Surroundings



Villa Fogliano



The irregular water regime made the perimeter of the banks indefinable until the 20th century. Following the reclamation of the Pontino countryside by the Opera Nazionale Combattenti, it was dammed and took on a definitive configuration.
Since 1978 it has been part of the protected territory of the Circeo National Park, classified as a wetland of international importance (Ramsar Convention).
Scrapers, arrowheads, and other traces of human presence since prehistoric times have been found in this area. The Romans carried out important land reclamation works, turning it into a breeding and fishing centre, building pools and canals to make the most of the lake's wealth.
After a period of neglect, the Fogliano area, which had become under papal influence, flourished again. Sermoneta, Ninfa and the lakes of Fogliano and Caprolace formed a single flourishing estate that Pope Boniface VIII (Benedetto Caetani, 1294) entrusted to the Caetani family.
The Caetani family enriched the area with new buildings: in 1742, the hunting lodge was built to accommodate the Earl of Albany and the Cardinal of York, grandsons of James II of Stuart, during their hunting trips. In 1877, the manor house and the so-called 'English Villa' were built. Subsequent alterations led to a total change in the architecture of the manor house and hunting lodge, which now form a single body, incorporating the remains of the old St. Andrew's Church, later replaced by a small neo-Gothic church located near the villa.

Latina Expo



The Expo Latina exhibition center covers more than 20,000 covered square meters, constituting the largest exhibition area in Central and Southern Italy. Inaugurated in 2013, the space born from the ashes of the Rossi Sud industrial plant is divided into two large areas. The exhibition area, typically divided by booths, is counterbalanced by a Services Area, which includes an exhibition space, the Business Area - with booths intended for associations - and a convention hall, capable of seating more than 300 people.

Piana delle Orme



Piana delle Orme is a theme park created within the farm of the same name to house one of the largest and most heterogeneous collections in the world. Dedicated to the twentieth century, the museum complex represents a journey through 50 years of Italian history. Over 30 thousand square meters of exhibition space to tell the story of the traditions and culture of rural civilization, the great works of reclamation of the Pontino Marshes, World War II, but also to show vehicles and means at the dawn of the great industrialization and the toys with which children once had fun. A museum for everyone where children and adults can find and relive. The reception services offer Bar, Restaurant, Picnic Area, Event Area, Conference Room and Shop.

Ninfa Gardens



The Garden of Ninfa was declared a Natural Monument by the Latium Region in 2000 in order to protect the internationally renowned historic garden, the habitat formed by the Ninfa River, the lake mirror formed by it and the surrounding areas that form the natural protective frame of the entire complex, in which the Pantanello Nature Park, inaugurated on December 15, 2009, is also included. To visit the Garden of Ninfa, click HERE. The name Ninfa derives from a small temple from Roman times, dedicated to the Naiad Nymphs, gods of spring waters, built near the present garden. Starting in the VIII, Emperor Constantine V Copronymus granted Pope Zacharias this fertile place, part of a larger territory called Campagna e Marittima, and became part of the papal administration.

Sagittarius



The International Circuit of Latina "Il Sagittario" was founded in 1983 as a response to the need to provide a sports and recreational facility in central Italy and today represents a focal point for all segments of motor sports of a national character. The purpose is to provide a constant service and the possibility of experiencing events of a national and international character without having to cross the peninsula. During this first thirty years, both the Circuit and the adjacent infrastructure have undergone significant improvements, the last in chronological order just in 2015, which saw the track's course lengthened to over 1,600 mt.

Torre Paola



Torre Paola is a coastal defensive tower located on the Circeo Promontory bordering the long beach of Sabaudia. It was erected in 1563 at the behest of Pope Pius IV (1559-1565) by the lords of Sermoneta and San Felice Circeo to counter the continuous incursions of Saracen pirates, completing a defence system that included, towards Rome, Torre Astura, Tor Caldara and Tor San Lorenzo. Together with Torre Fico, it was the first to be built, placed in a strategic point to guard the mouth of the canal emissary of Lake Paola, becoming part of a defensive system of six towers. Already during its construction, it suffered the first attack by the Saracens (who descended from the top of the mountain to take the garrison by surprise) so much so that, in order to avoid future incursions from the cliff, the original layout was modified, giving it the peculiar tortoise-shaped structure with a mountain-side defence structure. In 1604, it was possible to cannonade and force some Turkish ships to flee from the tower. In 1773, according to the state archives, at Torre Paola there were 1 10-gun with 15 balls, 15 machine-gun cases and 15 powder; 1 3/4-gun with 15 balls, 15 machine-gun cases and 70 powder; 1 1 1-gun with 15 balls, 15 machine-gun cases and 7 powder.
In 1809, the garrison soldiers opposed British ships with fire and there were numerous clashes and vicissitudes involving the tower. Clashes, however, that fortunately respected its original appearance, which was seriously threatened by the transformation of the complex into a residential area in the 1960s. On 3 June 1981, a 20-year-old Romana girl was murdered in Torre Paola with five stab wounds; investigations are still ongoing despite more than 30 years having passed. In 2003, on 26 April, Faedda was born.[unclear]. Recently, the municipal council of San Felice Circeo decided to start the procedure to expropriate the tower, which is now private property and is currently in a serious state of neglect and abandonment, in order to build a museum of the Coastal Towers inside it that tells the history and myth of the Circeo and the Pontine territory.