Sperlonga, the ancient Pearl of the Empire

In Sperlonga the sun goes down in the sea. This amazing view fills your eyes very day in this tiny village of the Ulysses coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea. This is the Pearl of the Southern edge of Lazio, it is perched on a cliff which is the extension of the Aurunci mountains. Its history is featured by many raids and plunders by the Saracen and the Turkish pirates but it is also a place that was praised by the Romans because of its wonderful coast where Tiberius decided to build one of his residences. Sperlonga is a typical Medieval village where there are wonderful views and Ponza in the background. Curiosity is the engine of your visit since the tiny squares, the narrow streets, the staircases and the arches will impress your feelings.

Inlets and caves
The rocky areas and the sandy tracts feature the most beautiful coastline of Lazio. The white sandy beaches meet the Tyrrhenian Sea and you can sail there. One of the most beautiful views along the Ulysses coastline is the Tiberius’ cave on the edge of the beach of the Angel where the findings of the ancient pools belonging to the Roman emperor are kept. Most of the treasures that have been found into the cave are kept in the Archaeological Museum of Sperlonga, mainly some sculptures related to the history of Ulysses. Sperlonga is mainly a sea destination that is strictly related to the seaside tourism. There are many facilities at the disposal of tourists and many boats leave from the docks every day towards the gulf of Gaeta as well as the archipelago of the islands around Ponza.

Towers by the sea
Sperlonga is also an interesting Archaeological site featured by many ancient towers. The church of Saint Mary represents a religious emergency, it had already been mentioned in 1135 while the archaeological heart is represented by the villa of the Roman Emperor Tiberius that is a widening of a previous house dating back to the Republican Age. You can still see the ancient rooms that were arranged around a courtyard with porches where the furnace and the service spaces were located. Sperlonga is also spread with sighting towers that were built in the 16th century. The main tower is surrounded by other towers among which the Truglia Tower dating back to the 16th century that is set on the edge of the cliff, the Nibbio Tower that is a portion of a castle and the Capovento tower which is three kilometres far from the village.
Sand and freshwater
Sperlonga is also called the Pearl of the Flacca route, it’s considered one of the most beautiful villages of Italy and one of the most charming sea places along the Tyrrhenian coastline. The village, the culture, the ancient findings, the sea and the beaches are the protagonist of this area. Canzatora is a beautiful sandy beach where the families with children like going. Fontana beach is convenient and it’s near the village so it is the favourite beach of the village’s inhabitants while the little beach next to the Tiberius cave is an exciting beautiful beach. Salette is a long sandy beach and the water is clean and clear. There are also two freshwater lakes, lake Lungo and lake San Puoto that are close to the beaches: the first one is quite fishy and it’s in the area of Sperlonga and the second one belongs to the area of Fondi and it’s less fishy than the first one.

Celery and sardine
Sperlonga matches the sea activities with agriculture that is an important feature of Southern Lazio. There are many typical products belonging to this area. Sperlonga is famous for its white celery that is one of the main local products that grows in the lands of Fondi e Sperlonga, it’s an IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) product. It is cultivated in soils that have a high salt content that gives the white celery from Sperlonga a sweet aromatic taste so it can be used in many different ways, in the marinade or with the bluefish while its leaves are used to make the soups and to season the meat. There are also other traditional dishes in this area like the bean soup, the fish soup, the spaghetti with oysters and the bombolotti (a type of pasta) with the cuttlefish sauce.

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