A Weekend in Gaeta

We found accommodation in a three-star hotel on the sea via the internet. The hotel is called Serapo and we paid only 230 euros for four people for two nights. The first day we visited the historic centre, which disappointed us a bit. The next day we went to visit the beautiful village of Sperlonga; then, again nearby, we saw the remains of the villa of the Roman emperor Tiberius, with the tanks for trout farming attached. The third and last day we went up Monte Orlando, a nature reserve. Inside it there are various sites, but the most evocative are the Split Mountain and the Grotta del Turco. It is said that when Jesus died the mountain split in two and the two parts match perfectly. Around 1500 a Turkish tourist, not believing the story, placed his hand on the rock face in mockery. It then happened that the rock fused and even today you can see the imprint of the hand.

The Grotta del Turco, on the other hand, is a cave that can be accessed both from the sea and by descending a steep staircase. In the afternoon we went to the beach of Gaeta where I had my first swim of the season. To eat, I strongly recommend going to the restaurant-pizzeria "La Lampara" at via Buonomo 29, near the seafront. This place is extremely cheap and the food (especially the pizza) is really good.