Sperlonga is one of the most beautiful resorts of Italy. It is at 55 m over the sea, with 3700 habitants, and long sandy-beaches, is among those few cities between Rome and Naples, which has escaped from the environmental harms of the modern civilisation. Its climate is the climate of the world?s most famous beaches.
The city has reserved its history?s romantic memories. It was an inhabited city even before the roman age. Once there was another city next to it: Amycale. The name Sperlonga comes from the Latin language and refer to the amount of the caves around the place. In the Roman Empire, the emperor Tiberius has built a villa for himself, using the bay. He charged the age?s best artists with the developing of the inside of his villa.
The group of statues illustrate the scenes of Odysseus, that?s why they call Sperlonga?s coastline the Riviera of Ulysses. After the fall of the Roman Empire, christians occupied the cave, who didn?t care for the cave, and even the nature didn?t spare it. Its consistence declined very quickly because of the swellings. The excavations started in 1956, and in 1963, the Archaeological Museum has been opened.
The saddest date of its history is 8th august in 1534, when algerian pirates lead by Khair ed Din Barbarossa, heading to interior Italy, massacred and kidnapped the whole city. The watchtower near the sea became the symbol of the similar attacks.
Roaming in the ancient city, we feel like we?d been in an arabesque city. Narrow alleys, steep stairs, whitened walls and coloured flowers are everywhere. We are in the real mediterranean world. The view is unbelievable with the lights of the night, after the siesta-time of the afternoon, when the city revives. It?s convenient to take a pleasant walk int he intimate streets after the dinner following an all-day bathing, or an excursion full with rich experiments.
Its beautiful, wide, sandy beaches tempt every group of age. Next to the free beaches, we can find the beaches with rentable sunscreens, and deck-chairs. The lunch had in the terrace of the restaurants and taverns on the beach makes the recreation perfect.
Sperlonga környéke - térkép
