The island of Ventotene (LT) was created after an underwater volcano erupted depositing effusions of andesite, basalt and tuff rock. The municipal territory includes both the island of Ventotene and the smaller island of Santo Stefano nearby, both part of the Archipelago of the Pontine Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Ventotene is 2.7km long and 850m wide with two main beaches, Cala Rossano near the new harbour and Cala Nave where two large rocks face the shore (known as Nave di Terra and Nave di Fuori) and the so-called Scoglietello. More, slightly less accessible, beaches can be found in Cala Battaglia and Parata della Postina to the south of the island, Parata Grande and Moggio di Terra to the North West and Capo dell’Arco to the west.
The underwater scenario features scarlet sponges that cover cave walls, soft corals (gorgonians), formations of purple and blue limestone that resemble tropical coral and clutches and rings hanging with the eggs of molluscs, brown meagre and damselfish. There are also the archaeological sites of the ships sunk during Roman times whose most significant artefacts are preserved in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
Modern-day Ventotene grew up in the 1700s under the supervision of Antonio Winspeare and Francesco Carpi. The urban centre clusters around the Piazza del Comune (also known as Piazza Castello), the Church of St. Candida and Piazza De Gasperi, with only two roads crossing the entire island.
Roma Lazio Film Commission
Via Tuscolana 1055 — 00173 Roma
Phone: +39 06 72286273/320
Fax: +39 06 722 1127
Email: info@romalaziofilmcommission.it
