San Felice Circeo preserves a small and peculiar historic centre with the thirteenth-century Torre dei Templari and the Baronial Palace, overlooking the piazzetta Lanzuisi.
According to legend, Ulysses spent some time here, under the spell of the Sorceress Circe. This area was already inhabited in remote times, as witnessed by the many findings displayed at the “Homo Sapiens et Habitat” exhibition and the various sea and inland caves. The origins of the town are to be found in the Acropolis and the Cyclopean Walls of Circeii, from the sixth – fourth century BC., on the mountain top and in the historic centre.
Grotta Guattari in San Felice Circeo
In the Grotta Guattari, in 1939, an exceptional discovery was made, a Neanderthal skull belonged to a man, who lived about 60,000 years ago, “The Man of Circeo”. Inside the Grotta Guattari, a new touristic itinerary, exploring the Palaeolithic treasure set on the Circeo promontory, has been inaugurated. The tour will consist of a virtual journey through thousands of years, to meet the first inhabitants of the Circeo area and the province of Latina. A recent discovery is the skull of an adult woman, which scholars have studied, to draw an identikit of her.
Circeo National Park
San Felice Circeo lies in the Circeo National Park, in which the Promontory of the “Maga Circe” dominates an impressive view. The Picco di Circe can be reached through Path no. 750, which crosses forests and the Mediterranean scrub. It starts from Torre Paola on the sea promenade of Sabaudia, or from piazzale delle Crocette, in the upper part of San Felice Circeo, and reaches the 540-metre-high peak. By exploring inaccessible stretches, we can admire unforgettable panoramas, such as the strip of sand dunes and the Sabaudia seafront, the lakes in the Park to the north-west and the Gulf of Gaeta up to the Pontine Islands to the south-east.
Along the coast, we will marvel at the many spectacular sea caves: Azzurra, del Presepio, delle Capre, del Fossellone, dell’Impiccato, and della Maga Circe. Together with the caves, we will discover unique sites, such as the Batteria, Punta Rossa, the Alabaster Quarry, the Precipizio, and the Fico, Cervia and Paola towers.
San Felice Circeo boasts the recognition in the ranking of “I Borghi più Belli d’Italia” (The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy”, as well as the Blue Flag and the Green Flag, the prize awarded to child-friendly beaches.
Viscotta
Finally, let us taste the Viscotta from San Felice Circeo, the sweet Easter bread to be relished with the Roman salami Corallina.