Monte Orlando Protected Area

How to get there: The starting point is the Sanctuary of the Holy Trinity, which is reached from Gaeta’s centre by taking Via Munazio Planco and following the signs on the road. Cars can be parked in the car park in front of the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was part of the nearby 9th century monastery of San Michele, in earlier times known as Planciano Monastery built. In truth, this corner of Mt. Orlando was originally the site of a much more ancient I century BC Roman villa attributed to the general Lucius Munatius Plancus.

Monte Orlando protected area covers 89 hectares (59 of land and 30 of marine area). A protected urban park was created to protect the area in 1986. The area is protected to offer an urban oasis for several species of birds; both migratory and semi-permanent species of birds are common visitors of the cliffs. There is also a pair of Peregrine Falcons nesting on the cliffs. Nature is accompanied by history and archaeology. It belongs to the urban context of the Municipality of Gaeta and represents the final stretch of the mountain range of the Aurunci Mountains.

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The famous and mythical Serapo Beach is located on the northern side at the base of the Split Mountain between the promontory of Monte Orlando and the Catena Hill. This beach welcomes many local and foreign visitors each summer but in the other seasons, when is empty, its beauty add up to the charm of Mt Orlando. The interesting journey between nature, history and legend could start by walking on the beach and enjoying the sound of the waves, the beautiful sky and the fine dunes on the sand shaped by the wind.

With its characteristic round shape, Mt. Orlando is linked to the mainland in the north by a thin strip of land while in the south it ends with a high rocky coast characterized by spectacular cliffs. The territory shows traces of the corrosive action of water, since the rain penetrating in the rocks dissolves the calcium carbonate they contain and gives origin to several and characteristic shapes. The sea has contributed to shape the promontory: with its wave motion it has shaped and engraved the rocks leaving evident signs, above all in the shoreline furrows (fossil traces of the ancient level of the sea).

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The hill offers a mosaic of colors produced by the rocky limestone cliffs, the green of the park’s Mediterranean vegetation and the emerald-indigo and cobalt reflections of the South Tyrrhenian Sea . The walk is long but the view of the city and the breathtaking views of Gaeta Bay and the open sea that await the traveler from such ancient place make the journey a very special one. Monte Orlando is plenty of ancient surprises and an excursion can make a fantastic day out exploring the hill.

The view and the landscapes visible from the top of Mt. Orlando are amazingly beautiful. From the top of Plancus’ Roman tomb up on the hill the entire panorama of Gaeta comes to the sight. There are several places by the cliffs that drops straight to the sea where there is a marvelous view that ranges from the gulf to the Pontine Islands and as far as Ischia, another island close to Naples (to the south) and Circeo promontory (to the north). On a lucky day one might enjoy the sight of the pair of wild peregrine Falcons which live in the park nesting on the high cliffs over the sea. Their majestic flight high in the blue sky seems just to remark the myth and legends surrounding Monte Orlando. At the time of descending the ancient mountain the sunset has already begun with the last rays of the sun leaving the white sand of Serapo beach at the feet of the mountain.

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