By Silvia Marchetti, CNN
Palmarola, Italy (CNN) — Palmarola has no town and no roads. There is no electricity, no mobile phone coverage and no ferry terminal. On most days, the only way to reach the island is by small boat from Ponza, five miles away across the Tyrrhenian Sea.
It lies west of Rome, close enough that it can be reached in a day trip but far enough removed so that the Italian capital’s traffic, crowds and constant motion feel like a neighboring planet. While Rome’s forums, fountains and piazzas pull in millions of visitors, Palmarola remains largely absent from itineraries. Many tourists never hear of it. Many Romans never go.
What draws the people who do make the crossing is not infrastructure or convenience, but the absence of both. Palmarola rises sharply from the water in volcanic cliffs, broken by sea caves and narrow inlets. There is a single beach, a network of footpaths leading inland, and little sign of modern development.
Reaching the island from Rome involves a train to the port of Anzio, a ferry to Ponza and then negotiating with a fisherman or private boat owner for a ride in both directions. With no permanent residents, Palmarola is a destination shaped more by weather, geology and seasons than by tourism.
There is one restaurant, O’Francese, that serves fresh fish and rents out a limited number of basic rooms carved into old fishermen’s grottoes along the cliffs. Guests book months in advance and stay on a full-board basis, with nightly rooms starting at 150 euros, or $175.
Maria Andreini, a 44-year-old remote IT worker from Treviso in northern Italy, visits Palmarola each summer with her husband, Mario, a bank manager, and their 15-year-old son, Patrizio.
“There’s so much, and so little, to do,” she says. “We spend our days snorkeling and suntanning on the restaurant’s front beach, made of pink coral pebbles. At night we lie on the beach and stargaze, we walk around with torches. At dawn the owners wake us up to take us on a hiking trip to the isle’s highest peak to admire the sunrise. It’s stunning.”
Ancient ruins
Footpaths lead inland from the beach, climbing toward the ruins of a medieval monastery and the remains of a prehistoric settlement.
“For dinner, we eat fresh fish from the net. For an entire week, we feel as if we’re living a primeval, castaway experience, a bit like being the Flintstones family on holiday,” says Andreini, who advises visitors to bring hiking boots along with beachwear.
She says she has traveled widely, including to the Maldives, but finds Palmarola unmatched. Its scenery is “spell-binding,” she adds, “and it’s in my backyard — Italy. Hard to believe we boast such a fantastic place.”
Beyond the main beach, the island’s coastline is best explored by dinghy. The cliffs form sea stacks, tunnels, and grottoes, and the surrounding waters attract snorkelers, canoeists, and scuba divers. The only animals visitors are likely to encounter on land are wild goats, which shelter among the low palms that give the island its name.
“It’s a trip back to prehistoric times when cave men flocked here in search of the precious jet-black obsidian stone, still visible in the cliff’s black streaks, used to make weapons and utensils,” local historian Silverio Capone tells CNN. “Very little has changed since then in the landscape.”
Capone lives on Ponza, the nearest isla