"SPERLONGA" Sperlonga by circeo

Sperlonga Travel Guide: 34 reviews and 73 photos

SPERLONGA is a very characterisitc city,30 km far away from my house....
Sperlonga is a small settlement entrenched around the top of the rocky headland of Monte Magno, jutting out to sea. The village owes its name to the large natural grotto or spelunca that opens out on this coastline. It is where the Emperor Tiberius decided to build his holiday residence and the cave is in fact known as Tiberius' Grotto. A National Archaeological Museum was built nearby along the Via Flacca to house the findings from the cave and is visited by many tourists, in particular by foreigners. The history of mediaeval Sperlonga is that of a small fishing village often forced to face attacks from the sea, such as the Saracen raids. In order to create a defensive line, four towers were built: the Torre Centrale, now undistinguishable from the village buildings, the Torre del Nibbio, the Torre Truglia at the entrance to the small harbour, and the Torre Capovento. For centuries Sperlonga was cut off from the main communication roads and so kept its natural environment intact. It can boast one of the cleanest waters in the Lazio region and has been awarded the prestigious European Blue Flag for the pureness of the water for four consecutive years. The marine flora and fauna has also remained unspoiled; a carpet of Poseidonian algae, evidence of the best biological equilibrium, fringes the rocky promontories. The long, golden shores of fine sand are also a main attraction of Sperlonga. Two small lakes, called the eyes of Sperlonga, add charm to the landscape. The Lago Lungo is only just separated from the sea by a narrow line of dunes. The Lago San Puoto or San Potito has few fish but has a rich vegetation, home to many and rare lake birds. The lake is named after a small church and monastery built there at the end of the XII century and dedicated to San Puoto.

Last visit to Sperlonga: Dec 2003
Intro Updated Mar 1, 2004
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Comments (4)

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davidsa Jun 4, 2009 at 3:55 AM

Hi, I went to Sperlonga in May for 6 days. I loved it. We didn't find the nudist beach though, anyone know where it is? David
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mariocibelli Sep 25, 2004 at 12:12 AM

Sperlonga e molto ganzo! Sperlonga is very cool! Ciao!
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janchan Apr 22, 2004 at 1:21 AM

Un posto spettacolare, vero...? Dovrei farci una paginetta anch'io !! :)
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unravelau Mar 1, 2004 at 2:56 AM

Isn't it the most amazing place? Fantastic place Sperlonga.......who can help but fall in love with it. Thank you.