Palmarola (Italy)
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Palmarola has no town or roads. There is no electricity, no cellphone service, and no ferry terminal. Most days, the only way to reach the island is by small boat from Ponza, eight miles across the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Located to the west of Rome, it’s close enough for a day trip, but so remote that the traffic, congestion, and constant movement of the Italian capital feels like a neighboring planet. Rome’s forums, fountains and piazzas draw millions of tourists, but Palmarola remains largely absent from itineraries. Many tourists have probably never heard of it. Many Romans never go.
What attracts people to cross is not infrastructure or convenience, but the absence of both. Palmarola rises precipitously from the water on volcanic cliffs separated by sea caves and narrow coves. There is only one beach, a network of trails leading inland, and little sign of modern development.
To reach the island from Rome, you need to take a train to the port of Anzio, take a ferry to Ponza, and then negotiate with a fisherman or private boat owner to give you a ride in both directions. Palmarola, with no permanent residents, is a destination shaped more by weather, geology and seasons than by tourism.
There is one restaurant, O’Francese, which serves fresh fish and has a limited number of basic rooms for rent, carved into old fishermen’s caves along the cliffs. Guests can book months in advance and stay on full board plans starting from 150 euros ($175) per night.
Maria Andreini, 44, a remote IT worker from Treviso in northern Italy, visits Palmarola every summer with her husband Mario, a bank manager, and their 15-year-old son Patrizio.
“There is so much to do, so little,” she says. “We spend the day snorkeling and tanning on the restaurant’s front beach, which is made of pink coral pebbles. At night, we lie on the beach and look at the stars or walk around with torches. At dawn, the owners wake us up and take us on a hiking trip to the highest peak of the island to watch the sunrise. It’s amazing.”
Trails lead inland from the beach, climbing towards the ruins of medieval monasteries and prehistoric settlements.
“For dinner we eat fresh fish caught in nets. For a whole week we feel like we’re living a primitive castaway experience, like the Flintstones are on vacation,” says Andreini, who advises visitors to bring hiking boots along with their beachwear.
She has traveled extensively, including to the Maldives, but said she feels Palmarola is a unique place. The view is “magical,” she added, “and it’s in my backyard, in Italy. I can’t believe we can boast such an amazing location.”
Other than the main beach, the island’s coastline is best explored by dinghy. The cliffs form seaways, tunnels, and caves, and the surrounding ocean attracts snorkelers, canoeists, and scuba divers. The only animals visitors might encounter on land are the wild goats that hide among the low palm trees that give the island its name.
“This is a journey back to prehistoric times, when cavemen flocked here in search of the precious jet-black obsidian that still exists in the black streaks of the cliffs. This obsidian was used to make weapons and tools,” local historian Silverio Capone told CNN. “The landscape hasn’t changed much since then.”
Capone lives in Ponza, the nearest island and departure point to Palmarola, and visits regularly, sometimes dropping off his teenage son on wild camping weekends with friends. He said the island had been unstable for a long time.
“Palmarola has always been a deserted island, and that’s what makes it special,” he says. “The ancient Romans used it as a maritime strategic observation post in the Tyrrhenian Sea for their imperial fleets, but they never colonized it.”
Ownership of the island dates back to the 18th century, when Neapolitan families sent to colonize Ponza were allowed to divide Palmarola among themselves. It is now privately owned and divided into a number of parcels still owned by a family based in Ponza.
The small caves on the cliffs have been converted into simple houses, some of which are painted white and blue. Fishermen have historically used them as shelter during storms, and many owners still store supplies in case the weather prevents them from returning to Ponza.
A small white chapel dedicated to Saint Silverius stands on a sea stack. Pope Silverius of the 6th century was exiled to Palmarola, where he is thought to have died.
Every June, fishermen set sail from Ponza to Palmarola for the feast day of San Silverio, bringing flowers to the chapel and parading wooden statues of the saint in their boats. Participants take turns climbing the steep rock steps to the highest niche, where the main altar is located, to pray and meditate.
“This is a sacred ritual. We pray to him every day,” Capone says. “Many of the men of Ponza, like me, are named after the saint who is our patron. We believe that his spirit still lives in the waters of Palmarola.”
Local legend has it that sailors who were caught in a storm prayed to St. Silverius and were saved.
“An apparition of a saint came out of the sea and rescued them, guiding the sailors safely to Palmarola, where they survived for several weeks in the shelter of a cave,” Capone said.
