Lazio South of Rome Attractions

Museo Archeologico Nazionale Outside Sperlonga, in an olive-grove, the very interesting Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Sperlonga houses an excellent collection of original Greek sculpture in marble. Most of the items, found in the Grotta di Tiberio, are now reduced to the condition of huge torsos. The finest piece is the "Ship of Odysseus", by the sculptor responsible for the famous Laocoon group now in Rome, which depicts Odysseus and his companions struggling with the marine monster Scylla. Between the museum and the sea are remains of the Emperor Tiberius's villa and of ancient basins hewn from the rock, which were used for the rearing of fish (aquationes). Close by is the entrance to the Grotta di Tiberio, in which the Emperor Tiberius is supposed to have caroused with his friends. Since 1957 some 7,000 fragments of Greek statues have been discovered here.

Abbey of Montecassino The road to the abbey of Montecassino (9km/5.5mi) winds steeply up the hill in hairpin bends from the west side of the town. Just outside the town, on the left of the road, are the remains of the Roman Casinum, including the massive ruins of an amphitheater, a mausoleum and a theater. At the next bend, on the right, are the ruins of the Rocca lanula (193m/637ft), built 949-86.

Just before the monastery, on the right, is a road leading to the Polish military cemetery, with over 1,000 graves. Beyond this are pre-Roman polygonal walls (fourth-third centuries B.C.).

On the summit of the hill (519m/1,713ft) is the abbey of Montecassino, founded by St Benedict in 529, and acknowledged as the cradle of the Benedictine order, which became a great center of learning and art. During the World War II, the hill of Montecassino was a cornerstone of the German defensive line from October 1943 to May 1944, and on February 15th 1944 the abbey was almost completely destroyed by an Allied air attack, although the Germans had declared that it was clear of troops. The abbey has since been rebuilt in its original form, the only surviving features of the old buildings being the crypt, with paintings from the school of Beuron (1898-1913), and the tombs of St Benedict and his twin sister St Scholastica (both c. 480-543). The contents of the valuable library (80,000 volumes), the abbey's archives and many pictures were removed to safety in the Vatican during the fighting.

Pontine Islands Boat services

Boat services from Formia to Ponza and Ventotene; from Anzio to Ponza and from Naples via Ventotene to Ponza; hydrofoils from Anzio, Formia and Terracina.

The Pontine Islands (Italian Isole Ponziane) lie off the coast of southern Latium; they form the boundary of the Gulf of Gaeta (Golfo di Gaeta) and the Tyrrhenian Sea. They are of volcanic origin and are frequently shaken by minor earth tremors. The inhabitants live mainly from vine-growing and fishing; in recent years there has also been a developing tourist trade on the two main islands of Ponza and Ventotene.

Pontine Islands - Ponza The northwestern group of islands consists of the almost uninhabited islands of Palmarola and Zannone (known to the Romans as Palmaria and Sinonia) and Gavi and the well-cultivated main island of Ponza, a crater ridge 7.5km/4.75mi long, rising to a height of 284m/937ft at the southern end in Monte della Guardia, and fringed by picturesque coves and cliffs. Below the north side of the hill is a bay forming a sheltered harbor, with the villages of Ponza (hotels) and Santa Maria. The southeastern group consists of the islands of Ventotene, part of a former crater (3km/2mi long by 1km/0.5mi across), with a village of the same name, and Santo Stefano, a granite island with a former prison.

Abbey of Montecassino The road to the abbey of Montecassino (9km/5.5mi) winds steeply up the hill in hairpin bends from the west side of the town. Just outside the town, on the left of the road, are the remains of the Roman Casinum, including the massive ruins of an amphitheater, a mausoleum and a theater. At the next bend, on the right, are the ruins of the Rocca lanula (193m/637ft), built 949-86.

Just before the monastery, on the right, is a road leading to the Polish military cemetery, with over 1,000 graves. Beyond this are pre-Roman polygonal walls (fourth-third centuries B.C.).

On the summit of the hill (519m/1,713ft) is the abbey of Montecassino, founded by St Benedict in 529, and acknowledged as the cradle of the Benedictine order, which became a great center of learning and art. During the World War II, the hill of Montecassino was a cornerstone of the German defensive line from October 1943 to May 1944, and on February 15th 1944 the abbey was almost completely destroyed by an Allied air attack, although the Germans had declared that it was clear of troops. The abbey has since been rebuilt in its original form, the only surviving features of the old buildings being the crypt, with paintings from the school of Beuron (1898-1913), and the tombs of St Benedict and his twin sister St Scholastica (both c. 480-543). The contents of the valuable library (80,000 volumes), the abbey's archives and many pictures were removed to safety in the Vatican during the fighting.