Bird oasis of Palmarola Island

Palmarola Island:
Area:
1 sq Km belonging to the Circeo National Park
Position:
40 56’ 50’’ N 12 51’ 28’’ E
Distance from mainland and size:
19 miles (35 Km) from Circeo peninsula. Palmarola is the most western and the second largest of the Pontine islands
Residents:
only 2 people live on the island among which one is the island public warden and the other is the keeper of Fendi’s private villa.

Shape:
Hilly and very various coastline with some larger and smaller secluded bays and rocks reachable only via the sea.
Roads:
none.
Transportation available on the island:
only walking.

        Click on Photos to see the photografies of the Reserve

Palmarola is part of the Circeo National Park, and the protection of wildlife is vital to keep the island free from any commercial development. The natural landscapes are hilly, similar to those of the main island. It has a surface area of 136 hectares and the highest point is Mt. Guarniere (249 m). With its pristine sea and wild Mediterranean terrain, Palmarola is a great place for an marvelous day trip with a tasty Italian pack lunch.

Palmarola is called the Pearl of Mediterranean Sea and if you visit it you can see and understand why this is not an overstatement. Situated approximately 8 miles from the port of Ponza, it can be reached by hired boat. These waters are important for the presence of large cetaceans; identifying their critical habitats and determining the existing relationships between the animal's behavior and distribution and the geomorphology of the area, represent a base for monitoring these species. These factor are all bio-indicators of the environmental quality. The safeguard of the cetaceans, actually, involves the protection of wide range of species that share the environment. The wildlife research is providing a series of significant data allowing the identification of critical hot spots for the assessment and the preservation of the sea biodiversity.

        Click on Photos to see the photografies of the Reserve