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Terracina, South Pontino - Italy – | |
Newsletter April 2008
Undiscovered Italy: Terracina, sea and countryside in southern Latium.
Topic : Itineraries
Itinerary :
Undiscovered Italy , Terracina’s ancient secrets, beaches and countryside
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Starting point:
Gaeta’s marina (lungomare) to Terracina medieval center and ancient Roman Temple of Anxur
33,5 Km (20,8 Miles) one way distance by car
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Places of interest :
5 minutes to the ancient Temple of Anxur
15 minutes to the natural reserve of Lake of Fondi (Lago di Fondi)
30 minutes from the Aurunci Mountains Park
25 minutes from Sperlonga village
20 minutes from the Circeo Promontory and Circeo National Park.
15 minutes from Natural Monument of Camposoriano
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Things to Do in the Area :
Beaches and swimming, wind-surfing, fishing, excellent local gastronomy, archeology sites, countryside and beach walking, free climbing, para-gliding, sailing, clubs and discos in summer time, gastronomic events, religious events
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Time way in : 35-40 minutes by car , 25 by motorbike
, by sailing about 1,5 hour
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Returning : 35-40 minutes by car , 25 by motorbike
, by sailing about 1,5 hour
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Italy : Discover Terracina in South Pontino
Terracina will be a surprise for people wishing to discover Italy
off the beaten tracks .
The town is a real wealth of ancient and medieval archaeological sites and monuments. Terracina is the ideal spot to stay for your holiday and a perfect starting point to visit and discover so many places of interest in the
South Pontino
territory. The town entrance from south is announced by the Pisco Montano, an gigantic calcareous dolmen looking at the sea and the sky. This huge rocky giant was cut in ancient times by the Romans so that Old
Appian way
could pass along the sea’s coastline.
The sunny, gentle climate and good breeze from the sea air can be enjoyed all along fifteen km of coastline with golden sands and deep blue sea. For people who prefer the peace and quite of the countryside there is the typical beautiful
Mediterranean countryside
among the Ausoni hills just minutes beyond the town.
The natural beauty of the promontory with its luxuriant flora and attractive panorama had made it frequented by the Romans as early as 200 years B.C.
Roman emperors like
Galba and Domitian
built their private holiday villas here. Terracina appears in the history of the
dark ages
Gothic wars, and Theodoric the Great (6th century AD) is said to have had a palace here. But Terracina’s history dates much further back in the centuries. There are ancient legends about Terracina origins, among them one says that Terracina founders were a group of Spartans escaping from their Greek land because of the tough laws introduced by Lycurgus.
The oldest citations of the town in the history saw the town under the name of ‘Tarracina’ given probably by its Etruscan origin. Most historic sources claim the town’s origin as
Etruscan first and Volscian
after before becoming a Roman colony. The town and the territory around will certainly surprise you with its important cultural and artistic patrimony accumulated over the millennia.
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During the middle ages centuries the name changed and it was given the names of: Tarracinae, Tarricina or Terracena. Apparently, the beautiful and strategic position over the sea attracted the attention of powerful neighbors like the Romans who tried to bring it under their influence from a very early age. However, Terracina was eventually conquered by the Volsci, a bellicose Italic tribe at the beginning of the 5th century B.C. before being retaken by the Romans in 406 BC. It is from the short Volscian domination age that came the other ancient name of the Terracina: Anxur.
One of the most remarkable archaeological treasures of Terracina is still remembered with a Volscian name: the majestic ancient Temple of Anxur towering the Tyrrhenian Sea from the hills on a high rocky spur above the old town. The ancient temple dominates the town and the sea around for miles and miles. The exact age in which the temple was built is still uncertain but most of the sources dates the temple back to 80 B.C.
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The temple presents many arches which are considered as a major revolutionary concept of
ancient architecture.
With this new extraordinary concept of arches and curves the Romans finally found a way around the older building concept of distributing load and support vertically and horizontally. The arch created a new idea and vision of space and soon became the backbone of Roman vision and expression of monumentality. A vast terrace with a majestic view lies above the temple’s powerful supporting arches. The arches are in opus incertum technique, with concrete and irregular-shaped stones.
The view from the ancient temple is amazingly beautiful and evocative of Terracina’s ancient past. A visit to Anxur Temple is a must when visiting Terracina. From here, in a fine, clear sky day it’s possible to see as far as the Vesuvious near Naples and Pompei in the south and to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene. In sunny days the view of sky, mountains and the sea at the horizon induces to a contemplative and timeless sense of peace. The strong sun brings energy and a strong feeling of a land where the colors of the sky and sea blend in the horizon line. They are the same that accompanied the ancients and or Grand Tour travelers like Goethe on their travels. From this rocky hill in the star-filled summer nights there is something quite magic in the effects of the moonlight on the rocks magically blended by rhythmic sound of tide on the weaves of the sea and crickets.
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The ancient Temple of Anxur on the rocky ridge above Terracina | |
Terracina seaside :
The long coastline of Terracina presents sunny beaches which vary from crowded areas in most of the urban beaches to the peaceful and lonely white dunes near Porto Badino canal and towards the
Circeo promontory
and Fondi’s Lake. The downtown is just 100 meters far from the beach. This is the most lively area with bars, shops and in the surroundings, you will find restaurants, supermarkets and tourist entertainments. Car isn’t indispensable and the area is well connected by public transports too. In Terracina you find several great seafood restaurants where you can enjoy the local
Pontina cuisine .
It’s a great experience discovering slowly your favourite little restaurant where to enjoy a homemade "antipasto di mare" (seafood starter), a starter with a selection of many different seafood specialties.
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Mussels are by far the less expensive and most common, but not for this the less tasty than other more expensive shellfish. The vongola in Italian (means clam), is the main ingredient in the famous "Spaghetti alle vongole". Most of local menus will also include the delicious octopus, boiled in the cold seaside salad or simply divine in casserole with tomato sauce or grilled. Shrimps, seawater crayfish, scampi and the marvelous ‘gamberoni; (very large king praws) are also very common and tasty. When walking in the old town centre you will smell the delicious culinary fragrances in the air from place to place and from alley to alley, from little semi-hidden restaurants or from people’s homes and windows.
Here, at the door of southern Italy most people
prefer fish
to meat, often served in a plain, simple way. It can be either grilled, fried, cooked or oven-baked. Some types of fish is also cooked ‘al cartoccio’, in the oven wrapped in aluminium foil with white wine, fennel and many other herbs with few drops of extra virgin olive oil. Easy also to find several types of deep-fried fish and shellfish, served simply with only olive oil and lemon.
Once familiar to Terracina Mediterranean lifestyle you will soon discover your preferred seaside restaurant. The owner will get to know you and will treat you as almost part of the family. Seafood lovers should not miss the chance to discover the local fish-soup. Absolutely delicious! Here, locals know that it is the norm to tell the restaurant one day in advance if you want the soup. The ingredients must be only fresh and therefore the restaurateur must buy the fish from fishermen boats on purpose to prepare the divine soup for you. This is an expensive dish for the great quantity and variety of different fish needed to prepare it. Then again, the taste is worth the experience and the cost. Fresh fish can be expensive so asking the cost in advance is also the norm.
Some fishermen go out in the night and are back I the early morning to sell their catch. Others come back in the late afternoon around 5 pm. It is really relaxing to see the return scene with the sound of lazy diesel engines of the fishermen boats at the dawn or at sunset.
These scenes recall ancient times and are timeless and peaceful at the same time. It’s interesting watching them in the middle of the night sitting or standing on the shore with their boats with small green lights attached. The seagulls also appear magically just minuets before the first boats enter the port. In a way their daily return to the port gives a powerful and peaceful sense of rhythm to the local daily life accompanied by the sea breeze. Terracina is situated by the sea, and fishing is still an ancient and important tradition. Many here are still professional fishermen who come into the port early every day with the catch. Many others are people who fish just for fun or for enjoying the privilege of a dinner with the freshest possible fish in the salty evening sea breeze.
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Italy: Countryside fields at Camposoriano , Terracina , South Pontino
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Terracina : the most ancient area of the city
Waking in the central area of the old town you will disocver a marvellous view over the Roman Amphitheatre and Piazza Del Duomo. Here you are in the most ancient area of the city, just on the ancient Piazza Del Duomo; nearly, you will find local food shops, wine bars and small typical restaurants.
In the narrow medieval street of old Terracina early in the morning you may be awaken by the farmers, coming into the town from the outskirts or from small hillside villages in their old, picturesque three-wheeled piaggio vehicles. They announce their produce selling very fresh fruit and vegetables on the streets with small, but extremely loud loudspeakers assembled on the vans. The local countryside is particularly beautiful. In only 10 minutes by Car (9 km) distance from Terracina centre and from the beaches all the beauty of the Italian countryside comes out. One specific area is so outstanding that now is protected as Natural Monument. The name is Campo Soriano and it is a protected area in wild and rocky countryside 365 m above sea level. Campo Soriano is the only place in Italy where nature has created extraordinary giant rocky dolmen-like structures, shaped by millions years of rainwater and wind.
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The seaside soul of Terracina | |
In the old Terracina centre there are also the ‘enoteche’ (wine and food bistros) and the ‘vinerie’ (ols sort of wine shops). For
wine lovers
a very popular white wine is "Moscato di Terracina. It´s not a table wine to accompany a dinner or lunch but rather a dessert-time sweet wine and it doesn´t go well together with food. In a competition held in France a quality of Moscato from Terracina was recently appointed the best passito (very sweet wine) wine in the world. The local moscato (Muscat) is rather the sort of wine to enjoy on the terrace in the sunset or at the piazza after a nice dinner or lunch. With a short walk on foot, you can then reach the lower area and the seaside. It still incredible that here is so normal to enjoy a pizza under the presence of a 22 centuries old Temple of Anxur, sipping a glass of wine or a beer near the ancient walls that watched Rome’s rise.
Terracina, like
Gaeta
is an ideal location in Italy for history, countryside and art lovers.
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