Villa di Tiberio and Costa Torre Capovento
Punta Cetarola Protected Area

The northernmost area of Riviera’ D’Ulisse Park lies about 1,5 hour south of Rome and is reachable with one of Rome’s old roads, the Via Flacca which now is called SS 213. The Via Flacca was constructed in 184 BC by Censor Lucius Valerius Flacco. The famous Roman writer Titus Livius wrote that the “Via Flacca leads from the water of Nettuno to the mountains of Formia”, right in the Gulf of Gaeta.

This beautiful coastal road is a real joy for the beauty of its landscapes, especially in the section immediately before and after the area of Sperlonga. Here the Via Flacca, rebuilt at the end of 1950s, passes just above Tiberius Grotto as far as the opposite headland of Bazzano where it reaches the ruins of another ancient Roman villa. Anywhere in the South Pontino, but especially on the coast, travelers can almost feel ‘on the skin’ the heritage and legacy which link this land to the ancient Roman culture.

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Located in Sperlonga municipality, the protected area include the marine Oasis comprising the patch of sea in front of the Archaeological Museum of Emperor Tiberius Villa with the adjoining National Museum. After a taste of the local sea gastronomy the long beach of Sperlonga is good point to start exploring this third area of the Riviera D’Ulisse Park and its oasis. The place which should not be missed is the ancient Roman villa of the second Emperor of Rome:

Tiberius, brilliant, moody, intelligent but sinister and mysterius. Tiberius great self-ego and maniacal obsessions brought him to be a terrible killer in his old years. The oasis includes an area of about 10 hectares of sea managed by the WWF Italy under a state concession land. The marine environment is very attractive with one of the cleanest coastal waters in Italy with both rocky and sandy seabed. The Oasis marine environment is a study and research area in collaboration with Naples Acquarium. The South Tyrrhenian Sea here in this area of the Sud Pontino and the Pontine Islands is marvelous and was awarded recently as one of the cleanest in Italy. Sea watching weeks and educational activities are often organized for schools. A visit to the adjacent archaeological area should not be missed.

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The Blue Oasis is reached by foot using a trail-itinerary that follows the perimeter fence of the National Archaeological Museum at Km 13th of the SS 213 Via Flacca. For lovers of great walks, the journey of discovery into the mysterious and eccentric holiday residence of a great Roman Emperor, could start at the medieval Torre Truglia. The beautiful sea watch tower at the feet of the village of Sperlonga and then walking on the long, beautiful beach of Tiberio immediately south of Sperlonga.

Starting from Sperlonga and up to Gaeta, the coast is a series of small bays, with spectacular slopes, pinnacles and cliffs ending into the blue sea. In between, there are white, sandy beaches of different size: some of them are long more than mile and large, easy to spot from the road. Some others are secluded, known only to locals and, sometimes, reachable only by boat. With my father and friends we use to leave from Formia’s port with a small sailing boat and reach in less than one hour these small secluded bays to swim and relax for the day. From the boat, it is possible to enjoy in full the amazing Mediterranean beauty of this trait of coast. Here the Mediterranean wilderness of the Aurunci Mountains falls suddenly in the blue Mediterranean waters of the South Tyrrhenian Sea. With part of this coast (Punta Cetarola) as protected zone there are more chances that the area can be preserved as it is from destructive summer mass tourism.

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In its initial stretch the protected area can boast the structures that belonged to Emperor Tiberius’ Villa (1st century BC). The Emperor residence appeared in a famous history’s anecdote for an episode recounted by both ancient Rome’s writers Suetonius and Tacitus, when Sejanus, friend of Tiberius, saved the Emperor from falling rocks which killed many guest during an imperial banquet in the grotto. The grotto contains also the source of natural springs and at the time of Tiberius was used partly as fishery, as fish pond and as triclinium decorated with amazing sculptures representing the tales of Greek hero Ulysses.

The fish pond was fed by the natural spring and included an ingenious system for lifting water from the salt water lake and various compartments in which fish were able to breed. The cave lies at the end of a small coastal lake included in the site of the luxurious Tiberius villa, which today is in part an open-air archaeological museum, semi-submerged along the coast. Tiberius villa is one of the many ruins luxurious ancient Roman villas between the Circeo promontory and the area around the Gulf of Gaeta about 15 miles further south.

The predominant vegetation on the slopes arising from the sea is the Mediterranean maquis, with strong prevalence of Erica tree, Pistacia lentiscus, myrtle and other species of Cistus and broom. In the warm spring time of March and April, day-time temperatures of 20-25C are common here along the slopes and cliffs facing the sea. So it is possible to find some of the wild flowers and plants typical of the southern Aurunci Mountains. There are beautiful examples of Aleppo Pines (Pinus halepensis) growing on the cliffs and dominating the beautiful landscape overhanging on the sea. The birds population is similar to that found on Mt Orlando, but probably richer and with a more abundant wildlife. Other birds species include the common gull, the Herring Gul, and the Cormorant but also the puffin and swift are seen frequently here. In the sea there are grey mullets, Corvina nigra, Rainbow wrasse, Saddled beam, Helisates chromis and Salpa Sp.. Along the suberged walls of Tiberius Roman villa shrimps, Squilla sp., Starfish and brittle stars find refuge. From the Oasis visitors can glimpse the old village centre of Sperlonga, perched on the hill-promontory with its typical Mediterranean architecture, its houses clumped together, connected by narrow alleys, arches, private and public courtyards and covered streets. The protected area entirely lies in the Municipality of Sperlonga, which was already known at Roman times for its fascinating natural heritage. In order to better safeguard and enhance the natural environment and its archaeological features, with the regional law no. 503/2002 of 25/11/2002 the whole area between the promontory of Villa di Tiberio (Tiberius villa) and Punta Cetarola has been declared "protected area" and National Natural Monument. We believe the best time of the year to visit this area of park ranges from Mid-March to early July and from early September to early November.