Riviera d’Ulisse: Rome to Gaeta

Route description

Leave Rome on the SS148 Pontina towards Latina, then head inland to the Garden of Ninfa, planted among the ruins of a medieval town at the foot of the Lepini hills. It opens only on certain days between spring and autumn, so plan around the calendar and book ahead. Sermoneta, on the hill above, has a well-kept Caetani castle and steep lanes.

Cross the flat, reclaimed Pontine plain to the coast at Sabaudia, a 1930s town on a lake behind a long ridge of dunes in the Circeo National Park. A straight coastal road runs along the dunes to Monte Circeo, the headland of Circe’s legend. Continue to Terracina and drive up to the Temple of Jupiter Anxur for the view along the whole bay.

Beyond Terracina the SS213 Flacca follows the cliffs, with tunnels and small coves, to Sperlonga, a white village on a spur above two long beaches. Below it, by the sea, lie the Villa of Tiberius and its grotto, with a museum of the sculptures found there. Parking in Sperlonga is paid and scarce in summer; motorhomes should use the car parks near the beach.

The road ends at Gaeta, a fortified port on a promontory. On Monte Orlando, the Montagna Spaccata is a cleft in the cliff with steps down to a chapel over the waves, and the old town below has a fine medieval quarter. From Gaeta it is about two hours on the SS7 and the Domitiana to Naples. Spring and September are the best months, when beaches are quiet.