DIVERS GUIDE TO PONZA, ITALY

Average water temp 64 degrees F >> What to wear Semidry suit, 7 mm wetsuit or a drysuit with a light undergarment >> Average viz 100 feet >> When to go Spring and fall feature the best weather with the fewest crowds >> Depth From 10 to 140 feet, with the best sponge gardens usually below 100 feet

For more information, go to ponzadiving.it

DON’T-MISS DIVES

Le Formiche

These rocky outcrops offer multiple dives. Swim among the giant boulders or lush meadows of sea grass, which look like a miniature forest, or check out the steep walls that descend to the sandy bottom at about 177 feet.

Secca (or bommie) di Punta Papa

This challenging dive requires a blue-water descent down the anchor chain to the top of the bank at a depth of 112 feet. A cloud of frantic damselfish provides an escort along a wall that ends at 184 feet on a sandy bottom.

Punta della Madonna

At only 20 feet, this dive is an ideal one for beginners. There’s a gentle slope down, and along the wall you’ll see small grouper, as well as colorful sponges and tubeworms; on the bottom, the millets sift the sand in search of prey.

DIVERS DAY OFF

To get a true feel for Ponza, rent a boat by day to explore its many coves; by night, people-watch while you sip an aperitivo on Corso Carlo Pisacane, Ponza’s main drag.

Day 1

Walk to the promontory Punta della Guardia to reach the eponymous lighthouse, Faro della Guardia, on the southern side of the island. It’s one of the best sites on the island to admire the incredible sunset, when the sun colors the sky red and the rocks pink, and a thin strip of rose appears on the horizon against the turquoise sea.

Day 2

Rent a boat or take a shuttle to picturesque Palmarola, a nearly uninhabited island 6 miles from Ponza. Slopes are carpeted in green, and limestone cliffs plummet to the sea. Nearby Zannone, part of the Parco Nazionale del Circeo, has not been defor- ested like the other Pontine islands. Traverse the 20-minute footpath through the woods to the ruins of the 1213 monastery of Santo Spirito e Santa Maria, which housed the island’s only human inhabitants.

Day 3

Rent a boat or take a tour and putter around the island’s many coves by sea, stopping for a snorkel or a swim in caves such as Grotte di Pilato. These atmospheric sea caves were hand-excavated by the Romans and used as a murenario (eel farm) in the first century.

For more of Franco Banfi's Ponza photos take a peek at Diving Italy: Circe.