From the Montagna Spaccata to the beginning of the city of Sperlonga, these 7 beaches follow one another, one more beautiful than the other, characterized by crystal clear sea and fine golden sand.

Let’s not get lost in further chat and let’s start our journey!

Serapo beach

Starting from the slopes of the Montagna Spaccata, the first beach that will be closest to you and therefore more accessible is that of Serapo.

In fact, this is the most popular beach for the Gaetani thanks to its central location and easily accessible by bus.

Due to its popularity, the entire beach is dotted with bathing establishments equipped for every need.

There are also free beaches, but you have to get there early in the morning to grab the best place, but you must take into account the scarcity of parking in that area and above all its high cost.

We therefore advise you to park away from the beach and continue on foot or by public transport.

If you want to better enjoy this seaside area, it is preferable to come during the months of June and September, in this way you will avoid the crowds and enjoy the sea in all its beauty and above all without the summer heat!

Fontania beach

According to sources, the Fontania beach, immediately following that of Serapo, was the residence of the Roman consul, Gneo Fonteo.

Even today we can still contemplate the remains of his ancient villa.

We can also admire from the beach, the islet “Serapo’s ship”, a very popular destination for all lovers of water sports such as diving and snorkeling.

In fact, the seabed does not seem to be affected by pollution and therefore has numerous marine species.

The only flaw? It can only be reached by sea or on foot due to the dense vegetation that surrounds it.

Beach of the 40 oars

The beach of 40 oars, so named for the possibility of reaching it only by “rowing” by sea, is perfect for all those who do not want to give up sport even on vacation.

Through a small cove you can reach the famous “devil’s well”, a gigantic cave that develops in height, hollow enough to allow small boats and divers to enter.

In fact, this is the favorite destination for divers thanks to the not too deep seabed (maximum 6 meters) and the amount of marine life that is nothing short of out of the ordinary!

Ariana beach

Union of the two archaic words “aria-sana”, but until the fifties it was better known as “Arianna”.

The beach is located between two rocky spurs, on one of them is the Torre Viola, a historic fire tower used by the Gaetani to defend the village from Saracen attacks.

It is currently one of the most popular beaches especially in the summer, despite its small size.

Here too, as for Serapo, the issue of parking is true, in fact, cases of fine by local authorities are not rare.

Arenauta beach

Arenauta beach, better known as the “beach of 300 steps”, is a small paradise corner surrounded by the typical Mediterranean flora which has remained unchanged thanks to its inaccessibility.

In recent years this beach has been organized and made accessible to tourists by some structures such as the Papardò Bathing Park.

This structure in particular was born as a bridge between man and wild and extraordinary nature, paying particular attention to respecting it and promoting awareness among tourists.

Curious to find out how this is possible? You will find all the answers here!

It was on this beach that some scenes from the second season of the TV series “L’Amica Geniale” were shot.

If you want to know more about the shooting click here.

To better enjoy the natural and typically Mediterranean beauty, it is preferable to go in the shorter months.

San Vito beach

On the slopes of the tower of the same name, there is the beach of Torre San Vito, accessible only through specialized structures.

Here too, it is possible to dive in the clear and crystalline waters and, in general, it is a place suitable for families with children.

Sant’Agostino beach

Last of the 7 beaches of Gaeta, but no less important.

Sant’Agostino beach stretches for about 2km and is the longest beach of all.

Blue and very clear water (especially in the early morning) with a fairly irregular seabed, very dangerous if you are not familiar with the place.

This area is renowned among climbers given the opportunity to practice free climbing on Monte Moneta.

Still undecided which of the 7 beaches of Gaeta to visit?

We are biased, but spend a day visiting us at Papardò, you can also take a small virtual tour if you are not convinced in the “Where We Are” section and book your umbrella for free and without obligation from our website at this link

L'articolo The seven beaches of Gaeta – 2023 proviene da Papardò.

Whether your holiday in Gaeta lasts a day or 15, you cannot leave the city without visiting its most important places! Here is a list of 10 must-visit places, updated in 2023, that will make you fall in love:

• Bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo
• The Golden Chapel
• La Favorita Battery
• Temple of S. Francesco Aragonese
• Castle Angevin
• Castle Gate Charles III
• Split Mountain
• Cave of the Turk
• Mausoleum of Lucio Munazio Planco

Bell tower of the cathedral

The bell tower of the cathedral in full Norman-Moorish style rises majestically over Medieval Gaeta.

With its 57 meters high it is considered one of the most important monuments of the city.

Built between 1148 and 1279 by Nicola d’Angelo, on a base made up of the stones of the ancient mausoleum of Lucio Sempronio Atratino, it consists of three floors surmounted by a small dome with an iron cross at the apex.

Inside there are several works from the Roman era: columns, sarcophagi, two marble bas-reliefs depicting the biblical story of Jonah and the whale.

Currently the bell tower is attached to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo.

For information and opening hours, click here!

Golden Chapel

From a small door communicating with the sacristy of the church of SS. Annunziata, you enter the chapel of the Immaculate Conception and immediately enter as into another dimension.

Completely covered with pure gold and works of art, once you enter you will be able to admire the entire cycle of paintings concerning the life of Jesus and the Madonna entirely made by Gianfilippo Criscuolo in 1531.

The picture of the Immaculate Conception was painted by Scipione Pulzone instead. In fact, it is said that, right here, on 8 December 1854, during his forced retreat to Gaeta while he was in prayer, Pope Pius IX instituted the dogma of the immaculate conception. Even Pope John Paul II visited the chapel during a pastoral visit to Gaeta!

For about 10 years, the Church of the Annunziata has been recognized the title of “Twin Sanctuary” with the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. If you want to satisfy your eyes and spirit, the golden chapel is for you!

It is possible to visit it every day! From 10:00 to 12:30 and from 17:00 to 20:00

La Favorita Battery

In ancient times Gaeta was protected by imposing bastion fortifications in such a way as to cushion the gunshots coming from the sea.

The former embankment of the “Corpo Guardia La Favorita” was of extreme importance during the period of Spanish domination which began in 1504.

Two years later the city, completely in the hands of the Spaniards, was visited by King Ferdinando Il Cattolico.

On this occasion, the king designed a plan to surround the city with new fortifications against possible enemy attacks.

The project was completed by his nephew, Emperor Charles V. Between 1516 and 1538 several bastions were built surmounted by a battery of cannons, among these, the only one still left in Gaeta is the bastion with the battery “La Favorita”.

It is possible to visit the rampart of Gaeta only on Saturdays from 6 to 9 pm.

Temple of San Francesco

According to the sources, it was St. Francis himself who lived in this temple in 1222!

In ancient times the temple was nothing more than a simple, typically Franciscan structure until, in 1285, King Charles of Anjou enlarged the church and the convent.

During the Napoleonic invasions, the convent was taken away from the Franciscans and the church fell into ruins until 1848, when, at the behest of Pope Pius IX, Fernando II restored the temple.

Considered the most impressive and elegant church in Gaeta, it consists of 3 naves, of which the central one is about 72 meters long!

Externally it has been finely decorated with rich spiers and embroidery while inside we can contemplate several paintings from the royal collection of Capodimonte.

To get to the church on foot you have to go up a long staircase, but once you get to the top, the view you will have will compensate for every effort!

Aragonese castle

Slightly higher than the Angevin one, the Aragonese castle was built by Emperor Charles V during the reinforcement of the Gaeta defensive walls.

It is in this building that Giuseppe Mazzini was imprisoned in 1870.

Currently it is the seat of the nautical school of the Guardia di Finanza.

Angevin Castle

Probably built between the sixth and seventh centuries during the French domination of the Angevins, the Angevin castle was home to King Frederick II of Swabia during the clashes with the papacy, the king right here strengthened it with fortifications, sensing its strategic importance.

Until a few years ago, in the castle there was the Military Prison of Gaeta but currently it represents a branch of the University of Cassino. 

Gate Charles III

It was the year 1740 and King Charles III of Bourbon ordered the construction of other defensive walls for the city of Gaeta, to reinforce the bastions and the port.

The Charles III gate was therefore rebuilt in 1811 with a brick bridge.

The Turkish cave

At the foot of the split mountain, in one of the three cracks, there is the Turkish cave.

The name derives from its use during the duchy of Gaeta, in fact in this period the cave would have offered shelter to Saracen pirates.

Three hundred steps lead to the marvelous cave at sea level, but unfortunately only 60 are practicable.

The Turkish cave will surely leave you breathless for its immense beauty!

Split Mountain

Located on the western side of Monte Orlando, Montagna Spaccata (Split Mountain) is another must-see in Gaeta.

The name of the Montagna Spaccata comes from the three cracks in the mountain that occurred, according to tradition, following the death of Christ.

“50 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and expired. 51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth was shaken, the rocks were broken “Matthew 27,50-51

Without a doubt it is one of the most evocative attractions of the city but also a very popular place of worship.

In fact, going down 35 steps from the Sanctuary of the Holy Trinity, you will find the Chapel of the Holy Crucifix, a destination for frequent pilgrimages.

Among the most “famous” pilgrims who retired to the chapel in prayer, we find Pope Pius IX, Ferdinand II of Bourbon, and the religious Filippo Neri.

Full of mystery and charm, it is impossible not to notice the imprint of a hand and the related inscription in Latin engraved on the rock face. According to legend, a Turkish sailor did not believe in the sacred origins of the three fissures of the Split Mountain. Leaning on the rock that miraculously became soft with the pressure of his hand.

The legend is also reported on p. 66 of the book “Brief description of the most notable things in Gaeta. Very ancient city, and very principal fortress of the kingdom of Naples.

According to the historical notes collected by Mr. D. Pietro Rossetto” 1690 (you can read the full text here for free)

“A little later above the aforementioned chapel a man stood contemplating the opening of the mountain, hearing from the surrounding people that the mountain opened in the death of Christ, he said, touching the mountain, so much is it true what you say, how much, that this mountain softens, and receives the impression of my hand. The mountain became tender to the hardness of the incredulous, and received the impression of the right. “

In fact, the Latin inscription reads in this way: “An incredulous person refused to believe what the tradition refers to, this rock softened at the touch of his fingers proves it.”

Mausoleum of Lucio Munazio Planco

Always staying in Monte Orlando, our journey comes to an end with the Mausoleum!

The mausoleum is a sepulchral monument built around 22 BC.

The external wall of the monument is about 11 meters high and consists of large blocks of stone, while internally we find the typically Roman opus reticulatum.

But who was Lucio Munazio Planco? Born in Tivoli, Lucio was a close collaborator of Caesar and a great friend of Cicero. Among his deeds we remember the foundation of the cities of Basel and Lyon.

As a great admirer of the Gulf of Gaeta, he had his villa and mausoleum built on the highest point of the city, in today’s Mount Orlando.

Do you want to enjoy the sea of ​​Gaeta in full relaxation? Book your next summer holidays at Papardò!

L'articolo The best places to visit in Gaeta (in one day!) 2023 proviene da Papardò.

Gaeta told with an app

Created by young people for young people (and not only), this platform in its being simple and intuitive, even for the less experienced, is above all innovative.

But before starting our application tutorial, let’s get to know better who Gianpiero di Cecca is.

Gaetano DOC, with a degree in architecture in his pocket at the “La Sapienza” university and a specialization in eco-design at the Turin Polytechnic, Giampiero di Cecca was the winner of a competition held by the municipality of Gaeta to stimulate youth entrepreneurship.

It all started in a garage (no, it’s not the story of Steve Jobs), Gianpiero says, with a team of about 20 collaborators, united by a single goal: to improve the visitor experience in the city.

This is the result of the hard work of taking a census of all the points of interest, monuments, itineraries and natural beauties of Gaeta.

The total number is nothing short of impressive: 90 historical attractions, 48 ​​naturalistic attractions, for a total of 138 attractions that will soon become 165.

Gaeta in App lands in Russia

The app, absolutely user friendly, was designed mainly for tourists who are approaching the city for the first time.

In fact, 3 versions are available: Italian, English and Russian.

The choice of the latter language was strategic, in order to open up as much as possible to the Russian tourist market. In fact, the collaboration of the St. Petersburg journalist Natalya Jablokova who dealt with the translation of the contents was invaluable.

“An important project carried out with great professionalism that allows Gaeta to be known in Russia first with a virtual trip then allowing them to go to town. A downloadable application all over the world that has no borders and that promotes the beautiful city of Gaeta in the best possible way ”, as Natalya defines it.

How does it work? After downloading it from the app store of your smartphone system, the Home Page will appear with a map of your current position in Gaeta.

On the map you will find many icons with different symbols and colors that indicate the different attractions and services that are right near you.

By opening the bar at the top left, you will find 16 navigation windows, where you can consult the real digital tourist guide.

For example, if we decide to consult the catalog of attractions, we will be able to see how this platform has been treated in detail, remaining faithful to the history of Gaeta.

Even the images were chosen of excellent quality without ever distorting the beauty of the city.

In addition, in the “itineraries” section, you can consult various itineraries designed ad hoc according to your needs! You can choose between the historical, religious, romantic and much more!

Still not sure what to see in Gaeta? Here are 6 places you absolutely must visit. What are the main icons for? The application is not limited to the simple description of the sites of interest, in fact, under the in-depth information you will find several icons, which will be very useful for you to learn more about the place to visit.

Paper plane: clicking it will open the direct link with the position of the place to visit on Google Maps and the best route to take to get there.

Facebook and Instagram: by clicking on them you will be able to visit the social pages of commercial activities or places in general.

Whatsapp: this icon is very convenient, because it will directly open a whatsapp chat with the owner of the business.

Clock: by selecting it, the opening and closing times of an attraction or shop will appear.

Is it worth downloading?

Absolutely yes. In addition to being a gem of an application, both for the graphics and for the very original idea, it is very easy to use by people of all age groups.

With Gaeta in the App, the world of tourism finally meets that of technology, with an exciting result.

It is also a completely Made in Italy product, it is necessary to reward the young generations of entrepreneurs!

Curious to try it? Click here to download it!

Improvements

The only flaw we found is a lack of some European languages ​​such as Spanish and German.

Spanish, after Mandarin Chinese and English, is the third most spoken language in the world. About 500 million people speak it!

A version of the application in Chinese could also be created in order to increase tourism, the Chinese community is a great lover of Italy and its beauty.

In addition, in some places, such as beaches, it would be more useful to include tips and useful information on how to reach them in the description.

Among the beaches mentioned in the application, we are also Papardò! Come visit!

L'articolo Gaeta in App-Discover the city directly from your smartphone! proviene da Papardò.