 Pilate's Cove (Le grotte di
Pilato)
Leaving the port towards the right, beyond
the port's protecting reef after having passed Tower rock with its connecting
stairway, one sees the terraced hillside where grapes are still cultivated. Until fifty years ago, the
steep lands of the island were all like this: dry walls - le parracine -
kept the earth from sliding into the sea; in the strips of earth
recovered in this way - the chains - the grape vines leaned against the walls, while the
remaining ground was cultivated mostly with legumes: fava beans, garbanzo
beans, lentils and cicerchie.
If one looks carefully, in a certain area the terraces are form a semicircle
like an
amphitheater. In fact it is really so: here in Roman times there was the Odeon, a
natural semicircle opening towards the sea and equipped with masonry
seats for watching the naumachie, simulated naval battles that were carried
out in the mirror of the water before it.
Continuing to follow the
view of the profile of the coast
from the sea, a bit farther ahead one sees a grouping of
small buildings: it is the little cemetery of Ponza, which itself is worth a visit (during the
odd days of the week, from 8 to 2). Carrying your gaze towards the bottom, under the cemetery,
there are a grey cliff with some openings towards the sea: these are the so
called caves of Pontius Pilate: the name is same as the famous Roman consul
implicated in the death of Christ, but this one was only a Neapolitan
tribune with civil engineering duties in imperial Rome. In fact the caves go back to Roman
times, when Ponza was an important
support port on the route to and from Rome and also a penal colony where
exiled people came who could not be eliminated in any other way. Right over these caves
where the cemetery is now was situated the villa said to be Augusto's.
According to current opinion,
cast
into doubt by recent studies, this group of sea caves was devoted to
breeding moray eels, much appreciated by the Romans and the design of the
water channels, with appropriate gates, was functional in the several phases
of the reproduction of the fish. This tunnel system was ideal for
reproducing the habitat of the eels, stationary fish which love dark and
particular places. The exchange of the water was
guaranteed by a system of external supply points, placed at the four
cardinal points.
In the caves
fortune-telling was also practiced (the aruspici), performed by examining
the bowels
of the eels. The more interesting cave is the central one, which merits
detailed exploration: we advise mooring the dingy to the outside and using a
flashlight.
Towards Fronton
Returning to the sea
cutting back across the opening of the port, with the original idea of going around the island
in the counter-clockwise direction: the large rock that borders the entrance
to the port on its right as a ship enters (at night a green light beacon
on its right , a red beacon on its left) is the Ravia, in the past the
location of a cannon battery. Regarding this, in the Bourbon age and immediately before, the
entrance to the port was very well defended by
three cannon emplacements, situated respectively on the Ravia, over the
current Cemetery (Leopold's Battery) and a bit more distant on the tip of Fronton, where
the remains of a fort are still visible (the English Fort). It is just in that direction
that we head, meeting in the harbor of Fronton a high and pointed rock called
by
the popular imagination " 'a zizz'i vacca". The name "Fronton" seems to be attributed to
the rocks cut like the frontons of Greek architecture, to the right,
looking at the beach; this is of gravel rather than sand, wide and
welcoming, equipped with bar and restaurant service. It is famous among the
Ponzesi, together with the beach of Palmarola, for the sunburn one can get...
Looking at the Fronton beach, on the
right, one sees the entrances of some tunnels. They are the remaining traces of
a long aqueduct tunnel constructed by the Romans.
[rest almost straight
from babelfish]
The White Plain
(La Piana Bianca); the Core
cove and beach
Unique and unmistakable, the
White Plain emerges from the sea with its indented
pinnacle structure: a various
face for each of the angles-shot from which it is watched. But fatevi not to distract
too much from the beauties of the panorama, because a danger is in ambush just l?n the vicinanze: to a
ten of meters from the flat one, towards outside (for a ponzese it means: in direction of
the open sea) there is a sure semisubmergeeed number of scogli: the famous " Chiana '
the Pacchiarott ". It seems that Pacchiarott was a woman of the Forna that on these
scogli scarcely visible shipwreck made and died. As soon as beyond the Flat White woman
the dared one to the cove of Core is opened: to leave outside the boat and to enter to
swim in the great cove, lasciandosi to take
from elementary feelings like Hush as soon as
upsotten from the sound of the bracciate ones of the swimmers, from it smells of the
salmastro and warmth-humid typical of the places the sluices.
S says that the cove of Core has been
the place where still at the beginning of the century colony of seals parked to Ponza one
monache. The hole in the cliff, up over the income of the cove assumes a particular
importance to the mattino, little after the dawn, when the beams of the sun directly enter
in the opening and for little minuteren rischiarano of yellow and ocher cliffs situated on
the bottom of the cove. In the cove of Core other evidences of the gallery of the put
aqueduct can be seen Roman in light from the landslide of the time of the cove.
Allontanandosi from the cove and resuming the wide one, appears also comprehensible the
reason of the denomination of the place as soon as visited and of the great immediately
successive beach: in the cliff mostly white woman of the wall delineates one darker spot
to shape than heart (a heart that
she bleeds, sees the popular tradition to us).
In the language of geologi ? typical " magmatica intrusione ", than one determines when a
mass of fused material s' insinuates in a complex already cooled
Hell
Cove (Cala Inferno) and the Natural Arc
Irregular and frastagliata wall
testifies the work of the forces of the nature - telluric movements, sea, wind - and
renders reason of the name of this cove that second the geologi has accommodated the
second eruttiva mouth of the island (before has been localized in the harbor of the
port). The fondali are much beautiful, the crystalline water and the glances (recognizable
fish from the silver color and dark spot on the tail fin) accorrono numerous if a bread
piece comes launch in sea. With mask and fins ship been shipwrecked on the scogli is
possible to notice on the bottom the rests of one of the Ants, then hauled to Cove Hell in
the attempt of metterla in but. A perron carved in the pomice came down until some year
makes from the lived one of the Forna until sea: now ne they remain only of the monconi
unfit for use. The way of sea, before the advent of the automobiles and the appearance of
the roads asphalted was sure preferred from the ponzesi for the movements and the small
commerce between the two extremities of the island: in the isolana culture in fact the sea
always has been considered an element of union and connection, not of division.
To the foot of the wall the
openings of the (holes, shafts) in which are looked at slid the coming from water from Cove of the Water. Draft
still of the aqueduct Roman who crosspiece the island and lead the water until S. Maria.
Continuing
on our excursion, we see
that the cliff once again changes color: to the shadings between the white man and the
gray the reign of the yellow is replaced - brown. The place is known with several names:
" Spaccaporpo ", natural arc, arc of Aniellantonio. That to say who it arrives
us of summer? - buttatevi to sea and fairies the bath! - But a ponzese ones would advise
you to return on the same cove, from earth, in spring,
when the panorama is ingentilito(refined,
ciivlized) from a frame of
ginestre and in the air the scent of the flowers is stirred to that one of the sea...
|
|
 Between Ponza and Gavi
At the moment to double the dell.isola East tip, us the problem of the choice can be
placed: is made the circumnavigation of Gavi? It is pulled until Zannone? Or it is
continued for greater the dell.isola turn? Gavi is small and it is looked at little in time;
to Zannone it would go instead dedicated un.intera day, with the program to come
down to earth, to cross the forest and to visit the museum of the Park and the rests of
the Benedictine monastero; moreover he is indispensable to ask in Common
l.autorizzazione the visit. We then continue in our turn, making attention to the scogli
to fior d.acqua during l.attraversamento of the strait between Ponza and Gavi. And we
are sull.altro dell.isola depositor. C.è in the coast a substantial difference profile, the
more sweet and rounded off from the part of Levant, more sour and uneven in the zone
that we go hour to discover. Giving for discounted that the sea erodes in marked way
the friabili cliffs regarding those hardest ones, that they are distributed in uniform way
between the two depositors, the explanation of the phenomenon resides rather in the
various force of the sea: the depositor of Levant (of the port, in order to understand to
us) has of single forehead the arm of sea that separates l.isola from the coast of
Formia and Terracina, while the placing depositor of (Chiaia di Luna, as an example)
is exposed to the force of the open sea. L.eccezione that confirmation the rule is
constituted from the maintenance of one heads of tender cliff, like that one of Head
White man, to one of the ends of the oadstead of Chiaia di Luna; well, in the game of
the currents this zone is in the cone d.ombra of Palmarola and makes use exactly of
its protection.
The first beach that meets on this depositor?ala the Ferns: the name comes from the
plants that grow in the channel to the right of the beach watching it from the sea; the
vegetation, typical of the humid and little sunny places, indicates that we are in
prossimit?el dell?isola North. The finestrella that it is looked at devout?n high it
belonged to an ancient takeover cistercense (going back to 1200 approximately). To
quell?epoca of fervent religious life, the contacts came maintained with mark them
luminous: in this way the monastero communicated with that neighbor of devout
Zannone and that?ontano of Gaeta. The yellow efflorescenze are diffused on the cliff
wall white woman are of sulfur: the benefits effects of sulphureous mud on some
diseases of the skin were known and appreciate gi?n roman age to you.
Cala
Fonte (Spring Bay)
Even if the name would make to think to a sweet water
source instead of a river basin of
salt water to the shelter of a cape that offers one sure protection to small boats.
The shelters dig to you in the cliff, to times protect from doors, like warehouses, were
until little years vivai to water ago salata in which they came maintained the lobsters
until to the moment of the sale.
Water Cove (Cala dell'Acqua)
All.ingresso of this cove, like lookout, we find a fortilizio that laughed them to the
1500 c.a.: he is the Strong Pope; just under the blockhouse it is interesting to dip
itself in order to see the property left at death one that it lies on bottom (-24 meters
max) with a lot of turret with still revolving machine-gun! One sweet water source to
c.era Ponza, a lot that the antichi Roman l.avevano very identified and taken
advantage of. One of the wonders of Ponza, little known and valued, exactly l.opera of
is taken dell.acquedotto roman of which we have seen the traces on the depositor of
Levant. The l.isola gallery in fact traversava and then continued with one slope much
lowland until S. Maria. Therefore, while 2000 years ago Ponza, with l.acquedotto and
the reserviors it was independent as far as water l.approvvigionamento, hour depends
on the continuous refueling from the continent by means of tankers. For who he
wants to more know some, the Leonardo geologist Lombardic has written
un.interessante small volume on the hydraulic systems roman to Ponza.
Feola
Cove (Cala
Feola)
L.insenatura di Cala Feola comprises is the complex of natural swimming pools is the
cove of the port. The natural swimming pools are from visiting to swim, exploring all
the small coves that are opened on the inner perimeter of the great open sky bathtub.
They can be visited also via earth, coming down for a narrow lane that it leave from
the side of the church of the Forna, comes down then and laughed them. In spring,
with ginestra of Ponza (genista ephedroides) and the roses of sea (carpobrotus
edulis) in flower, against l.azzurro shining dell.acqua, the reduction is unforgettable
un.esperienza. To this point of our walk we are joints to the half of our distance:
wanting to turn behind and travelling over again the same road or to continue in
ahead, the way length are exactly identical.
The Stacks (Faraglioni) of Lucia Rosa
And difficult to make one chosen in the myriad of cale, spiaggette and small coves
that are opened between the three scogli larger in the group of the Faraglioni di Lucia
Rose; perhaps the better thing is to put the lessened motor, or to extinguish it of all
and moving to addles, discovering behind every cape a new end and one perspective
unexpected. The question that more often is felt to make, accompanying the visitors
in boat between gl the scogli is: - Because they call "of Lucia Rose"? - and the
history of the child is told here in varied way - who says forgotten from the separated
fiancèe for l.America; who says prevented to the family crowning its d.amore dream
with a young person of an inferior condition - than to the overflow of its pain she
precipitates herself down dall.alto between cliffs, in a so inaccessible place that is not
possible to recover of the body. And who is the brave one who cove with a rope to
collect it, if not just the fiancèe sorry - or l.innamorato refused - than takes it between
the arms from dead woman, when that them had not been granted while still alive?
And a sad history, and is a feature common of the islands d.Italia to give a name of a
woman kills for love (but because then always the women kill themselves for love) to
one beach or one scoglio: every island has its Lucia Rose.
White
Head Point (La Punta di Capo Bianco)
The dazzling white structure that
meets the visitor before turning the point that it opens the entrance to the
harbor of Chiaia di Luna is, with a little bit of fantasy, the White Head. The
glasslike cliff at its upper edge has a lace of needles and
pinnacles continuously modified from the wind; at the base, at sea
level, various caves open up, some enterable with a small rowboat, others,
even smaller, can be visited only by swimming.
|
|
 Chiaia di Luna
Chiaia di Luna is
a large cliff a natural one to moon shape average to whose base
extends the most evocative and famous idland beach.
The exposition of the
a.ponente, opposite beach to the port, that it is to Levant, justifies
the interest that the
Roman had for this harbor, that allowed the boats to find a shelter when in the
port struck wind of Levant. For this they dug the tunnel of l.abitato connection
between and the beach of Chiaia di Luna and, in all probability, they constructed a
port. called Diva Moon. of which traces do not remain. On the beach of Chiaia di
Luna the sun arrives relatively late in the
morning, but you it remains until the sunset, when
it is looked at to disappear behind the island of Palmarola.
The ponzesi are many legacies to this beach, and have been reason of great
disappointment its closing, some year make, because of the danger constituted from
the landslides. Recently the problem has been relatively resolved with l.imbragatura of
the wall by means of a thick metallic net and l.accesso it is newly concurred, even if
with some limitation.
Numerous they are the legends tied to the presence of the tunnel: one of more notes
is that one of the "vòccola cù.ì pullicine" (the chioccia with the chicks): all the
children of Ponza know that in the cove c.è a treasure, but cannot be approached to
us because the chioccia it pecks and it runs after the intruders. That if a child
succeeded to take a chick and to carry it with all.uscita himself until of the cove
without never turning itself behind, the chick would become d.oro..Ma in the history
that tells this never does not happen, because during its race towards l.uscita the
child it feels to call from the voices of the mother, of the grandmother, of the
fratellini... it is turned to watch... and the chick is beautiful that scappato! Ponzese
Orfeo small! The other terrors of the children of Ponza are "Maria to spider", an old
one that is hidden in grottone of S. Maria and pulls hats to who adventure in the buio
and "to Cuntrora", l.altra old that put in the bag and door via the children who instead
sleeping, find themselves for afternoon road.
Hay
Point (Punta Fieno) e
beyond
Looking at the harbor of Chiaia di Luna from the sea, while the side of left is
delimited from the tip of White Head Point, to right we find Hay
Point. "The
Hay" is the traditional zone of production of the wine of Ponza. The terrazzamenti
have been carry out in the course of the centuries on one earth language to you,
residual of one great landslide to sea of the cliff wall. And one zone exposed to the
sun from sunrise to sunset: a blessing for the stente lives that succeed to grow on the
parracine, with all the possible sagacities for protect them from the twenty salmastri.
Hay Point can also be destination of an unforgettable excursion by
land,
leaving from the narrow lane to flank dell.albergo of Chiaia di Luna: they of morning
knows itself soon, for the costone of cliff that watches the harbor of Chiaia, until
the higher point before beginning to come down, between the typical plants of the
Mediterranean vegetation: mirto, cisto, lentisco, euforbia dendroide (ù cecauocchie),
timelea irsuta (spazzaforno) and various varieties of ginestra. The reduction happens
for a path scosceso, between the bushes perfumes to you and bloomed, from which it
is approached also the chains cultivated to screw, attended to from the little peasants
- amatori who have not yielded to flatteries and the gain of the tourism. Therefore it
can happen to you of being accommodates to you in their wine cellars whitened to lime for
a glass of wine or the mythical sparkling wine of the Hay.
Guardian Point and
Lighthouse
And the shelf more southern dell.isola constituted from a majestic particular trachitica
cliff spur dall.aspetto, in which it seems of being able to recognize the big waves of
washes primordiale that subsequently they have been made solid, like in a stone sea.
The eruption that has created the Point has been dated around to million and
two hundred thousand years ago. The beacon, third party in Italy for light power, has an
access narrow lane that is of blocked usual from a iron gate and the same beacon
cannot be visited from when its operation has been completely automated. Until little
years ago you it parked in permanence a guardian and several history bloomed on
the activities of these solitary men, confine in a place therefore block to you,
an epoch previous to the spread of the television and the telephone. One of these tells
of a guardian that it had the idea to construct one boat with the woods capacities from
the sea and collected on the below reef: great job and curiosity for the noises that
came to every hour of the day and the night from the smoothed one of the beacon,
where it had been spread a great drop curtain; mystery also on the
activity of the
guardian that did not return "to the Port" not even in the rare days of freedom and did
not want more replaced being. Until the day in which all the country came it was
invited to I launch and to giving one hand in order to transport the great boat until the
sea. It was then that one discovered that it never last through the short one but would
not be tightened tunnel on the path that connects the beacon to the sea; therefore the
boat remained lì for years and nobody that did not know the history would be never
successful to understand like arrived c.era. To approximately twenty miles outside
from the Beacon of the Guard, in direction south, there is one depth very four thousand
meters: it is the so-called one fossa of Ponza, in which dipped the French. Picard
with its Trieste bathyscaph. 1957 ran l.anno. Still it is told to Ponza dell.incontro,
happened after the historical enterprise, of Picard with the parish priest of Ponza,
mons. Dies and of the deep impression that the student drew some. Doubled the tip
of the Guard it is found to us to an enormous accumulate of cliffs and detritus,
detached from the overhanging mount (Mount Guard, for l.appunto) in geologic and
hasty age to sea.
It's the so called Scarrupata...
To approximately 10 meters from the sea level the narrow lane of connection with the
Beacon of the Guard runs, than ransom horizontally the landscape, for who watches
from the sea. Still more up, regarding the road, one can be observed tawny cliff zone -
rossiccia: overhanging draft of the cliff layer cooked from the trachitica tap. And
interesting l.uso that the fishermen of Ponza made of this cliff rossastra: it came
bubbled to along and the liquid was used in order to dye the nets. For all the ponzesi,
the zone to - two miles towards outside, between the Scarrupata and the Beacon of
the Guard are the place classic of the peach "to totani". These are a species of large
squids, between the 500 grams and the two Kg, than they are fished in the d.estate
nights, preferibilmente without moon, with one particular "porpara" made from a
cylinder of lead contornato from one rose of tips to one of the extremities. The feeling
of unexpected weight all.estremità of the lenza when the totano has incocciato, the
concitazione that is created on the boat while the lucky person pulls on the preda,
the spray who follows l.arrivo to dell.animale edge and the color
purple and silver of
the fished totano as soon as, is all emotions that the ponzese loves to remember and
to tell. |
|
 The Old Bath and the Stacks
of the mute Trowsers
At the other extremity of the Scarrupata, continuing the dell.isola turn in
counter-clockwise sense, finds a beach of great masses, enclosed and protect from
the sea from one it heads of grey cliff, ricurva, called "Tortano", while the zone is
known like old Bath, because already center of one colony (or bath) penal. On the tip
the metallic and rusty rests of an old cableway used in past can be still seen in order
to transfer the blocks, carve to you in the soft cliff that surpasses the beach, from the
wall until the sea. After this activity they were used, in regimen of forced job, the
prisoners of the borbonico regimen to first dell.ottocento; with the material dug from
these cliffs they were constructed to that time the port the church and the buildings
opposite All.estremità publics of the pebble beach, jumping in pebble, immense
cavern used can be approached to one in passed like warehouse of boats: crossed
the cove, the panorama is opened newly on the Scarrupata, from one unusual
angle-shot, between earth and sea. The Faraglioni of the dumb Calzone is a group of
the two large scogli and other smallest ones, than basaltic nature, outside from the
Old Bath; between the faraglioni and the island there is a usable passage for small
boats. On the cliff of the "Tortano", just in correspondence of the passage, one can
be observed small lavica inclusion to shape of calzone, from which second some the
name of the Faraglioni comes from.
The Parade and Stacks of the Madonna
Leaving us the shoulders the Faraglioni of the dumb Calzone, the sight opens
sull.ampia insenatura of the "Parade", delimited in ahead from the scogli of the
Faraglioni of the Madonna. From the sea the limpidezza of the waters can be
appreciated through which traspare the sabbioso bottom, while on the edge of the
coast scoscesa the narrow lane "of over Scotti" is followed that door to the
Scarrupata and the Beacon of the Guard, between some traditional constructions and
the other most recent ones, grabbed hold of to the cliff. Doubled the tip of most
external of the Faraglioni, we are of new on the depositor of the Port, in sight of the
Cemetary, that we had already identified during the visit to the Coves of Pilato.. C.é a
legend tied to the rusted ladder that once it was supported to the cliff from this part of
the Cimitero.che comes down towards the sea: in the nights of storm, the dead men
in sea, whose bodies have not been never find again to you, could find one
momentary peace in their cemetary. To sea level, on the right, with the shoulders to
the "windows" of the Coves of Pilato, it is possible to identify "grottino of Ulisse", a
small submarine passage that ago to communicate the depositor of the "Madonna"
with "the Parade"; it is not difficult to cross: enough to dip itself for a feature of 20 30
cm, little under the hair dell.acqua and I found in one small cove to us encircles from
one pale blue, typical brightness to you of the filtered light dall.acqua. Little braced
and are exited from the cove towards "the Parade". The port of Ponza is to little
hundreds of meters and our island tour of Ponza is finished . |
|
 ZANNONE and PALMAROLA
To an excursion to each of the two smaller islands
must be dedicated an entire day:
they have a totally various character: rigogliosa and silvestre Zannone, will be
appreciated above all from the cultori of the climbs between the forests and from it
gets passionate you of the Mediterranean flora. Duffle-coat and sunny Palmarola,
happier in the exploration finds its dimension, with one small boat, of the
countless harbors, coves and calette scattered along the of the island coast.
Zannone
Until first of the 1700's Zannone and Ponza they were both covered from folti forests;
l.isola subsequently greater completely it was undressed of the trees that served like
material from construction, nell.isola and on the continent, while Zannone was
preservata, for expressed to want of a grandson of Ferdinand di Borbone, than
courageous it was opposed to the disboscamento. Like result of complex historical
vicissitudes, Zannone is of property of the Common one of Ponza, which it must ask
l.autorizzazione for the visit. Currently l.isola ago part of the National Park of the
Circeo, that it has on the place a guardiano and a variable number of forest guards,
observatories and students, to second of the seasons. L.origine of the name, in lack
of preciser references, seems to rifare to one legend: it seems that anciently l.isola it
was infested from the snakes; l.arrivo (or l.esilio) of a suonatore young person of
flauto of Sennone name carried to a "incantamento" of the rectums them that,
following music, they were throws down in sea dall.alto of one cliff to you. True or
false that it is this history, it is a fact shared from all the ponzesi that to Zannone not
are snakes.
And to approximately 6 miles from Ponza; $R-a.vista is gotten dizzy directly, aiming
it from the Port of Ponza. In the arm of sea interposed between the two islands three
groupings of scogli are met: they are "ì scuglietelle i Zannone". To see the foam
around to the scoglietelle, from Ponza, also when the sea seems calm in the
oadstead of the port, gives un.indicazione of as it is the sea "outside". L.unico sure
landing place of Zannone is the "Cove of Varo", one small insenatura to half
approximately of the dell.isola face that watches the port of Ponza: c.è one very small
dock that allows l.attracco of small boats, a short one pendìo of towage and an
underpass that continues the prospiciente cliff crest the sea; little piu ahead one gone
up begins to gradoni that door to the Villa of the Convent. Always in the cove of Varo,
on the right of the landing place point, c.è one roman fish farm, communicating with
the sea. The climb towards the villa is evocative in every season. The essences of the
Mediterranean flora are represented all: bloomed in spring, when the prevailing scents
are those of viola marine (matthiola incanus) and of the ginestra of Ponza (genista
ephedroides or "vastacciett"); little striking in summer, but ready to diffuse their
fragrance if as soon as they are grazed with the hand: they are the scents of the
mirto, the lentisco and the lavandula. The house. villa, currently center of a small
museum and managed dall.Ente Park, has been built up in is made successive to
leave from 1904, when the Common one of Ponza acquired the dell.isola formal
possession. And situated on the ruins of a previous monastico takeover, still visible
and it has been subsequently rimaneggiata, in the period in which l.intera island it
came granted in rent to society of industrial facoltosi or also private, until the
destination puts into effect them. In alternative to the climb towards the villa, Zannone
from the Beacon can be visited, following l.antico path traced from monaci the
cistercensi, than dipana between the high stalks of a forest of lecci, experience in
unusual truth for one vacation to the sea. In top to the forest we find the mount
Travelling, than with its 194 m. it is the highest dell.isola and it allows one seen 360°
to sull.intero archipelago. The name has had to the travelling hawk that nests on the
cliff spurs of the mount. During l.escursione for via earth, on Zannone, above all in the
hours early risers, it can happen of having a vision escaping on a branco of mufloni,
that it imports in passed to you from the Sardinia with venatorie purposes, you are
then stabilizes to you and hour they are protect nell.ambito of the Park. From the
Beacon the return to Ponza is always carried out completing the circumnavigation in
hour sense, visiting l.ampia gravelly beach on the depositor that the Circeo watches
and the several one scogli which the popular fantasy has attributed evocative names,
like "the scoglio of the monaco", with a lot of pointed hood, on the east coast, before
completing the dell.isola turn and beginning the return travel.
Palmarola
Numerous the versions sull.origine of the name: the most credited ago to derive from
the sull.isola presence of the palm dwarf or palm of S. Peter (Chamaerops humilis).
And officially deserted, even if, in the course of the centuries it has been center of
monastico withdrawal; island of deportation and espiazione (was relegated you also a
Pope, then become patron dell.isola, the famous S. Silverio,la which the 20
recurrence falls june); shelter of amatori and buontemponi that they share the passion
for the nature and the solitudine. C.è to say that the Palmarola of the ponzesi is
much various one from that tourist; in the summery months above all, the dell.isola
nature changes completely, with a short moment of tranquillity between l.alba and
l.arrivo of the first boats from Ponza; then all the one which can be imagined, until
that the peace returns, in proximity of the sunset, when it is newly possible to seat
on the beach to listen l.acciottolìo of the waves: it is a various sound from the others,
because to the noise of the sea sum that one of is known, capacities ahead and
behind from the risacca; and it is known are particular anch.essi, you smooth down
and you polish, with inusuali designs and colors; not to carry via for memory,
because to house they become polverosi grays and, sad, because they have
forgotten the noise about the sea.
The classic nose-dive to Palmarola, for every ponzese, part from the Beacon of the
Guard or best still from the tip of the Hay, from where l.isola it is "straight for
straight"; also $R-a.vista is gotten dizzy here, heading towards its extremity of left.
The cape of pomice white woman, than is met on the right, arriving to Palmarola is
Vardella Tip; in the overhanging cliff, some coves can be seen. The tip protegge one
small oadstead, Brigantina Cove that with its I found them enough deep offers shelter
to boats of discreet draught. But it convene not to continue along the line of dell.isola
coast, how much rather to head for the passage between the Faraglioni of Southern
Italy; the two spunzoni of cliff that acknowledges to you they are how much remains
of a cliff arc collapsed in 1966, during one storm.
Holding on the right, it is feed l.ingresso to the Faraglione, fit for use also from boats
of medium draught; the place is much beautiful one and many return to us in the
course of the day because the particular exposure and l.altezza of the walls offer in
every moment the possibility to find a shelter to you from the sun. Escapes from the
passage between cliffs the true dell.isola turn is begun just and, with ollowing itself of
gravelly cale, cliffs to peak and spiagge, until doubling the scoglio with the nail head
of S. Silverio on the top, place in which, presumablly it came confined Pope Silverio.
The beach of Palmarola is sure the dell.isola focale point; it offers a landing place
possibility on condition that not is placing sea from, because its exposure on this
depositor is identical to that one of Chiaia di Luna; all its frequent visitors accustom
them can tell of some fortunoso disembarkation (or re-embarcation) in conditions of
bad time, when l.isola appear unapproachable or to the contrary, it is not more
possible to leave it. For l.arrivo of the boats from Ponza and for the presence of two
restaurants, the beach is also public square, center of exchanges and dell.isola
display window. The cliff wall to the shoulders of the beach is pierced from a discreet
number of coves, all of property, joined between they from one ragnatela of passages
and scalini; the sight of the oadstead dall.alto sure repays of the hard work of the
climb. Pinnacolo of cliff the white woman more stung -"Le Forcine "-, than it is looked
at behind this wall, it has its base in sea, from the part that watches Ponza.
L.estremità of left of the beach, watching from the sea, introduces a cliff vortex of
coloured nerastro; the center of dell."ossidiana origin "or vulcanico glass, the material
is this black, hardest but easy to chip, of which the nozzles tips of and arrow in the
neolithic period were made. Obsidian tips have been found, beyond that in numerous
takeovers of the same age to Ponza and Ventotene, also in the prospicienti
continental zones, demonstrating an active traffic of this mineral in preistorici times.
Always to departure from the beach, a route much evocative one is the climb to the
cappelletta constructed in honor of S. Silverio in top to the scoglio omonimo: after a
short one rampa to scalini in masonry, the climb more makes more erta and the
dissestato path, but it is un.esperienza strengthening total and, for all the corporei
senses. Useless to speak of: to try in order to believe!
Of forehead and a po. to the wide one, regarding the oadstead of the beach, they are
situates two scogli to you larger, "the Jails" and others two bottoms to smooth to
you, "the Plates". Continuing towards right, after un.altra series of spiaggette and
rientranze the look opens on a full of rocks wall much particular one, with of the
traforati spurs to sea from it cracks vertical ("ì ssenghe) and small coves; more ahead
the cliff assumes an aspect decidedly to colonnare. And the so-called "Cathedral", a
made basaltic cliff of elements to hexagonal section that fall to sea from un.altezza of
approximately 60 meters. A characteristic aspect is the vegetation, in the zone to
mount of the cliff columns: with a po. of attention it is possible to notice that the
frontier plants "", adapted to the twenty and the saltiness (in this case, above all
small graminacee and elicriso), have been implanted with regular disposition, nearly
geometric in the interstices between cliffs. The "Cathedral" is abandoned through one
tightened passage that us filler newly on the depositor with sight on Ponza. Also the
cliff has a particular aspect here: in this zone, but also elsewhere, they are obvious of
the small coves, as of the bubbles in it washes primordiale, of which the wind it has
eroded the thinner wall, conserving of the concavity in the exposed part less.
Leaving Palmarola at our
shoulders, on the way back to Ponza in
the direction of
the Guard's Beacon, nobody notices to have contracted an incurable disease,
with a variable incubation, but that sure it will give signs of himself, sooner or later.
The fact is that Palmarola "remains within" like
few other places of the world. And
difficult to establish the nature of the infection, because everyone puts us of its (the
guest's reaction!): it will be the wild
and inhospitable nature of the
island, the relative
esiguità of the human takeovers, the difficulty to survive us for a period hardly a
bit
longer if it is not strongly motivates to you; they will be
crying of the gulls to spring or
the cascades of rose marine that come down from the dirupi; it will be the feeling of
freedom and isolation from the world, than of fact it is hardly behind
the corner. Various
what will be for everyone one, but many will return to us, of person or with the
thoughts, because this island very soon loses the physical connotations of
a geographic entity and becomes
a place in memory.
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