Ponza is a truly delightful island in the Tyrrhenian Sea shaped like a crescent moon. Its glistening blue coastline is varied and dramatic with several rocky coves and sandy beaches as well as numerous grottos, caves and craggy cliffs. The island has clear and limpid waters and is ideal for sunbathing, swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving. Life here revolves around the sea so the best way to really appreciate Ponza is to circumnavigate it by boat. Inland the scenery is striking featuring mountains and vine-clad hills that boast sweeping views back down to the coast. There is one main road that snakes a panoramic path from the Port up through to the north of the island and is regularly served by the island’s minibuses. There are two main inhabited areas: Ponza Town in the south and Le Forna in the north with a few white houses and North African-style dome-roofed dammusi scattered about elsewhere.

Throughout its long history Ponza has been known as an island of exile, housing political prisoners. In the Roman times Ponza was known as a place of ‘golden exile’ for members of the imperial family. Centuries later under the Fascist regime political prisoners were detained here and after the Allied Liberation even Mussolini himself was exiled here for a few days. In 1908 Norman Douglas wrote that the prisoners exiled on Ponza so appreciated the climate that often when they were set free they would commit another crime in order to return there!

The Romans built waterworks systems and several tunnels, the most famous of which leads to the lovely Chiaia di Luna beach, a long crescent of sand set in a bay beneath a huge white cliff. The ancient tunnel which has archaeological remains scattered about connects the beach to Ponza town. Other good beaches are Frontone and Cala Core on the east side of the island and separated by the Punta Bianca cliffs. The Le Forna area has several good beaches like the small sandy Cala Feola, home to an excellent fish restaurant, the Piscine Naturali, a great swimming spot and the Spiaggia di Lucia Rosa which you get to by boat. Lucia Rosa beach was named after a young girl who killed herself by jumping off the rocks there when she was forbidden from marrying the man she loved. Many of the island’s special and secret places are only reachable by boat and there are water taxis to take you to coves and beaches.

Ponza offers amazing geology to delight its visitors. Monte La Guardia is Ponza’s highest point and the ideal place from which to admire the beauty of this narrow and fascinating irregular-shaped island and its mostly rocky coastline made of kaolin and tufa rock. It is rich in the precious mineral of bentonite and the white bentonite is said to be unique to the island. Just off the coast there are many odd rock formations in interesting shapes as well natural rock arches and several Faraglioni - giant stacks of solid rock in the sea. There are towering cliffs of grey, black and stark white and inviting grottos with emerald and azure waters. The island is famous for its Blue Grottos created by the Etruscans, and for the mysterious Roman-dug caves, Le Grotte di Pilato, supposedly named after Pontius Pilate. These caves were used as fish pools for bringing up moray eels and it was said that rebel slaves were sometimes thrown into the pools and fed to the eels. Another theory states that these were actually private bathing pools where aristocratic Roman women could bathe in the fresh air in a place that was sheltered from the sun so their skin would stay snow white.

Ponza has its own wine producing region called Punta Fieno and its cuisine is primarily based around the sea: lobster, marinated sea food and broiled fish slathered with tomato, garlic and onions or cooked Neapolitan style. Other island specialities are lentil soup - lenticchie alla ponzese, and rabbit. There are many excellent restaurants and one or two options for late night drinking and dancing.

The island is not over-built and doesn’t suffer from ugly high rise buildings; instead the traditional architecture of Ponza is pretty pastel-painted cubes with flat roofs topped by shallow domes. Visitors need to be relatively fit, as the best places to swim are often reached down steep paths or long flights of steps built into the hillside - although you can hire a boat or take a water taxi instead. Despite its lively atmosphere, beautiful landscape and rich and rugged shoreline, Ponza is only just starting to be discovered as a holiday destination and does not have many foreign holidaymakers. However this lovely island inspires its regular visitors with a fierce sense of loyalty combined with a desire to keep its many charms a secret.