Boat International - July 2018

July 2018 | http://www.boatinternational.com

Voyage

PHOTOGRAPHY: 4CORNERS IMAGES; GETTY IMAGES; ALAMY; IGNACIO MARIA CO

CCIA/CONTRASTO/EYEVINE

L

ying midway between Ischia and Ponza this elongated island, whichis the remains of an

ancientvolcano,wasdiscoveredbytheRomans.Itbecameapopulardumpinggroundfor

Roman miscreants: Emperor Augustus banished his daughter Julia there oncharges of

adultery; later Emperor Tiberius banished Augustus’s granddaughterAgrippina the Elder after

shewasdeclaredapublicenemyofthestate;andtheever-charmingEmperor

Nero also ditched his first wife Octavia on the island so he could marry Poppaea.

At 1.5 square kilometres, it’s the second largest isle in the Pontine archipelago

and has a more relaxed vibe than its neighbour Ponza.

It is virtually car free with colourful villas and a

smattering of tourist hotels. “Ventotene remained

uninhabited for ages,” explains Tonino Cacace, the

entrepreneur behind the Capri Palace Hotel. “Even

many Italians don’t know about it.”

The island ’s slow development could be because

thereisnonaturalstandingwaterorbecause

Ve n t o t e n e r e p r i s e d i t s r o l e a s a

prison for subversives in the 20th

century, before the jail on Santo

Stefano was closed in 1965.

Nowadays the island has

earned a reputation from

captainsintheknowthanksto

itssuperbdivingspots,packed

with barracudas and gigantic groupers. In 2009 archaeologists

foundfivepreservedgalleysontheseabedwithintactcargos

ofwine,oliveoilandgarum(anancientRomanfishsauce).

The main square of Piazza Castello has an unhurried rhythm

that revolves around sipping

macchiato cofees and reading

La Repubblica.Theonlyefort

expended is to make one’s own

wineorcatchapileoffish.

“Ventotene

remained

uninhabited for

ages. Even many

Italians don’t

know about it”

Ve n to t e n e

BESTFORDIVESITESANDWRECKEXPLORING:

Location:25nm (and 500 years) from Ischia

Below: the crumbling

tower of the old prison

on the neighbouring

island of Santo Stefano

There is one

settlement on

Ventotene, above

its Roman port

Above: the beach

at Cala Nave bay,

just south of the

town and port

Best by boat: Smaller vessels can sneak into Ventotene’s

Roman harbour, Porto Romano. Superyachts will find shelter

of Punta Pascone on the island’s western side.

Superyacht

owners’ favourite

Italian stop-ofs

boatint.com/italian-

anchorages

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