As testified in Virgil’s Aeneid, the village of Ardea boasts a glorious past, as, in the Archaic Age, it controlled the trade between the Hellenic and the Latin worlds. The main local attractions are the Manzù Museum, the Landriana Gardens, and the Califano House Museum.
Palazzo Sforza Cesarini – Facebook @AssociazioneTuristicaProLocoArdea
With these words Ovid described Ardea in his Metamorphoses:
“After the savage fires had destroyed it, and warm ashes buried its houses, a bird flew from the ruins, one now seen for the first time, and beat at the embers with flapping wings. Its cry, its leanness, its pallor, everything that fitted the captured city, even its name, ardea, the heron, survived in the bird: and in the beating of its wings, Ardea mourns itself”
Beloved by artists and poets, the village’s wild beauty captivated illustrious visitors, such as Gabriele D’Annunzio.
A tuffaceous Rock in Ardea
The sculptor Giacomo Manzù moved to Ardea in the early 1960s and a museum dedicated to him was established in 1981. Set beneath a tuffaceous rock, it displays over 450 works donated by the artist to the Italian Government in 1979, including sculptures, jewellery, medals, drawings, engravings, and theatrical sketches.
The Cardinals in the Giacomo Manzù Museum – www.direzioneregionalemuseilazio.cultura.gov.it
Among the artist’s early works, “Adam and Eve” from 1929, “David” from 1939, and “The Cardinals” from the late 1950s stand out.
Giacomo Manzù Museum – www.direzioneregionalemuseilazio.cultura.gov.it
In 1954, Manzù met Inge Schabel, one of his future wives and almost the sole model for his large sculptures, such as “The Lovers” and the “Giulia and Miletus in a Carriage” series. In 1965, Inge Schabel and the Friends of Manzù Committee established the Friends of Manzù Collection.
Giacomo Manzù Museum – Facebook @museoGiacomoManzu
The garden of the Museum hosts several sculptures, such as “Nastro”, light and sinuous despite its heavy material, as well as the maestro’s tomb.
Tor San Lorenzo
Ardea is part of the Riviera di Roma, the coastline extending for over 80 kilometres from Marina di Palidoro to Torre Astura in Nettuno. Among the most famous beaches, we find Tor San Lorenzo.
Numerous botanical varieties are cultivated in the Landriana Gardens, over 10 hectares of land within the coastal municipality of Tor San Lorenzo. Here, it is possible to admire artificial lakes surrounded by ancient roses, dedicated gardens, and beautiful avenues.
The Landriana Gardens – Facebook @GiardinidellaLandriana
Born from the passion of Marquise Lavinia Taverna, the Landriana Gardens are divided into botanical spaces designed in 1967 by the English landscape architect Russell Page: the Valley of Roses, the Orange Garden, the White Avenue, the Blue Meadow, the Olive Garden, and the Magnolia Corner.
The Landriana Gardens – www.landriana.com
In the Garden, open to visitors in Spring and Autumn, plant and gardening exhibitions, as well as displays of countryside and natural lifestyle items and guided tours are scheduled.
The Franco Califano House Museum – www.francocalifano.org
Ardea boasts a long musical tradition, as testified by the House Museum of the renowned singer-songwriter Franco Califano, buried in the local municipal cemetery next to his closest relatives. According to his desire, his friends assembled numerous memorabilia from his artistic career in a room of the Civic Museum on Via Laurentina, included a letter from the famous Mina and his 22 LPs.
Franco Califano – Facebook @califano.franco.fan.page
Nicknamed “Il Califfo”, he wrote hundreds of poems and lyrics for artists the likes of Mia Martini, Patty Pravo, Mina, Ornella Vanoni, Edoardo Vianello, Peppino di Capri, I Ricchi e Poveri, Renato Zero, and Toto Cutugno.
Ardea is also famous for its equestrian centres and tradition. Illustrious horses, such as Varenne, one of the most awarded trotting horses in the world, have been bred here. Lovers of golf will appreciate the Golf Club Mare di Roma in Marina di Ardea, a nine-hole course designed around three lakes fed by natural springs on mostly flat terrain.
Among the local specialities, not to be missed are the local tomato pantano and the boccacce, sweet fried pizzas. In addition, Ardea lies in the area, where the Castelli Romani DOC wine is produced.