Ventotene

South Pacific Familyadventure 2008
Claes Brodin
Mon 20 Mar 2023 17:39
Thirty nautical miles  east of Ponza lies it´s smaller neighbour Ventotene.
Approaching the island from the east the village is not as charmy as Porto Ponza but this island is not to miss.
Emperor Augustus built a summerrecidence on the island and his daughter Julia was later placed on the island in her own palace due to her excessive adultery in Rome.
Remnants from her palace can be visited on the north peninsula of the island and active archeologic work is ongoing.
A short distance to the east lies Isola Stefano with it´s prison where Mussolini held communists as prisoners (the most famous being Altiero Spinelli who wrote the Ventotene Manifesto suggesting a federal Europe after WW-II considered to be the birth of the EU).
In relation to the old Roman port (built during emperor Augustus) is a seawater pond where the Romans kept alive fish for consumtion.
Also on rural places like Ponza and Ventotene the Romans built advanced societies with well working watersystems (aqueducts),roads,bridges,tunnels and well protected harbours for their galleys.
On the contrary to todays Europe this was based on manpower which during Roman times meant slaves.
Ventotene is also a hallmark for migrating birds attracting ornitologists from all over the continent.

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