La Playa Grand Hotel

Friendly, beautiful township that has it all

by unravelau

It would depend where your major interests lay what site I would take you to first, because it has many appealing destinations.

If you were into really old I would take you to Tiberius's cave. If you like museums, there is one right alongside Tiberius' villa. If you were just looking to sun yourselves there are two magnificent and long beaches .......one north of town and one south. I can imagine everyone wanting to know more about Truglia, which makes another site worth seeing, as would be a long walk around the upper township with its laneways, and little shops dotted throughout. So I would ask about your interests first. I miss Sperlonga, the whole place for its incredible atmosphere of calm, its friendliness and beauty.

Local Festivals & Celebrations

by NonnaLou

February - “Sabato Grasso” (Fat Saturday)

Held at the beginning of Lent - Carnival in the Square

“Venerdì Santo” - (Good Friday) - Procession

“Lunedì dell'Angelo” - (Easter Monday)
Pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of La Madonna della Capanna

Visit the WWF Reserve - Blue Oasis

by NonnaLou

Near to the Grotta di Tiberio there is a Nature Reserve called the Blu Oasis.
Here the marine waters are so clean that Poseidon seaweed grows freely.
These waters have been awarded the European Blue Flag award for cleanliness for several years now.

What the doctor ordered

by domenicococozza

"I dont even want to move my head"

Sperlonga is pretty much unknown outside of Italy, but the Italians know it well. Halfway down the West Coast between Rome and Naples, this beautiful resort attracts thousands in the summer season. The beaches are spotless as are the hotels. Great restaurants serving mainly seafood in a town that boasts the best fish in Italy. Sperlonga lends itself to lazy days and and romantic nights. The town itself towers over the beaches from a hilltop. All the buildings are whitewashed with narrow allies between them,giving the impression you are in North Africa.

Sperlonga (2)

by NonnaLou

"La Riviera Ponente"

To the north of Sperlonga's headland lies the lower and more modern section of the town, with several hotels and a well developed beach named La Riviera Ponente.

.......................................................................................................................

Beyond Sperlonga, this expanse of pale, golden sand, and dunes as far as the eye can see until it finally reaches the next coastal resort of Terracina, a distance of around 14 kilometres, and even beyond to the headland of San Felice Circeo.

.......................................................................................................................

"Riviera di Levante"

To the South, beyond the harbour extends the Riviera di Levante. Here the Aurunci Mountains come down to the shore, and trees and greenery line the coast. Some of the beach is taken up with beach establishments, where you can pay to use the facilities, such as comfortable sunbeds, parasols, showers and changing facilities, and you can enjoy refreshments from the bar. However there are also ample stretches of spiaggia libera, "free beach", where you can do your own thing -sunbathe, and swim for free.

Sperlonga's beaches are credited as being the best to be found North of Naples and South of Rome. The sparkling, clear waters have been awarded the prestigious European Blue Flag for several years running.

.......................................................................................................................

"La Grotta Di Tiberio"

Sperlonga's original name Spelunca, was derived from the Latin word "speluncae", meaning natural sea caves or grottoes, many of which are to be found all along these shores.

It is known from contemporary accounts that the Emperor Tiberius was among the prosperous Romans to own villas in the Sperlonga area. The villa, at the far base of Monte Ciannito, incorporated several natural caves, and one of these was the ornately decorated banqueting hall, where Tiberius dined with guests on an artificial island. It is said that the various courses were served on little boats that floated across the ornamental, sea water pool to the grand emperor's table. It is also documented that here the Tiberius narrowly escaped death, when rocks fell from the ceiling, killing several of his guests.

The Grotta di Tiberio can be found at the far end of Levante Beach. The remains of these Roman dwellings lay buried for centuries, and were only unearthed during the construction of the new coastal road, the Via Flacca, during the 1950's.

In the grotto were found fragments of huge sculptures which once adorned the man-made fishponds at the cave mouth. These marble statues, dating from the 2nd century BC, depicted scenes from Homer's "Adventures of Odysseus". Some of these mythological works of art have been painstakingly reconstructed, and now many artefacts and treasures are displayed in Sperlonga's archaeological museum, Il Museo Archeologico Nazionale, located on the Via Flacca.

However, only a small section of this Roman township can be seen today, the remainder still lies undisturbed beneath the earth and sand dunes.

.......................................................................................................................

"Connection With Greek Mythology"

The most beautiful stretch of coast lies between Sperlonga and Gaeta, and is interspersed with small rocky coves, rocky promontories and wide expanses of golden, sand.

Here many of the beaches, lidos, hotels and restaurants also take their names from characters in ancient Greek mythology. According to the Roman poet Virgil, in his ancient work the "Aeneid", the legendary Greek hero Aeneas, having left from the Aegean following the fall of Troy, navigated the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea and eventually set foot on these golden Italian shores.

"Many More Beaches Along The Coastline"

Along the coast there are numerous sandy beaches, some of which are secluded and rather select:

Capovento, Sant'Agostino, San Vito, Arenauta, Scissure, Ariana, Quaranta Remi, Fontania, and Serapo.

......................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................
For more information about SPERLONGA and the SOUTH LAZIO area
please take a look at my SOUTH LAZIO WEBSITE :

http://southlazio.shapcott-family.com

.......................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................

EASY DAY TRIPS FROM SPERLONGA AND SOUTHERN LAZIO INCLUDE :

Rome

Naples

Roman Remains of Pompeii

Roman Remains of Herculaneum

Vesuvius

The Place of Caserta

Montecassino

Atina

Priverno

The Abbey of Fossa Nova

Sermonetta – Medieval town

Ninfa – Beautiful Gardens

Anzio – War Cemeteries

Ponza and the Pontine Islands


.......................................................................................................................

I live in this area.

Feel free to contact me at : nonnalou_i@yahoo.com or

NonnaLou@vtmail.com

and visit my Blog "Avanti Sempre Avanti" at nonnalou.wordpress.com