Ponza Islands

Volcanic island group in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the W coast of SC Italy; main islands are Ponza (the largest), Palmarola, Zannone, Santo Stefano, and Ventotene (formerly Pandateria); islands used in ancient times as places of exile; Agrippina the Elder was banished to Pandateria (AD 29) where she died; political prisoners were detained on Ponza under the fascist regime; regular steamer service connects Ponza with Naples.

The Pontine Islands are an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the west coast of Italy. The islands were collectively named after the largest island in the group, Ponza. The other islands in the archipelago are Ventotene, Palmarola, Zannone, Santo Stefano and Gavi. Neolithic artifacts and bronze age obsidians have been excavated on the islands. The islands were used by the Etruscans who carved the "Blue Grottos". The earliest recorded history of the islands occurs with the Roman victory over the Volsces at 338 B.C.

During the reign of Rome's Caesar Augustus, residential expansion on the islands was encouraged and people spread from Ponza to Ventotene. Rome used the two islands as a retreat and a place to exile politically troubling citizens. Some two thousands years later the islands were used for the same reason by the Fascist regime. During the 18th century, the Kingdom of Naples re-colonized the islands, that later became part of the Kingdom of Italy.