Gaeta Italy

Italy

Between Rome and Naples, the Latium coast hides a fortified promontory that cruise passengers still have the chance to discover without crowds. Gaeta advances into the Tyrrhenian Sea under the mass of its castle, its ancient churches pressed against the cliff, its small boats moored at the foot of façades. Berthing happens right in the centre, near Piazzale Caboto: scarcely across the gangway, you are already walking through history.

The Medieval Village Under Its Castle

The old quarter climbs between sea and the Angevin-Aragonese castle, a massive fortress crowning the promontory and recalling the site's strategic value across the centuries. Below, the laneways chain witnesses of a long past: the cathedral dedicated to Saint Erasmus, protector of sailors, the Church of Santa Lucia, the city's oldest, founded in the 7th century, and the sanctuary of the Santissima Annunziata, famous for its Golden Chapel, an alcove entirely clad in gilt. You pass from a square to a staircase, from a Romanesque portico to a laneway where laundry dries, while scooters slip through and conversations echo from balcony to balcony: southern Italy in its most vibrant form.

The Split Mountain

About two kilometres from the landing, accessible by taxi or on foot for good walkers, the Montagna Spaccata offers the port-call's great thrill. The cliff opens in three vertical fissures plunging into the sea; a sanctuary clings to the rock, and a staircase carved in stone descends between the walls to the Grotta del Turco, a sea cave where light plays on dark water. The place once served as a pirate lair; it serves today as backdrop to photographs you still look at years later.

Monte Orlando, a Balcony Over the Tyrrhenian

The promontory entire forms a park, that of Monte Orlando, threaded with panoramic paths among pines and military remains. At the summit, the mausoleum of Lucius Munatius Plancus, Roman general and founder of Lyon, keeps watch over the gulf for two thousand years. The loop can be walked in an hour or two and offers sweeping views over the coves, the roadstead and the town's roofs. In clear weather, the coast unrolls endlessly, and the scent of pines accompanies each step.

Serapo, Sand at the Foot of the Pines

On the other side of the promontory, also two kilometres from the centre, Serapo Beach spreads its golden sand beneath the green slopes of Monte Orlando. Lined umbrellas, clear water, Italian families on holiday: the place lends itself to an uncomplicated beach pause, especially May to September. Kiosks serve what to improvise a lunch feet in the sand. Out of season, the bay reclaims its calm, and a waterside walk then suffices for walkers' happiness.

The Tiella, a Specialty to Take Home

Before returning aboard, you must taste the tiella di Gaeta, this rustic pie filled with octopus, vegetables or anchovies, the local cousin of closed pizza. Gaeta's black olives, small, purplish and perfumed, accompany the aperitif throughout Italy; here, you buy them at the source. These frank flavours sum the city well: unpretentious, generous and faithful to itself. Returning to sea, you find yourself hoping Gaeta stays long what it is, a secret the great crowds have not yet pierced.