Pianosa

12 Jan Pianosa

The flat island

The island is so called because is almost completely flat with only a slight elevation in some places. Populated since the Paleolithic on Pianosa there are still preserved remains of a Roman villa and a system of catacombs. Olive trees have been planted in and around vineyards for thousands of years, so that today there is only lentiscus of the Mediterranean, while numerous herbaceous species color the landscape with their flowers.

Pianosa sea bottoms

Since ancient times crossroads of trade routes, the waters of this ecosystem with extraordinary archeological and ecological value are inhabited by a lot of species. A paradise that the historical and political vicissitudes have well preserved.

The prison

Pianosa used to be a penitentiary and a penal colony. In 1856, the “Agricultural penal colony of Pianosa” was established for political prisoners. Even Sandro Pertini, the then future president of Italy, who had been arrested in 1932 for political reasons, was there for some time a “guest”. In the 1970s, however, the serenity on the island ended when the State established a maximum security prison there. Pianosa became home to Italy’s most dangerous criminals, including mafia chiefs and convicted terrorists. Today the Island of Pianosa can be visited for a few hours per day (not more than 250 per day) even though the prison has been closed since 2011.

How to get to Pianosa

A visit on Pianosa is it possible with a mini cruise departing from the nearby port of Castiglione della Pescaia. For more information please contact the tourist information office – IAT of Castiglione della Pescaia- +39 0564 933678.