Gaeta, Italy: A Mediaeval Gem on the Sea Between Rome and Naples

The Sud Pontino represents the ideal historical and cultural border to southern regions and cultures of the Italian peninsula. The Mediterranean areas have always been an incredible cradle and cross bridge of cultures.

The native Mediterranean people have always experienced contacts, invasions and exchanges with populations coming from both land and sea. The Sud Pontino is right in the middle of the Italian peninsula, which is itself in the middle of the Mediterranean sea.

A mythical and eternal land of passage, where history left its fascinating marks and where the ruts of many contemporary cultures lie. Phoenicians, Etruscans, Latins, Greeks, Romans, Africans, Celts, German populations, the Vikings, Arabs, Turks, Venetians, Rome's Catholic Church, the Spanish, the French all left their signs on this territory. In southern Italy you can feel this cultural patrimony in the richness of its monuments, in every old street and arch -- when approaching the people.

This territory is the southernmost area of Latium, Rome's region and represents the natural and historical border with Campania, the region of Naples. The coastal margin and its immediate inland territories are defined as Sud Pontino (south Pontino) and also known as Ulysses' Coast or Riviera. The whole territory is part of Latina's province. Pivoted on Gaeta's Gulf, the Ulysses' Coast has a surface of 450 kmq. The area includes the coastal line from Gianola and Minturno to the town of S.Felice Circeo and the territory between the Aurunci and the Ausonii mountain ranges and the Garigliano River acts as a physical border with Campania region.

With 60 km of coastal stretch - almost all of it is fine sand beaches -- and the Aurunci Mountains that overlook the sea at a height of 1500 m, this is a territory with a unique geography and climate. Experts define it as the best in Italy. In fact, the Aurunci is the closest mountain range to the sea with peaks of over 1500 mt high. This peculiarity creates a unique micro-climatic territory. The coastal part has profited from the sea that mitigates the winters and refreshes the summers.

In the mountains, the winter is rigid and the summer is warm. On the coast and in the lowlands, the rains are scarce. In the mountains, rain is plentiful -- especially in the winter and spring periods. Cutting into the sea with the peninsula of Gaeta, the Aurunci mountain range then recedes making space to the wide, beautiful Gaeta's bay or Gulf of Gaeta, withdrawing even further away at the Garigliano's River plain.

Protected from cold winds, the Gulf of Gaeta enjoys an extremely mild climate with the sea mitigating the southern sides of the mountains from the harshness of winter temperatures.

Nature has done its best over here. At the slopes' feet of the Aurunci Mountains, down towards sweet hills interrupted by high promontories, the traveller arrives on a beautiful green coast with spectacular inlets and coves with magnificent views on white sandy beaches. Gaeta is the queen of a beautiful gulf, which frames this charming territory of southern Lazio. The origin of this town is ancient and its history long and intense.

Gaeta was a powerful and active maritime Republic in the Mediterranean about well over 1000 years ago -- when its history was already long, ancient and eventful. The legendary Trojan heroes Aeneas and Ulysses are said to have landed here on their journeys and certainly Etruscans, Greeks and Romans have lived here.

The Roman mausoleum at the top of Mount Orlando above the mediaeval town was dedicated to a famous general in the Augustan era. He was Lucius Munatius Plancus, the founder of Lyon (Lugdanum) and Basel (Raurica).

The mausoleum was Planco's tomb ,and, in spite of hundreds of wars, sieges and invasions, it is the only mausoleum in the world that has managed to remain almost intact having endured twenty centuries of history. Here we start our journey in this magical territory, right in the middle of the Land of Aeneas and Ulysses.

Today Gaeta is a charming and interesting mediaeval town on the South Tyrrhenian Sea. Churches, homes, villas and buildings with hidden gardens and old paved streets of amazing architectural beauty. All seems to be so irregularly entrenched to create a warm and relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere.

The climate with its hot and long summer and close proximity to the sea bring warm and temperate weather to Gaeta for most of the year. When arriving from the North, the ancient town appears along the Via Flacca only after a dramatic series of tunnels and curves over vertical rocks covered by the typical Mediterranean bush opening onto beaches with white sand, small secluded bays and coves with blue sea. In the spring and early autumn, a stronger breeze clears the blue sky leaving only little motionless clouds far above the sea and the mountains around the gulf.

Gaeta offers a fantastic view during many calm and sunny days with seagulls flying over the blue cobalt sea, which appears with a different shade of blue from the previous day. What a peaceful sight it is!

There used to be a wall that protected the city from outside invaders. Some of these defensive walls are still a part of the town scenery. The historic center of Gaeta is a picturesque, genuine and ancient portrait of the Italy that people always imagine and read about. It is a charming and interesting town with plenty to explore.

Before arriving at Gaeta when traveling from Sperlonga (north), there is a sequence of large beaches well known by the locals: Sant'Agostino, San Vito, Arenauta, Ariana, Quaranta Remi, Fontania, Serapo; the mythical Greek hero Aeneas landed on Serapo, the largest and closest large beach to the town centre. And here, in Gaeta, another legendary hero, the Greek Aeneas buried his nurse Caieta who, according to Virgil's Aeneid, gave the name to the town.

The largest of Gaeta's beaches, Sant'Agostino, offers another surprise: the rocky walls of Mount Moneta (m 359), that dominating the bay of Sant'Agostino, are well known to the free climbers. The beaches offer their best in the spring time until June-July and early in September, when there are only a few local visitors.

Driving from Sant'Agostino, all the other beaches follow along the Via Flacca as head toward town. The traveler who wants get around Gaeta well needs to quickly learn the names of the most important districts. Gaeta is divided into two main urban areas: Mediaeval Gaeta (inside the ancient walls) embracing the historic complex of Sant'Erasmo; Gaeta del Borgo (outside the walls) made up of more recent urban settlements.

Gaeta was for a long time the second capital of the Kingdom of Naples and the presence of monarchs since the early mediaeval time gave the sparkle for the creation of many important churches and buildings, giving a peculiar historical and artistic mark to the town.

Both the areas have the narrow and picturesque old streets typical of the Italian mediaeval age, a real joy to discover all the lively streets among the mouth-watering aroma of fresh fried fish, ragu' (a special tomato sauce for pasta) and strong, fresh espresso coffee.

To visit the surprising local gastronomy copy and paste the following link in your Internet browser:

http://www.casesulweb.com/gastronomy/introduction.php

And good appetite!