A fine day out

September 8, 2017

Isle di Ponza – 21 miles off the coast in the Tyrrhenian Sea

Even the most intrepid Safari master needs a day off and today was the day. Don’t get me wrong – the museums, the antiquities, the history – I love it. But even too much of a good thing can be exhausting so before my 10 hour plane ride scheduled the following day, I decided Friday was the perfect day to escape the city and crowds. So it was off to Ponza.

It wasn’t a typical “day off” as I had to be up and out before dawn. A journey to Isle di Ponza requires a 90-minute bus trip from Rome to the western Italian port of Anzio, then a little over an hour ferry ride to Ponza, the largest of the Pontine island chain.

Bus and ferry made on time, my early start was rewarded as the boat throttled back and the Porto di Ponza came into view. I was treated to a picturesque seaside village bathed in the early morning sun, cheerily painted houses and shops in faded raspberry, pink and lemon rising steeply from the waterfront. Just down the hill curling around the harbor was a small promenade dotted with restaurants, cafes and boutiques facing the Tyrrhenian Sea.

But I didn’t come to shop or wile the day away in a seaside cafe. I came to see the rest of the island, too – to visit the Pilato caves and swim and snorkel in the coves and through grottos which can only be reached by boat.

Once off the ferry and onto a smaller excursion boat we were treated to the history and beauty of the island by our local Ponzan captain. As we passed by the Pilato caves he explained how they were excavated by hand in the 1st century BC to connect Roman villas to the rest of the island. Many of the grottos were Roman-made as well for eel farming. Occasionally to this day, statues and household objects dating back 2000 years are found by local fishermen and scuba divers around these caves and grottos.

As we motored at a leisurely pace around the island we made brief stops to swim and snorkel in water that was refreshingly cool and surprisingly salty. On two stops, the more adventurous in our small band of fellow travelers was given the opportunity to swim through grottos carved through the cliffs. We dove off the boat and swam together through these long narrow grottos as the boat made its way around to the other side of the rocky point to collect us. One of the grottos was well over 50 meters long! The scenery inside the water-caves was otherworldly and breathtaking as sunlight poked through holes under the water and turned the rocky passage into a mélange of greens, blues and turquois.

We dropped anchor around noon and enjoyed a simple, traditional Ponzan fisherman lunch of pasta with a red fish sauce cooked onboard and washed down with plenty of vino and espresso. We were even graced by a visit from the Ice Cream Boat after lunch!

As we neared the end of our circuit around the island we dropped anchor once more, this time at Moon Rock beach next to the Arco Naturale (Natural Arch). There is a tradition that suggests if you swim through the arch and make a wish, it will be granted by Neptune, Roman god of the sea. And so we did.

Ancient mythology is deeply entrenched in Ponzan culture and traditions. It is believed Homer sung of the seductive power of supernatural women who inhabited these sacred atolls. I learned Ponza is where Greek hero Odysseus, on his way back home from burning Troy, was bewitched by the sorceress Circe where she made him her slave. A silhouette of a black heart ingrained on white cliffs of the “Grotto della Maga Circe” is the prima facia evidence the islanders point to as they retell the story. Also from the Homer’s epic we know that when Odysseus passed through the Pontine islands at Ventotene, he had to plug his ears against the Sirens’ songs. Local fishermen still talk of strange fish found in their nets and drowning sailors rescued by beautiful women. Regardless of what you believe, Ponza is a mythical place, indeed!

After the return ferry (where I made another new friend named Anthony)

and then the 90-minute bus trip back into the city, a merry band of two other solo travelers and I headed to my favorite casual dinner spot a few blocks from the Colosseum to enjoy one more fine Italian meal and recount our amazing shared experience that day.

During dessert, I mentioned to Andrea (from Australia) and Vern (from Canada) that I had yet to visit the Fontana di Trevi, or Trevi Fountain and make my wish. Travel-weary after an 18-hour day but fortified by a bit of homemade limoncello we made our way through the quiet streets of Rome at midnight to the 5^th century landmark modernly made famous by the film La Dolce Vita. When we turned onto the square we found a lively little crowd much like us – not quite ready for the night to end. We counted to three, made one more wish and tossed our one-euro coins in unison.

Eighteen hours prior we were three strangers from different countries, continents and hemispheres. Yet by midnight we had become friends, laughing, sharing and creating memories in a very special place in the heart of ancient Rome.

A perfect ending to a perfect day (off)! -p

Next up: Somewhere over China