Falconiera Fortress

La Falconiera, a promontory 157 meters above sea level located near the island’s natural harbor, overlooks Cala di Santa Maria. The promontory was a volcanic cone, with steep cliffs on the eastern side and gentler slopes on the northern, southern, and western sides. The summit, which once hosted a Hellenistic settlement, has been eroded by wind and water, resulting in distinctive tuff rock formations.

The leveling of the plateau and the terraces visible today is the result of human activity and was necessary both for the construction of the ancient city and for cultivating the steep areas. The need to establish a colony in this location, so exposed to wind and weather, likely stemmed from critical defense requirements and the ability to control the most important natural landing point, Cala di Santa Maria, which remains the island’s capital and port to this day. The city was built on three artificial terraces, with houses partly carved into the natural rock; today, simple marks in the rock can be seen in the rooms, along with fragments of crushed pottery or white mosaic tiles, as well as rock-carved staircases connecting different levels of the houses. Water supply was ensured by numerous cisterns dug into the rock and coated with crushed pottery.

The clearing of some areas has allowed the recovery of a considerable amount of high-quality archaeological material. Among the most notable finds, most dating from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD, are numerous fragments of plaster walls featuring vibrant polychrome borders and stucco, abundant pottery vessels, amphorae, ointment jars, and crushed pottery fragments.

The construction of the Bourbon fortifications, originally built with stones from ancient buildings and recently restored as the site of the Vulcanological Museum, irreparably damaged much of the city, from which the N.E. line originated. La Rocca della Falconiera is one of the panoramic viewpoints on the island of Ustica, offering views of the harbor, the village, and much of the island, as well as breathtaking sunsets.