured by the British during the Napoleonic Wars before being returned to the Bourbon dynasty.

As well as swimming and sunbathing, the islands offer plenty of opportunities for boating and diving. If the action gets too much, there are restaurants and bars for unwinding after dusk, while pleasant daytime hours can be spent wandering through the dramatic landscape, past scattered ruins and breathtaking views.

Pontine Islands Travel Information

Get to the Pontine Islands
Rome is the best airport and starting point for the islands, although Naples is also an option. Ferries and hydrofoils run to Ponza from Anzio (42km), which is an hour's train journey from Rome. Other ferries travel to Ponza and Ventotene from Terracina and Formia, both on the Latina coastline between Rome and Naples. In the summer there is also a hydrofoil service from the island of Ischia to Ponza. Services are drastically reduced outside the main tourist season (which runs roughly May-September). See the foot of this page for links to the websites of ferry companies serving the islands. Ventotene can be reached from Formia with Vetor (55mins).

Get around
For travelling around the shorelines, or between the islands, boats are the obvious option. If you haven't arrived in your own yacht, small boats can be hired cheaply on Ponza and Ventotene. You can also take trips to the smaller islands, with time usually set aside for swimming. On Ponza, the largest of the islands, a bus service connects the settlements of Ponza Porto and Le Forna. The principal beach, Chiaia di Luna, is a few minutes on foot from the port.