![]() Palmarola and the Pontine Islands | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Tyrrhenian Sea |
Coordinates | 40°56′13″N 12°51′29″E / 40.937°N 12.858°E |
Archipelago | Pontine Islands |
Administration | |
Italy | |
Demographics | |
Population | 0 |
Palmarola is a craggy, mostly uninhabited island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the west coast of Italy. It is the second-largest of the Pontine Islands and located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west from Ponza. In antiquity it was known as Palmaria.[1]
Palmarola has an extremely rocky coast dotted with natural grottos, bays, cliffs, and crags. The island is primarily a nature reserve, but there are a handful of ports where boats can land and one restaurant that cater to tourists during the summer season. Palmarola has a few small beaches.
The famous French explorer and oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau appointed Palmarola as "The most Beautiful Island in the Mediterranean Sea"[2]
Pope Silverius was exiled to and died on Palmarola in 538.[3]