Ponza Island Tour
Ponza, the main island of the Pontine group, is manageably small, a sharp, rocky hunk of land only 8km end to end and at its widest point just under 2km across.
Ponza town is one of the most beautiful small towns in these parts: heaped around the bay in a series of neat pastel-coloured pyramids, its flat-roofed houses radiate out from the pink semicircle that curls around the fishing harbour.
Your private motor boat will be waiting for you at the pier to start a panoramic coastal cruise all around the small island.
The island’s periplus begins from the harbour, an old complex built during the period of the Bourbon’s colonization, with its harmonious architecture that makes it one of the most beautiful landing in the Mediterranean Sea. Sailing southwards, you will immediately meet the sign of an old world: the Pilate’s Grottoes, a moray pool hollowed out by the Roman about 2000 years ago; in the opposite side you will see the Faraglioni della Madonna which protect the Ponza roadstead.
Going on with the tour, you will meet the Parata beach till Punta della Guardia with its lighthouse, the southern limit of the island.
The western coast of the island is characterized by its rocks which present lots of shades of yellow, red, blue, green and white contrasting with the colour of the sea.
Rising towards north, you can see Punta del Fieno and the splendid Chiaia di Luna beach with its sickle-shaped profile and a cliff rising out more than 100 meters.
The bay ends to the north with Capo Bianco which is the beginning of an endless series of inlets and natural caves.
The Faraglioni di Lucia Rosa is one of the most impressive landscapes of the tour.
Past Capo Bosco, you will find Cala Feola and the Piscine Naturali, natural pools created by the steady action of the sea.
Going on sailing round, you will discover Cala dell’Acqua and Punta Papa, with a XVI century Bourbon fortress standing on top.
Cala Felci is the most northern limit of Ponza and its rocky walls have plenty of flourishing rare ferns. Here just a narrow passage separates the northern cape of the major island from the islet of Gavi.
You will start then sailing the eastern coast to Cala Gaetano, a very beautiful rocky shore.
Sailing back to the port of Ponza, you will notice that the landscape is quite different: large bays follow one another, broken in their continuity by promontories named after the main characters of old stories and legends.
These natural beauties may be toured only by sea, starting from Cala Schiavone, where in the middle of the Bay stands in its charming Arco Naturale, also known as “Spaccapolpo” (octopus chopper) which comes out from a light blue depth, covered by sand and posidonia bushes.
Cala Inferno is one of the most striking places of the island’s perimeter with its rocks of soft white tuff spotted with darker crests that evoke the walls of an old castle.
The tour ends with the two big cliffs that lead to the Scoglio della Ravia and the Casocavallo Rock, which stands in front of the port to embrace the harbour roadstead.
