The hidden beauty of Gaeta:
The Borgo and the hills

The Borgo is Gaeta ’s second town centre. The first urban settlement in the Borgo developed around the area of the church of SS. Cosma and Damiano at the very beginning of the 1400 and expanded around the scenic Via Indipendenza which is the same street that since ancient times went all along the Roman villas. The area was nominated as second municipality in 1897 it used to be called until 1927 with the name of Elena in honor of the princess and wife of King Victor Emanuele III.

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The main street in the Borgo

This area was developed when Charles V extended the town walls (15th century) thus making difficult for smaller merchants, craftsmen, sailors and farmers to carry out their trade in the original mediaeval quarter of St. Erasmo which was enclosed and surrounded by new solid defensive walls. To really uncover Gaeta and discover its character through the architecture you have to walk and possibly become familiar with its people. That’s certainly the best way to discover unusual sights.

By walking around in Gaeta, you never know what you might find next. The town has a lot to offer even outside its mediaeval district especially if you explore around the rural area and the Borgo’s backstreets. The ancient beauty of each alley invites you to get yourself lost deliberately going up and down sets of stairs, arches and old buildings to explore all Gaeta’s architectonic mysteries. A proper discovery of this marvelous hidden side of Gaeta is not possible in a car, bus, or even on a scooter but only with long walks.

By walking in the area where Gaeta’s Borgo fades in the town rural suburbia you will find hidden gardens, long forgotten ruins, small, out-of-the-way ‘botteghe’ (old shops), family runned osterie (tiny restaurants), beautiful, ancient religious statues, good-looking cats moving lazily or sleeping in the sun, and a multitude of gorgeous, multicolored Mediterranean flowers and plants outside doors and windows. This is another slice of genuine Italy.

The area begins on the curve leading to the town of Formia near the old Church of SS. Cosma and Damiano, now a baroque church but already existing in 997 AD. This area is as old as the Roman road which connected the Borgo’s natural harbor to Formia. Therefore, there are plenty of the remains of the ancient Roman villas, many of which can be seen from the Lungomare Caboto (the long seafront road).