2015-08-14 Isola Ventotene to Cala Inferno, Ponza Island, Italy
Early morning sun on Ventotene townA few of the armarda of vessels moored overnight have already left the portTangaroa and another yacht still in the bayWe take the dinghy ashore to explore the old town of VentoteneIn ancient Roman times Ventotene was an old galley portThe entrance to Porto VecchioPorto Vecchio is an amazing small harbour excavated in ancient times by the Romans with galley sheds literally carved out of rockThe small port is rectangular in shape and only takes vessels of less than 10 metres at the busy time of yearIt is very hard to secure a spot in Porto VecchioIt is hard to imagine how in ancient times huge sections were carved out of the rockThe breakwater of the new port by Cala RossanoAreas along the coast in Porto Nuova also have had major sections carved out of the rockThis large port has a number of different groups hiring out marina berths in the busy summer monthsWe tie up the dinghy and walk to the sheltered Porto VecchioThe carved openings by the port are now used as bars and shopsWe take one of the walkways to the higher part of the townOverlooking the amazing Porto VecchioThe main square of the town called Piazza CastelloThe Castello in the piazzaGreat views to San StefanoThe Tangaoa moored in the bayThe beach has amost totally been taken over by umbrellas and sun lounges
Da Verde is a great place to have a coffee during the day in the main piazzaBy the piazza are small streets, one with a fabulous bakery and nearby a handy supermarket
The zigzag walkway to and from the Porto Vecchio harbourIn olden Roman times the rock chambers were used for storing goods however today a bar operates out of oneIn a couple of other carved rock chambers there is a small eatery and also a diving business Colourful fishing boats are always close byBy Porto Ramano in the large harbour the seawall is covered in interesting murals and grafittiA sophisticated network of underground cisterns from the ingenuity of the Romans still can be seen today on the islandWe head back to the Tangaroa with a few groceries, plenty of photos and an urge to move onDuring our 2.5 hour trip from Ventotene to the Pontine Islands we had some playful visitors join usA small group of dolphins played at our bow for a few minutes as they crossed our pathWe near the Pontine Islands west of VentoteneApproaching Ponza Island, the largest of the Pontine IslandsThe rugged cliffs of the Ponza coastlineThere are several bays on the east coast where boats are anchoredThere are also a number of much larger motor vessels also anchored in the lovely baysWe take a quick tour around the main harbour area of Ponza TownThe multicoloured houses and buildings around the port look amazingPonza certainly is a very attractive old townPonza portPretty pastel houses creep up the hills around the Ponza harbourMany unusual rock statues appear to rise out of the water around PonzaSo many day tripper boats taking visitors out to the bays around the islandThe small private island called Scoglio Ravia which fringes the port has a house with many stairs to get to the front door from the waterThe white cliffs of Cala Inferno look amazingSpicy chicken and vegetable curry tonight
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