What is Fondi known for?

Caetani fortress built in 1319 in the center of town, a rare medieval Italian castle on flat ground rather than a hilltop. The 1378 conclave that elected the antipope Clement VII met in the Fondi cathedral, splitting the papacy for forty years. Mercato Ortofrutticolo di Fondi, the largest fruit and vegetable wholesale market in Europe by volume.

Fondi is a comune in the province of Latina, Lazio region of Italy, about 60 kilometers from Latina.

Lazio · Latina

Fondi

The plain town between the Ausoni and Aurunci mountains where the Caetani built a castle in the middle of farmland instead of on a hill.

60 km / 37 mi

Nearest hub (Latina)

39,550

Population

May–Sep

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Fondi sits in the middle of its own plain, the Piana di Fondi, a fertile basin between the Ausoni and Aurunci mountains halfway between Rome and Naples, with the Tyrrhenian only a few kilometers south. The Via Appia ran straight through it. The town has been here since 338 BC, when its inhabitants gained limited Roman citizenship after the Latin War. In 1319 Onorato I Caetani began the Castello Baronale on a stretch of old Roman walls in the center of town: round towers more than thirty meters high, one of the rare medieval Italian castles built on flat ground because the plain itself was defensible. In 1378 the conclave that elected the antipope Clement VII met here, opening the Western Schism. Giulia Gonzaga held court at Fondi between 1526 and 1534. The Mercato Ortofrutticolo di Fondi (MOF) is now the largest fruit and vegetable market in Europe, moving millions of tons of produce a year from the surrounding fields.

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Gallery

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Known for

Castello Baronale Caetani
14th-century castle in the centro storico with round towers over 30 meters high, begun in 1319 by Onorato I Caetani on Roman walls.
Palazzo Caetani-Colonna
Adjoining noble residence built into the castle complex, the seat of Giulia Gonzaga's court between 1526 and 1534.
Cattedrale di San Pietro Apostolo
Romanesque-Gothic cathedral with a 13th-century pulpit and the throne where the antipope Clement VII was elected in 1378.
Giudea
Former Jewish quarter inside the medieval walls, one of the oldest documented Jewish settlements in central Italy.
Lago di Fondi
Brackish coastal lake south of the town, separated from the Tyrrhenian by a sand bar, used for fishing and aquaculture.

When to visit

Best months · May–Sep

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through September is when the plain works best for visitors: the lake, the sea, and the centro storico all reachable in a single day, evenings warm enough for late dinners on the piazzas. July and August push past thirty-two degrees and the plain has no relief from heat until the sea breeze comes in. April, October and early November are dry and quiet, the citrus groves heavy, the wholesale market running at full pace. December through February stays mild compared to inland Lazio but many beach services close. The castle, the cathedral, and the Jewish quarter are walking-distance from each other in any season.