Gaeta: Difficult to reach but a beautiful beach awaits
If the Rome-Amalfi Coast run is on your itinerary, you may want to take a deep breath and pause halfway there. The town of Gaeta sits about 110 miles (190 kilometers) south of Rome at about the midway point between Rome and Naples, the jump-off point for the Amalfi. Gaeta has a series of nice beaches, a 6th century castle with beautiful views of the Tyrrhenian Sea and a rock formation on the water you won’t find anywhere else.
Of course, the seafood is great. The problem with Gaeta is its access by public transportation is a tease. It’s difficult to reach unless you drive. But it’s beautiful. NATO has a naval base which provides a nice fringe benefit for working in the military. Roman aristocracy, such as Emperor Domitian (81-96 A.D.) had villas here, During World War II it was used as a harbor.
The Germans expelled most of the population in fear of an invasion by Allied Forces.
Things to do
1 •Beaches. If you drive from Rome (recommended), Selvaggia Beach is the place to go. “Selvaggia” means “wild” in Italian and this beach is. It’s rarely crowded as it takes some effort to reach.
It’s 1.5 kilometers from the parking lot and 277 steps down to the sand.
There are no services so pack a lunch but you’ll love the long stretch of unspoiled beach with nary a rock in sight. Serapo Beach is on the other side of the peninsula from the main town of Gaeta. It’s the area’s most popular beach. It’s less than two miles (3.4 kilometers) from Gaeta city center and lined with services and accommodations. Serapo also regularly wins the Blue Flag award for clean water and beach area.
2 • Castello Angioino. It’s a 500-meter uphill walk from the last bus stop in Gaeta from the train station. It’s hard to miss. It’s massive. Ithangs over a cliff above the water like a brooding dragon. It was built in the 6th century in defense of the Lombards and was considered one of the strongest castles in Southern Italy. It was used as a prison until the 1980s and today the city uses it for conferences and exhibitions. The walk up takes only 10 minutes and you’re rewarded with spectacular views of the sea on both sides of the narrow road.
Info: Via Angiona, 39-379-7813, 10 a-m.-2 p.m., 3-5 p.m., €10.
Call ahead. When we visited at 1 p.m. Wednesday it was closed until 4:30.
3 • Split Mountain. This unique rock formation features three blocks of granite split apart just enough to reveal beautiful views of the sea. Legend has it that they split on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.
It is best to be seen by boat from Serapo Beach. Above Split Mountain atop the Mount Orlando Promontory is the Sanctuary of the Holy Trinity. The Benedictine fathers founded it in 930 on the grounds of a Roman general’s villa. Many popes used it for a place of prayer. The tour
includes a trip to Turk’s Cave where St. Philip Neri lived and his rock bed remains today.
Info: 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 3-7 p.m. summer, 8 a.m.-noon, 2:30-5 p.m. winter, €1.
Gaeta olives: The “Black Pearl of Italian olives”
One of my favorite dishes in the world is the Greek salad. Besides the feta, my favorite part of this healthy dish is the Kalamata olive. When I’m not in Greece, I can still make a Greek salad with the famed olives from Gaeta. The Gaeta olive has a similar salty taste as the Kalamata but it is more purple in color. It’s very distinctive and huge on the Italian olive scene. Lazio produces 235,000 tons of olives a year, according to the International Olive Council.
The amount of Gaeta olives isn’t known but the council reports that Gaeta olives make up the majority. While they are named for the town of Gaeta, the center of its production is in Itri, five miles inland. Also, Gaeta olives are grown all over Lazio, in 44 municipalities from Gaeta to just east of Rome. They also grow in neighboring Abruzzo. They are harvested in October and November and a main ingredient in the famed roman dish, spaghetti alla puttanesca. They make an excellent olive oil.
Where is it:
110 miles south of Rome.
How to get there: Drive. You can get there by public transport but it’s a hassle. On Wednesday we took the 9:36 a.m. train from Rome’s Termini station for €8 and arrived in Formio-Gaeta station at a little
past 11. We waited 15 minutes for a €2.20 shuttle that took us to the Port of Formia.
There we waited one hour for a Cotral bus that took us (included in the shuttle ticket) four miles (7.4 kilometers) to Gaeta. Due to August holiday traffic, the short trip took 30 minutes. From Rome to Gaeta took three hours. You also need a car to reach the beaches. Public transport in Gaeta is spotty.
For more information:
Visit Gaeta, 39-393-242-2667,
Where to eat:
Ristorante Masaniello, Piazza Commestibili 6, 39-07-71-462-296,
https://www.ristorante-masaniello.com, masaniellosnc@alice.it,
12:30-3:30 p.m., 8-11:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, 8-11:30 p.m. Monday.
Started in 1920 and named for the Naples fisherman who led a revolt against the ruling Habsburgs in 1647, Masaniello is on a quiet piazza just off the sea. Covered outdoor tables are packed at lunch for the long list of seafood pasta dishes which range from €8-€24.
Fish dishes range from €14-€45. Try the spada alla erbette, fresh swordfish covered in cherry tomatoes, herbs and basil. Lunch for two with wine was €53.
