Ventotene
Wild and untamed, Ventotene is a small island of volcanic origin forty kilometers from the coast of southern Lazio. In pair with the islet of Santo Stefano (about a mile away) forms a small archipelago within the larger archipelago of the Pontine Islands.
Sea and Nature
Its high and jagged coastline, colored by the Mediterranean scrub, offers suggestive views in every direction.rocks and small beaches alternate offering visitors the choice to experience the sea of the island with on the beach and rocks or from the sea, with organized boat trips or renting small boats in the Roman port.
Ventotene place of History
Inhabited since ancient times with the name of Pandataria - from the greek "giver of all good" - the island is home to numerous archaeological sites belonging to many different eras: from Imperial Rome, of which traces remain visible in the Roman Port and Villa Giulia, until the Bourbon era and the sad pages of the twenty years of Fascism, during which opponents of the regime were confined on the island, including the famous Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi, authors of the Manifesto of Ventotene.
The Bourbon Prison of Santo Stefano
Just one mile away there is the islet on which stands the imposing Santo Stefano Prison, a former prison built in 1797 by King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon and in use until 1965. An evocative place with a high historical value where he was incarcerated, among many, even the former President Sandro Pertini.
The Country
The small houses of Ventotene are a mosaic of colors, where the facades of the buildings alternate with the blue of the sky and the sea, with a simple but recognizable architecture.
The streets and squares offer glimpses of sea and life in Ventotene, offering visitors the opportunity to savor the everyday life and relaxed rhythms of island life.