What is Gaeta known for?

Francis II of the Two Sicilies held out here from November 1860 until 13 February 1861; the surrender ended the Bourbon kingdom. Sanctuary built across a vertical cleft in the cliff of Monte Orlando, pilgrimage site since the 11th century. Double-crust savory pie of octopus, escarole or anchovies; the dish associated with the Bourbon siege rations.

Gaeta is a comune in the province of Latina, Lazio region of Italy, about 71 kilometers from Latina.

Lazio · Latina

Gaeta

The promontory port where the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies fell in February 1861 and the south of Italy stopped existing as a state.

71 km / 44 mi

Nearest hub (Latina)

19,423

Population

May–Sep

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Gaeta is a promontory on the Tyrrhenian coast halfway between Rome and Naples, a port and a fortress town and, until February 1861, the last capital of the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Francis II and Maria Sofia held out here from November 1860 against the Sardinian army of Cialdini; the siege ended the Bourbons in southern Italy. Before that there was a much older town: the mausoleum of the Roman consul Lucius Munatius Plancus stands on top of Monte Orlando, the wooded headland above the harbor; the medieval quarter of Sant'Erasmo on the headland holds the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta with its 57-meter Norman-Gothic bell tower. The Montagna Spaccata, a vertical cleft in the cliff with the Santuario della Santissima Trinità built across it in the 11th century, is the pilgrimage site Pope Pius IX retreated to in 1848. The tiella, Gaeta's stuffed double-crust pie of octopus or escarole, is what the Bourbons ate during the siege.

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Gallery

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Known for

Santuario della Montagna Spaccata
Sanctuary of the Santissima Trinità on Monte Orlando, built into a vertical fissure in the cliff, founded in the 11th century.
Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
Cathedral in Sant'Erasmo with a 57-meter Norman-Gothic campanile, decorated with marble fragments from earlier Roman buildings.
Mausoleo di Lucio Munazio Planco
Roman circular tomb of the consul who founded Lyon, on the summit of Monte Orlando, dating to the late 1st century BC.
Castello Angioino-Aragonese
Layered fortress above the old town, lower Angevin section from the 12th century and upper Aragonese from the 15th.
Borgo di Sant'Erasmo
Medieval quarter on the headland with the cathedral, churches of San Giovanni a Mare, San Domenico, and the Bourbon-era walls.
Spiaggia di Serapo
Main town beach below the headland, blue-flag, two kilometers of fine sand backed by hotels and the old town wall.

When to visit

Best months · May–Sep

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through September is the Tyrrhenian beach season, with Serapo and the other coves running at full capacity in July and August. June and September are the strong months: warm sea, manageable crowds, the headland walks on Monte Orlando still pleasant in the middle of the day. October and April are good for the old town and the sanctuary, when day temperatures stay in the low twenties and the cliffs hold the light. November through March is quiet on the beach. The sanctuary stays open, the cathedral stays open, and the Bourbon walls of Sant'Erasmo look exactly as they did during the siege of 1860 and 1861.