Ponza (Lazio)

Ponza
Country	Italy
region	Lazio
province	Latina  (LT)
Coordinates	40 ° 54 '  N , 12 ° 58'  E Coordinates: 40 ° 54 '0 "  N , 12 ° 58' 0"  E
height	10  m slm
surface	9.87 km²
Residents	3,396 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density	344 inhabitants / km²
Post Code	04027
prefix	0771
ISTAT number	059018
Popular name	Ponzesi
Patron saint	San Silverio
Website	Ponza
Market at the port of Ponza

Ponza is an Italian commune in the province of Latina in the Lazio region with 3396 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019).

geography

The municipality includes the island of Ponza with the main town of the same name and the settlement of Le Forna , as well as the uninhabited islands of La Botte , Gavi , Palmarola and Zannone , all of which belong to the Pontine Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea .

history

Ponza was already a stage point of the Phoenicians and later the Greeks on their sea routes in antiquity . 312 BC It became a Roman colony . In 813 AD the Saracens attacked Ponza and enslaved the inhabitants, mostly monks. It was not until 1202 that Ponza was repopulated with the establishment of the Santa Maria di Ponza Abbey .

The Pontine Islands have often been places of exile since ancient times and up to the time of fascism . Pope Silverius is said to have died and was buried in exile on Ponza or Palmarola in 537. He is the patron of the church today.

Like Lipari , Tremiti and Ventotene , Ponza was one of those islands that the fascist regime had chosen as the preferred deportation destination for political opponents. The Ponza colony opened in 1926 and closed in 1939 after admitting thousands of anti-fascists. The Republicans, who had belonged to the Republican Party of Italy before fascism , were disproportionately represented among the exiles . In 1942 an internment camp ( campo di concentramento ) was established there. The first inmates arrived in Ponza in the spring of 1942; they were “ communists and nationalists ” from Montenegro and “undesirable intellectuals” from Albania . Later came the Greeks from Corfu added. At the end of 1942 there were 553 inmates in the camp. The highest level was only reached in the following year with 708 occupants.

The hygienic conditions left a lot to be desired. Sea bathing was only permitted for personal hygiene. The freedom of movement was severely restricted (almost 2 km² movement area). In August 1943 the camp was closed.

Since the Second World War, tourism has become the main industry. In 1979 the island of Zannone was integrated into the Circeo National Park .

Population development

year	1861	1881	1901	1921	1936	1951	1971	1991	2001	2011
Residents	3,197	3,779	4,621	6.261	6,457	4,832	3,782	3,315	3.110	3,360

Source: ISTAT

politics

Pompeo Porzio (right list of citizens) was elected mayor in May 2003 and confirmed in office in April 2008. On June 11, 2017, Francesco Ferraiuolo (“La Casa dei Ponzesi” list) was elected as the new mayor with 57.93% of the valid votes. His predecessor was Pier Lombardo Vigorelli (Lista Civica Tutti per Ponza).

economy

The main economic factors are tourism and fishing . Agriculture is practiced on a small scale. Mainly lentils and wine are grown.

traffic

There is a daily ferry connection with Formia . In the summer months there are also ferries from Naples , Terracina and Anzio Ponza.

Partnerships

Ponza's partner communities are Ischia and Brixen .

Web links

Commons : Ponza  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website about Ponza (Italian) (version from Internet Archive )
• Ponza on www.comuni-italiani.it (Italian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.
2. ↑ Le isole maledette - Panorama di Ponza . In: La Giovine Italia , Volume II, No. 34, August 27, 1938 (p. 2)
3. ↑ Carlo Spartaco Capogreco, I Campi del duce. L'internamento civile nell'Italia fascista (1940-1943) , Torino 2004 (Einaudi), pp. 202-203
4. ↑ istat 2011 - Ponza , accessed on January 20, 2018
5. ^ Latina today , accessed January 20, 2018
6. ↑ logo di Comune di Ponza (LT) - Sito istituzionale Comune di Ponza  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 20, 2018