Vi siete mai chiesti come mai questa porta si apre su un passaggio coperto?
Salendo le scalette da via San Rocco incontriamo infatti un ingresso ad arco – sovrastato dallo stemma delle famiglie Caetani (le onde a sinistra) e dei dell’Aquila (l’Aquila a destra) che ebbero il dominio sul borgo per secoli – il quale ci immette su un passaggio coperto, della lunghezza qualche metro, per poi aprirsi di nuovo su via Giosa a destra e via Madonnella a sinistra.
Nell’articolo sul castello di Sperlonga ho accennato al fatto che per il normanno Riccardo dell’Aquila, installatosi a Fondi, il castello doveva avere una precisa caratteristica: apertura verso Fondi e chiusura verso Gaeta.
La “Porta alla Marina” si apriva e si apre ancora verso Fondi e fino al 1935 era protetta da una prima porta più interna, questa inserita nelle mura del castello. Immaginiamo dunque i due archi, quello verso il mare e quello verso il castello entrambi dotati di porta.
L’artificio aveva una semplice funzione militare. Mentre gli eventuali invasori tentavano di abbattere la prima porta, veniva serrata la porta successiva, molto più solida, e gli invasori non potevano fare uso di travi per picchiarvi contro, al fine di abbatterla, poiché il gomito tra le due porte non dava abbastanza spazio per poter manovrare un lungo palo.
Precauzione che tuttavia non impedì le numerose incursioni e in particolare la terribile invasione dei corsari turchi del 1532.
Ganimede Residence
(Top choice apartments).
Hotel Mayor
(Short walk from the sea, family-run, clean, excellent breakfast)
Hotel Grotta di Tiberio
(4 Stars, pool with jacuzzi, gourmet restaurant, excellent view and location)
Hotel Amyclae
(an elegant 3 star-hotel located on the beach)
Irene walked us through the very picturesque historic district of Sperlonga, tour of the museum and reserved a sunset dinner at the beach for us. perfectly started with a... read more stop for gelato!. She managed and organized a memorable visit that my family and I will cherish for a lifetime. She is very thoughtful, knowledgeable and caring. We brought my 83 year old father and she made sure we took frequent breaks and even had a chair for him at the museum. We had a perfect time with Irene of Amyclae Experiences! I highly recommend!!
We extremely enjoyed a toured Monti Cecubi in Itri viewing the winery and learning fascinating local history. Our guide Irene, Sarah and Pietro were wonderful. We had a... read more family of five and several others were in our group. We started the morning off with a lovely hike through the trails near the winery and learned of the local olive trees, birds and cork trees. The sights were stunning of the surrounding area of Itri, Formia, and Gaeta in the distance. We visited the vineyard area and learned how the grape vines grow and are planted along side other plants for nutrients. We visited the inside of the winery and learned how the grapes were pressed and turned into wine. My boys thought the giant wine barrels and bottling machine where really cool! The day was complete when we were able to sit at a gorgeous lava stone table overlooking the vineyard and enjoyed a delicious meal which included fresh local grilled meat, vegetables, potatoes and YES... THE AMAZING Cecubi Wine. There are several different varieties of the wine and our guide was very knowledgeable about how each one was made and which foods to pair it with. You are able to purchase bottles of wine there on sight and we made sure to take advantage of this opportunity. We had the lovely surprise of enjoying local chocolates handmade in Itri brought in to be paired with our dessert wine. I highly recommend this specific tour and this tour group. They have several other tours in the area and we are already planning to sign up and tour with them again. The combination of history, nature, delicious food, wine and the professionalism and kindness of your guide make for a FANTASTIC DAY! I can't wait to book another outing. If you are curious this tour can be customized for the enjoyment of larger groups, small groups, couples, and families with children of all ages. We were completely impressed and delighted.
This experience in Sperlonga is not to be missed. The Sperlonga Experience and Wine Tour with Irene was exceptional. We toured the passageways of this historical city. We were... read more thrilled to be tasting wine (delicious) from such an ancient varietal. The cheeses and meats paired so well with the wine I forgot to take pictures. The views from the winery are breathtaking. Thank you, Irene for sharing your vast knowledge and giving us such a memorable tour.
Great combination! Me and my fiancée went for the Ancient Roman tour and it was perfect! First a nice historical walk through the old parts in the city of Sperlonga.... read more Then we went to the wineyard, got to learn more about the history of roman wine, different grapes and the process of wine making. And to finish off; a lovely wine tasting with some Italian treats! …
I came across Irene's website when my mom and I were spending a week in Rome and wanted to take a day trip outside the city. You absolutely must check... read more out Sperlonga with Irene! It is such a beautiful and relaxed (at least on a...More
This small but high qualitative company gave us a great experience. First a visit to Tiberius villa close to Sperlonga - amazing sculptures and history, really recommend a visit. After... read more the villa, we were driven to the vineyard Monti Cecubi, where we learned about the history of the wine and the vineyard. The guide had great knowledge about both the history and the wines, and we were only three persons - so it became a very nice and personal tour. Thank you Irene:)
Fascinating overview on the history of Sperlonga, followed by a tour of the winery and a tasting of three delicious wines accompanied by an exquisite selection of local products. Irene... read more was the best guide - thank you!
The vineyard tour which included tasting wine and foods was a really good experience. Service, communication, the prize and the actual wine: all were to our liking. We booked through... read more Irene, and she was very helpful and informative. We met first for a tour of Sperlonga, which was very informative and beautiful in the nice weather. Then we were brought to the vineyard, and we were shown around before we tasted the delicious wines, all in a splendid scenery. Afterwards, Irene even helped us to book a boat trip the next day!