The pristine island
With its location, Palmarola is close enough for a day trip, but also far enough to leave behind the noise, bustle and hustle of the Italian capital - as if everything belongs to another planet. While the ancient squares, fountains and public spaces of Rome city attract millions of tourists, Palmarola is almost absent in tourist trips. Many tourists have never heard of this place, and even many Romans have never set foot here.
What attracts seafarers here is not infrastructure or convenience, but the absence of both. Palmarola Island emerges from the water with majestic volcanic cliffs, divided by sea caves and narrow bays. It has only one beach, a network of trails leading to the mainland, and almost no signs of modern development.
If you start from Rome, visitors need to take a train to Anzio port, then take a ferry to Ponza Island. From here, they must negotiate with fishermen or private boat owners to arrange a round-trip trip to Palmarola. Without permanent residents, Palmarola is a destination more shaped by weather, geology and seasons than tourism.
On the island, there is a restaurant called O'Francese specializing in serving fresh fish and renting out some simple rooms, which were renovated from old caves of fishermen along the cliffs. Guests book rooms months in advance and are included with package meals, with room rates from about 175 USD per night (about 4.5 million VND).
Maria Andreini, 44 years old, working in the information technology field, from Treviso in Northern Italy, every summer takes her whole family to visit Palmarola Island. Her husband is Mario, a bank manager, and her son Patrizio, 15 years old.
There are too many things to do here, and not much to do either" - Maria Andreini shared.
She recounted: "During the day we dived to see corals and sunbathe on the beach in front of the restaurant. In the evening, we lay on the beach watching the stars, holding lamps to stroll in the evening. At dawn, the host woke us up, guided us to climb to the highest peak of the island to admire the sunrise. The scene was wonderful.
Ancient relics
From the beach, the trails on the island lead deep into the mainland, above are the ruins of a medieval monastery and traces of a prehistoric residential area.
“For dinner we ate fresh fish just caught. Throughout the week, we felt like we were living in a pristine rhythm on a deserted island, similar to the setting in the American animated film about the Flintstone family" - Andreini said and advised tourists not to forget to bring mountain climbing shoes and swimsuits.
She shared that she had traveled to many places, including the Maldives, but found no place comparable to Palmarola. She added that the scenery there is "mesmerizingly charming... and it is located right near my home - Italy. It's hard to believe that there is such a wonderful place".
In addition to the main beach, the best way to explore the island's coastline is by small boat. The cliffs form stone columns, tunnels and caves in the middle of the sea, and the surrounding sea attracts people who like coral diving, kayaking and scuba diving. The only animal that visitors can encounter on land is wild goats, they hide among low palm trees - these palm trees have created the name of the island.
“This is a journey back to prehistoric times, when prehistoric people flocked here to find the precious black obsidian stone, still present in the black streaks on the cliffs, used to make weapons and tools,” local historian Silverio Capone said, adding that: “The landscape of this place has hardly changed to this day”.
Capone lives on the large island of Ponza, the nearest island and the starting point to Palmarola. Therefore, he regularly visits Palmarola Island, sometimes taking his teenage son to camp weekends with friends. He said that the island has long been deserted.
“Palmarola has always been a deserted island, that's what makes this place special,” he said. According to him: “Ancient Romans used it as a strategic sea outpost in the Tyrrhenian Sea for their empire fleet, but they never occupied it”.
Sacred ritual
Island ownership originated in the 18th century, when Naplesian families were sent to colonize Ponza, they were allowed to divide Palmarola. Today, the island is privately owned, divided into many small plots of land held by families still living on Ponza Island.
On the cliffs, small caves have been converted into simple private houses, some painted white and blue. Previously, fishermen often used them as shelters in storms, and many homeowners still stockpiled necessary items in case of bad weather and could not return to Ponza.
A small white chapel dedicated to Saint Silverius is located on top of a rocky outcrop in the middle of the sea. Silverius, a 6th-century papal, was exiled to Palmarola and is believed to have died there.
In June every year, fishermen sail from Ponza to Palmarola to attend the San Silverio festival, bringing flowers to the chapel and carrying the wooden statue of the saint by boat. Participants take turns climbing steep stone steps to the highest rock crevice, where the main altar is placed, to pray and meditate.
“It is a sacred ritual. We pray to Him every day” - Capone said, and said: “Many Ponza men, like me, are named after the saint, our protector. We believe that His soul is still present in the Palmarola water.”
Local legend tells of sailors trapped in the storm who prayed to Saint Silverius and were saved.
A saint appeared from underwater and rescued them, leading the sailors back to Palmarola safely, where they survived for weeks in cave shelters," Capone said.
