The fishing
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The inhabitants of the island have been firshermen ever since their appearance in neolithic times. Later the Romans established extensive fisheries both in Ponza and Ventotene. The remains of these imposing buildings can still be seen today. The greatest expansion of the fishing industry occurred during the latest period of colonisation, i.e. in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Up to half a century ago, the seas around the group of islands contained all that the Mediterranean had to offer. Great wealth certainly but also the hard life of the fisherman, whose life was tied to the coral and lobster-trade. He fished not only in the local waters but cast his nets further afield in the vast sea: from Africa to the Bocche di Bonafacio between Sardinia and Corsica; from Sicily to Liguria and Tuscany. In their search for fish the men from Ponza colonised islands and coastlines, established villages and mixed their blood with that of the local inhabitants, regenerating their communities as did others in Ponza and Ventotene.
Until fifty years ago the boats were powered only by oars and sail. Many men from the island who are still alive today rowed to places such as Sardinia, Tunisia, Liguria, Tuscany and Sicily. They were giants of the sea.