....This legend has recently come into dispute amongst historians, because the name Pontia appears in Strabo's Geography.
It is not known if this is the same name as Ponza or a similar name.
In ancient times the island was called Tyrrhenia.
Legend says that Ponza is what is left of the lost island of Tyrrhenia. Ponza is said to have been connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land, which sank into the sea with most of the island below the water, with the parts remaining above sea level.
The same exact phenomena happened at Capri. According to legend, there was a large city on the ancient island. There has been significant archaeological progress recently that shows this may be true. For example, it was discovered that the harbor floor of Pozzuoli had sunk and risen several times in the last 5,000 years, revealing sunken Roman temples.
Ponza was first colonised by Etruscans from Etruria.
The island was heavily forested with giant trees in ancient times, but the forest is gone and the trees are extinct and the hills are covered with man-made terraces that resemble the terraces of Peru. The tallest hill on ponza, called Monte Guardia, still has the rotting stumps of the extinct giant trees over eight feet wide. Crops are grown on these terraces like grapes for wine and cactus pears and fig trees.

Ponza is also suspected to be the island of Aeaea in Homer's Odyssey, as the island of the Circe the sorceress, where her cave or grotto was. Today it is known as Grotta della Maga Circe on the west side of the island, between Capo Bianco and Chaia di Luna beach. She was said to have lived in this cave in the Winter months. Spending the Summer atop nearby Mount Circe on the Mainland of Italy. This is where the Circe turned Odysseus men into animals and cast her spell on and seduced him and lived with him for a over a year. On the west side of Ponza is the Grotta di Ulisse O Del Sangue, which means Cave of Ulysses of the Blood. The Grotto or cave is almost directly underneath the hill/peninsula called Il Belvedere, which has the Giardino Botanico Ponziano a botanical garden with a villa and the remains of a castle. These caves or grottos are popular destinations to visit by boat only. *[1] Archaeologists are now investigating Ponza in search of evidence of Homer's Odyssey.

During Roman times, Nero Caesar, eldest brother of Caligula, was deported to Ponza in AD 29, where in 30 he was put to death. Two of his sisters, Agrippina the Younger (mother of the emperor Nero) and Julia Livilla were exiled to Ponza in AD 39 for their complicity in a plot to overthrow Caligula. They were recalled to Rome in AD 41. Julia Livilla had a mansion named Palazzo Giulia (Julia's Palace) built specially for her on Ponza. The ruins are still visible there. A similar mansion with the same name was also built on nearby Ventotene for Emperor Augustus' exiled daughter, Julia the Elder.

Ponza was abandoned during the Middle Ages due to constant raids by Saracens and pirates. In 1552 the Ottoman fleet under the command of Turgut Reis (known as Dragut in the West) defeated the Spanish fleet of Emperor Charles V under the command of the famous Genoese admiral Andrea Doria near Ponza. During the 18th century, the Kingdom of Naples re-colonized the island. Today the island is World famous as a major tourist attraction with big sandy beaches like Chiaia di Luna or Half Moon Beach.

Ponza has suffered many invasions, just like nearby Sicily and had been captured at one time or another by the English, Spanish, Greeks, French, Moors, Carthaginians, Libyans, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Anatolians, and Canaanites. Even a place on central Ponza is called "Campo Inglese" which means "English Camp" for where the troops were garrisoned. Several Fortresses can still be seen around the island.

The island became part of the Kingdom of Italy in the mid-19th century and it is now part of the Republic of Italy. The island's isolation destined it to serve as a penal colony by various regimes. During the two decades of fascism, Ponza and the nearby Ventotene, served as a prison for political opponents of Mussolini's regime. The Ethiopian leader Ras Immiru, who was captured by the Italian Army in 1936, was imprisoned in a house in Santa Maria. Mussolini himself was imprisoned on the island for several weeks after being overthrown and arrested in 1943.

The island is well known for the tragic story of Lucia Rosa who threw herself into the Tyrrhenian Sea rather than being forced to marry a man against her wishes. She is viewed by many women around the world as a martyr for women's rights and symbol for human rights.

A few years ago engineers working on an ancient Roman tunnel that connected the harbour part of Ponza to the neighborhood of Santa Maria, used explosives to dig a conduit nearby — they were supposed to use a chisel. The explosive shock shattered and destroyed this 2,100 year old Roman Gallery Tunnel.

In the late Summer/early Fall of 2007, Six "Aquanauts" spent two weeks living underwater off the coast of Ponza, breaking all other records.

Ventotene harbor, as well as Pilatos' cove, used at Ponza to breed Moray fishes and other rare species, both dug in the tuff rocks, and Chiaia di Luna with its tunnel connecting the village to the beach through impressive cliffs, are all remainder of those days. Madonna point mansion, with its fish pond now nearby the cemetery, is also a remarkable visit spot.
The nowadays harbor and surrounding Ponza's area lay-out, were built by Francesco Carpi at the end of the eighteen century, based on a project by Antonio Winspere.
This is the starting point for a tour to the archipelago. After reaching the island from Anzio or Gaeta ports ( 1-3 hours navigation away ) the biggest problem will be to find a proper berth: Musco dock only offers shelter from western gusts, locally called "Garigliano".
Docking is however restricted to an area between the hydrofoil landing and the Navy Yacht Club. The rest of the port area, including the anchorage in the road, is open to the swell from which in case of fresh winds from the west, one is compelled to seek refuge on the opposite island at Chiaia di Luna.
Ponza is the main tourist destination, and is hugely popular with water and fishing lovers; the island offers superb swimming opportunities, particularly for those who hire boats.
Around 8km long, the island has two principal settlements, connected by bus.
Ponza can be best savored by circumnavigating it. Starting from the harbor and coasting southward along the Donna promontory where the water entrances to the Pilatus' cove are located, the Roman villa can be seen.
Further south the Madonna cliffs, the Ulysses' cave and the long Scotti rocky wall are sighted together with Calzone Muto cliff just before the impressive Guardia promontory 280 meters high. Chiaia di Luna is located behind the lower Fieno point.
This is a beautiful route safe also for night navigation when riding the west winds one seeks shelter into the bay.

One additional surprise occurs at the bay entrance when one find himself in front of this beautiful beach surrounded by suggestive multicolored cliffs.

Coasting further Faraglioni mountain, Feola cove sheltered by a breakwater partially suitable for docking and with 2-4 meters water depth, is reached.

After making good the sharp Corte point, the navigation continue into the Water cove, so called after the small port used by the water-tanker supplying the island. The steel pier allowing only head docking is unsafe.

From the following Papa point to the extreme northern island end, the coast line becomes more and more irregular until the strait between Ponza and Gavi islet. The eastern side offers suggestive seascape views till the natural stone arch called "Spaccapolpi". Here two majestic coves separated by the "Faraglioni del Parroco" are reached.
They are respectively named Inferno and Core coves.
Good shelter from the south-west winds can be found at Frontone cove, behind the homonymous point.

The other archipelago inhabited island is Ventotene, with an old Roman port dug into the tuff rock and surrounded by a picturesque village: a night in Ventotene is an experience anyone sailing the Mediterranean cannot miss.

When lentils and other local plants blossom in springtime and their flavor can be felt miles away sailing downwind at nighttime, the time has arrived to steer for Ventotene and be taken by its ancient charm.
If docking is not available at the old harbor ( Nicholas port ) you can now take advantage at the new marina, sheltered to the est by a breakwater.

Santo Stefano island is about a mile away from Ventotene. The island is two kilometers wide, with an old Borbonic penitentiary built on top, has a peculiar turtle shape. A visit is worth although the premise is closed down. Parmarola island considered one of the most beautiful in the Tirrenian sea, lies at about six miles from Ponza's Guardia point.
Cliffs and coves with crystal clear waters offer one landing only, which is the harbor cove with a sandy bottom in front of the beach. The only two restaurants in the island provide, in the good season, to the necessities of visitors.

The wildest and pristine of the entire archipelago is without doubt Zanone island, resembling Australia both in shape ( but not size! ) and the rich luxuriant vegetation, a remainder of the forests that were growing in the islands prior to human colonization. Landing and docking is available in the rocky cove in the south of the island. Coming from Ponza, caution must be exercised to avoid rifs and shallow waters, remnants of the linking ridge connecting the island to Ponza.

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