GERARDO MAZZELLA

 GERARDO MAZZELLA

Gerardo Mazzella 

ImageA view of the picturesque town of Porto.

A view of the picturesque town of Porto.Credit...Nadia Shira Cohen for The New York Times

The most intriguing of these are called Pilate’s Grottoes, a series of cave pools that were carved by hand. (Bring a flashlight and goggles or a mask, Ms. Siciliani recommended.) Once there, simply drop anchor and swim inside.

Locals say the grottoes once belonged to Pontius Pilate, though strong evidence is lacking. They also suggest that they served as pools where fish, primarily moray eels, were raised for the Roman elite. But the statues and artwork that have been discovered there suggest a more luxurious use, perhaps as saltwater swimming pools, a noble dining area or a cult site.

In addition to its man-made grottoes, Ponza’s topography is rich and varied — a veritable geology lesson. Rounding the promontory past the grottoes, the Faraglioni della Madonna is a collection of rocky stacks whose brown stone surfaces resemble knotted wood. La Punta di Capo Bianco is a cluster of volcanic stone towers with knobby peaks chiseled from the volcanic mountainside by sea, air and wind. Chiaia di Luna is an enormous bay with a massive curving tuff wall made by a volcanic deposit whose name betrays its moonlike appearance.

A 20- to 30-minute boat trip from Chiaia di Luna, whose name lies Palmarola, Ponza’s closest inhabited neighbor in the Pontine Archipelago. The sparsely populated island has the area’s most bizarre and beautiful geological formation, La Cattedrale, gray volcanic rock whose stone ridges leap upward from the water like the vertical ribs of a Gothic cathedral. There is only one sand beach in Palmarola, with a couple of seaside cafes. If you arrive by boat, you can dock there and wade ashore. There are also group tours, which depart from Ponza Porto, though be prepared for irritatingly loud music.

Back on Ponza, Chiaia di Luna is home to one of the few sand beaches accessible by land. Another beach, Spiaggia di Frontone, is served by a regular ferry from Porto. The boat deposits its passengers on a strip of sand with a few bars and beach clubs that rent umbrellas and lounge chairs. At the north end of the beach, a path carved into the rocks leads uphill to the Associazione Culturale Cala Frontone, an informal restaurant and small museum operated by Gerardo Mazzella.

“When I began to build up here, everyone said I was crazy,” Mr. Mazzella said. His simple endeavor, dubbed Da Gerardo by regulars, has turned out to be a huge success. Sailboats and yachts drop anchor in Frontone bay and their passengers make the hike up to this rustic spot for its homemade island food and sweeping views across the bay to Porto.

The property belonged to Mr. Mazzella’s grandfather and, feeling an intense connection to his ancestral land, he fashioned an ethnographic collection out of family heirlooms. Soon, other island dwellers contributed their own artifacts, and now several rooms adjacent to the restaurant display antique fishing and herding implements, peasant clothing and photographs that recount the story of Ponza’s dual nature.

“The Ponzesi had to be good at two things to survive: fishing and farming,” Mr. Mazzella said, using the term for Ponza natives. “They were skilled fishermen, teaching their craft to others in Tuscany, Sardinia and even Tunisia. But the island is fertile and they learned to cultivate the earth, too.”

A Roman Holiday

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Nadia Shira Cohen for The New York Times

On Da Gerardo’s menu, locally grown lentils and cicerchie, a chick pea-like legume cultivated on the island since antiquity, are the basis for hearty soups, while savory pies are filled with leafy greens and local cheese. Fried moray eels are served with a wedge of lemon, and octopus is stewed with potatoes.

From its high perch sheltered by thatch pergolas, Da Gerardo is a wonderful spot to appreciate the duality of Ponza, a place that calmly walks the line between remoteness and accessibility, where land and sea collide.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE

Hydrofoils (39-06-98-45083; vetor.it) and ferries (39-02-2630-2803; www.caremar.it) depart from Anzio and Formia on the mainland. Both towns are linked to Rome by Italian rail (39-06-6847-5475; www.trenitalia.it). Car service from Rome can also be arranged through SCS Autonoleggio (39-06-85-800-336; scsautonoleggio.com).

GETTING AROUND

Diva Luna (Spiaggia di Sant’Antonio, Porto; 39-338-234-7608; www.divaluna.com), beside Sant’Antonio beach in Porto, rents outboard boats and inflatable speedboats from 50 euros a day (about $70 at $1.42 to the euro), excluding fuel.

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel Laetitia (Via Scotti; 39-0771-809-886; villalaetitia.com). A bed and breakfast with only six rooms, each offering views over the port, in a Bourbon-era building. Doubles up to 230 euros in the summer, including buffet breakfast.

Piccolo Hotel Luisa (Via Chiaia di Luna; 39-0771-80-128; www.piccolohoteluisa.it). Décor is heavy on nautical themes at this simple family-run establishment near the port. Doubles from 90 euros, including buffet breakfast.

WHERE TO EAT

Acqua Pazza (Piazza C. Pisacane 10, Porto; 39-0771-80-643; www.acquapazza.com). The island’s finest restaurant with its most impressive wine cellar is  in Porto’s main square. Specialties include raw fish and crustaceans and creative fish dishes.

A Casa di Assunta (Via Panoramica, Contrada Giancos; 39-0771-820-086). Assunta serves homemade pastas and fresh fish on a terrace overlooking the port in the Giancos neighborhood northwest of Porto.

Associazione Culturale Cala Frontone “Da Gerardo” (Via Frontone, Contrada Frontone; 39-339-849-1446; assocalafrontone.it). Local legumes, seafood and dishes prepared with seasonal ingredients are served under a pergola  perched on the hill above Frontone beach.