Relaxing with my Campari Spritz in Piazza Navona. Overpriced yes but no worse than Milan or Sant Angelo. The street performers are entertaining but the tourists are the real attraction. It’s the perfect place to write about Ponza.
Traveling to Ponza is not for the impatient traveler. Assuming you are coming from Roma Termini, you have to take an hour and half long train ride to Formia-Gaeta. Upon arrival, unless you have hand luggage only, make sure to spend 10 Euros on a cab to the port. Otherwise you have lug your baggage down several flights of stairs and across a bridge with a tight sidewalk.
At the port, things are pretty casual. None of the companies make an announcement so you need to pay attention and ask lots of questions so you don’t miss your ride. There aren’t many Ferries during off season.
Once on the ferry to Ponza, expect a 2 hour ride with the regular ferry or 1.5 hours on the Hydrofoil. First come, first serve on the ferries. Don’t let that sweet little Nonna fool you, she will shove you out of the way as soon as she spots that seat with legroom. The seats are designed for shorter people.
When you finally arrive in the Pontine islands, Ponza rises in front of you. The port is characteristic of most Mediterranean islands. After you shove past someone’s Zio, you find a taxi and get to your hotel. Brave the narrow hilltop roads and you can reach your hotel. I stayed in Le Forna on the other side of the island overlooking the majestic Palmarola island.
Le Forna is a tiny little town with a church, 5 restaurants and 3 bodegas. The high school is the main sign of life until sunset when the locals gather for a cafe or aperotivo near the Church. The sunsets are on fire and the entertainment of the evening is the town’s hippy who walks around barefooted in his floral lace shirt and his chocolate Labrador Cicco. Once the sun disappears, the town is silent save for the neighbors barking dog with abandonment issues and tourists partying loudly. The sound here carries for miles. For the meat eaters, avoid this island. There is only Pesci here. You hear roosters in the morning but good luck finding any chicken on the menu.
A visit by boat is necessary to see the real beauty of the island. The Grotti are stunning and the water crystal clear. Ponza is a wild island which is only inhabited by 3000 people. A 20 minute ride over the sea takes you to Palmarola.
This stunning example of nature’s architecture will leave you speechless. La Cathedrale is the piece de resistance. The water features every shade of blue and green, the fish swim freely and the tiny microcosm they eat are visible. There is water that turns your hands blue when you submerge them and you must pay homage to St. Silverio with some wine in his Grotto.
Minus the packed tourist boats, this is a great place to find a quiet spot and take a well earned siesta and sip your vino and chomp on your homemade Mortadella sandwich. I hope you bring some😉.
The sounds of the soft lapping water and the soft breeze make it a paradise on earth. The island is uninhabited except for a few small vacation homes of the locals of Ponza and 2 villas for the designers of Fendi. The mountain goats defy gravity as they munch on the island’s bounty. These islands are a sea lover’s heaven. For the people in love who can sail or drive, there are many private nooks and crannies here in the Grotti for some private time. Beware of the tidal changes because you could easily get washed out to sea.
The Pontine islands are a must see if you desire a slower pace and a getaway from the tourist masses off season.
Now excuse me as I get back to sipping one of my last Campari Spritz this year.
