10 Things to Do and See in Ventotene

Ventotene is an island in the Pontine archipelago: rich in history and pristine marine and terrestrial landscapes, it was known to the Greeks as "Pandataria", meaning dispenser of every good.

Today, Ventotene is a small oasis located halfway between Ischia and Ponza: it is part of the municipality of Latina and with its approximately 700 inhabitants, it is the smallest municipality in central Italy.

Quiet, wild, and away from mass tourism, the island of Ventotene is frequented by sailors and tourists passing through, looking for a relaxing holiday that seems to stand still in time.

Until 1965, the nearby island of Santo Stefano was home to a penal colony: perhaps for this reason, Ventotene and Santo Stefano have not experienced the tourist development of neighboring islands and offer a unique and untouched landscape.

A true paradise for lovers of the sea, diving, and hiking. Ventotene is reachable all year round by hydrofoil, but in spring and summer, the connections are much more frequent and depart from Formia, Anzio, and Terracina.

On this page, we recommend the 10 things to do and see in Ventotene during a holiday or a weekend.

Despite its small size (almost 2 square kilometers), Ventotene offers many beaches and sheltered coves, overlooking crystal-clear waters.

Many of these coves are part of the Protected Marine Area, which is why they are clean and allow for swimming in complete tranquility and safety.

Many coves can only be reached by sea via taxi boats, while among the beaches accessible on foot from the center (Piazza del Castello) are Cala Nave, Cala Rossano, Parata Grande, and Parata della Postina.

Cala Nave is the most frequented beach on the island: it is a sandy beach protected by tufaceous cliffs forming a natural bay of rare beauty.

It is a free beach, but you can rent umbrellas and loungers, and it is easily accessible on foot. Cala Rossano is a small, sandy, and sheltered beach that is reachable on foot from the port, perfect for a day at the beach without moving too far, while Parata Grande is located not far from the center and is reached by a series of steps carved into the tuff.

The beach is sandy, and you will also find loungers and umbrellas, overlooking green waters dotted with rocks.

Another very picturesque beach in Ventotene is Parata della Postina: a small stony bay dominated by a boulder that forms two natural arches.

It is worth going into the arches to admire the underwater landscape and to listen to the sound of the sea.

Like the nearby islands, Ventotene was also colonized by the Romans. The remains of Roman architecture are scattered throughout the island: among the best-preserved testimonies is the Roman Port, whose remains are now visible in the area of the current port, which is also the island's nerve center.

It is a basin carved into the tuff, removing about 60,000 cubic meters of rock. Facing east, it still protects boats from winds and bad weather.

A walk along the pier will allow you to notice how the structure of the modern port is perfectly integrated with that of the Roman port: the tuff caves carved by the Romans now host shops, tourist offices, and diving centers, while at the entrance of the port, the large bollards that once held the Roman merchant ships can still be seen in the tuff wall.

The Roman Fishery is located at the foot of the lighthouse, in the Porto area. It can be visited by swimming, but it is best experienced through diving, as most of the structure is now underwater. It consists of a series of tanks connected to the sea by channels and mandatory paths, allowing fish to lay their eggs without being able to escape.

Be amazed by the ingenuity of the Romans: the outer tanks were used to mix fresh water with salt water, while the largest central tank contained a grate system that allowed seawater to enter but not fish to escape. The marine environment was perfectly recreated thanks to shady areas and rocks covered in algae.

Unlike the island of Ponza, Ventotene does not have any freshwater springs.

The Romans knew this well, and in the 1st century BC, they constructed two large tanks in the center of the island.

The Roman Cisterns are reachable on foot in a few minutes from Piazza Castello. They are two tanks for collecting rainwater: the Cistern of Villa Stefania, which extends over 700 square meters, and the Cistern of the Detained, which is larger than one square kilometer.

Today they can be visited with guided tours from the municipal tourist guides and are perfectly preserved thanks to the cocciopesto coating, which made the tanks waterproof.

From here, utilizing the natural slope of the island, the water was channeled via an aqueduct system towards the port, directly to the Imperial Palace of Emperor Augustus.

The cisterns were used for a long time, and during the Bourbon era, they were even inhabited by 100 convicts sent here to reconstruct the island.

Before that, they were inhabited by monks: for this reason, they are covered with graffiti, drawings, and writings that testify to the passage of daily life through various historical periods.

This small museum is part of the activities of the Protected Marine Area of Ventotene and Santo Stefano: it not only houses information, curiosities, and life-size models of the main migratory birds of the Mediterranean,

but it is also a center for observation, banding, monitoring, and census of bird species migrating from Africa to Northern Europe.

It is the first museum of its kind in Italy and is worth a visit for the spectacular observation point offered by its panoramic terrace overlooking the sea.

If you are lucky, the birds seen only in photos may fly right above your head just as you peek out. Very likely if the crowd of tourists has already left the island.

Opening Hours: the museum can be visited by appointment at 349 2595607, with guided tours for groups of at least 6 people. Hours are variable.

Ticket Price: €6 full price, €4 for ages 0-11.

How to Get There: the museum is located on Via Olivi, a few minutes uphill on foot from Piazza Castello.

Built by the Bourbons in 1795 and operational until 1965, the Santo Stefano Prison is located on the island of the same name, less than a nautical mile from Ventotene. It is an imposing and majestic horseshoe-shaped structure, overlooking the sea, where prisoners could only look inward.

The project was by Francesco Carpi and was designed to allow a single guard to oversee all the cells at a glance.

It was the practical realization of the Panopticon, or panoptic, an ideal prison designed in 1791 by the philosopher and jurist Jeremy Bentham.

A visit to this place is exciting and filled with suggestion: for two hundred years it housed thousands of human lives, from Bourbon prisoners to fascist enemies, and the prison cemetery testifies to the tragedy with a series of nameless graves topped with simple wooden crosses.

It is also the prison of notable names: here, for example, Sandro Pertini and Giuseppe Di Vittorio were confined, and here the Manifesto of Ventotene was written by Altiero Spinelli and Eugenio Colorni, a document that is now considered the founding text of the European Union.

The remains of Villa Giulia are located on the promontory of Punta Eolo, overlooking the sea.

The villa, one of the imperial residences of Octavian Augustus, is named after his daughter Giulia, the first in a long series of noble Roman women sent here in exile, such as Agrippina and Octavia, the wife of Nero.

Today the villa is in a panoramic position and deserves a visit to admire up close the genius of Roman architecture: the areas dedicated to the baths, with the calidarium, frigidarium, and tepidarium, and the original structure of the villa, which was perfectly integrated into the landscape with a series of constructions and environments sloping down towards the sea.

The areas for staff and slaves were built in such a way that they were not visible from the entrance, while the area dedicated to the imperial family is directly connected to the sea.

Columns, marbles, and furnishings of the villa were removed and damaged over the centuries: some materials are now kept in the Historical and Archaeological Museum of Ventotene.

Opening Hours: guided tours by appointment organized by the Terra Maris cooperative.

Ticket Price: for info: 0771-85345 or a.terramaris@libero.it

How to Get There: the archaeological area is located on Via Olivi, a few minutes on foot from Piazza Castello.

Since 1999, Ventotene and the uninhabited Santo Stefano are part of a Protected Marine Area, which divides the territory and surrounding waters into integral, partial, and general reserve zones.

The integral reserve includes the entire area of the island of Santo Stefano: it can only be accessed with authorized personnel.

The general reserve covers half of the island of Ventotene and the partial reserve covers the remaining areas.

The establishment of the Reserve has allowed for the preservation of the marine landscape and its inhabitants: for this reason, Ventotene and its surrounding waters are the ideal place for snorkeling and diving.

You can admire entire meadows of posidonia, gorgonians, sea roses, and schools of moray eels, tunas, groupers, and sometimes even sperm whales and dolphins.

The Visitor Center of the Protected Marine Area is located at the Port of Ventotene: here you will find all the information and educational materials to experience the island while respecting the environment.

Ventotene is a land of sea and vegetables: from the fusion of land products with the day's catch arise unique dishes that can only be tasted here.

The love and determination of the people of Ventotene have recently allowed the birth of a new idea of local cuisine that blends specialties such as Ventotene lentils and pink onions with innovative and surprising recipes.

Among the typical first courses is the ideal combination of land and sea, with the gnocchi di mare di Ventotene: handmade gnocchi with pachino tomatoes, Roman ricotta, and chili, pieces of octopus, and violet-shaded shrimp fished offshore the island.

You cannot miss the Ventotene lentil soup, which, along with those from Castelluccio, is the most prized variety in Italy.

Fresh fish is the highlight of the second courses: in restaurants and trattorias, indeed, the menu is rarely fixed because the dishes are always decided based on what the sea offers. Be sure to try stuffed squid and eel in scapece with pink onions, and for vegetarians, cianfotta, a second course of vegetables that change according to the season (potatoes, peas, fava beans, artichokes).

Local wines accompany the meals, born from the vineyards climbing the inner parts of the island: among these are Dragonara, Moscato, and Biancolella.

Ventotene has very few hotels that must be booked well in advance, while more opportunities come from apartments rented by residents.

Without booking in advance, in July and August it is practically impossible to find a place to sleep. It's easier (relatively) in the other summer months and without issues in the autumn and spring months (excluding holidays). A good alternative is to stay in nearby Ponza which has more than 70 hotels.