The village of Cisterna di Latina, nearby the Agro Pontino area, was, in ancient Roman times, the last settlement before the Decennovium, the canal which runs alongside the Appian Way on the Pontine Plain.
Archaeological site in Cisterna di Latina – photo by FB Tres Tabernae
Known as Tres Tabernae, it was a stopping place for those who travelled the Appian Way. Saint Paul, on his way to Rome, also made a stop here to meet the Christians. The small town reached its splendour in the fifteenth century, under the Caetani Family, who, made it the centre of their economy. In 1944, however, during the Allied landing at Anzio, Cisterna di Latina was almost completely destroyed.
Palazzo Caetani-photo by Comune di Cisterna di Latina
The most important building in the village is the sixteenth-century Palazzo Caetani, the main residence of the Caetani Family. Built by the architect Francesco da Volterra, it preserves two main towers and an internal courtyard. The Palace suffered serious damage during the Second World War but later underwent several restorations. Every year, this prestigious location hosts exhibitions, concerts and cultural events, such as the “Cisterna Film Festival of short movies”.
Palazzo Caetani houses the “Raccolta Civica”, a collection of documents and materials dedicated to the buttero cowboys from the Pontine Marshes, and a series of artworks on the subject of horses.
Under the Palace, runs a network of about fifteen-metre-deep underground tunnels heading towards unknown destinations.
Nativity Scene at Palazzo Caetani-photo by FB Grotte Palazzo Caetani-Gruppo Promotore
Si accede alle grotte dal chiostro dell’edificio attraverso una scalinata a spirale dopo la quale si arriva a un ambiente seminterrato, oggi scenografia di un Presepe che a Natale richiama molti visitatori.
The Fontana Biondi in Cisterna di Latina photo by wikipedia
Cisterna di Latina also boasts the Fontana Biondi, dedicated to the triumph over malaria, and the Church of Santa Maria Assunta.
The Garden of Ninfa
But the highlight of the small town is undoubtedly the Garden of Ninfa, a gorgeous naturalistic oasis with flowers and plants from all over the world, visitable from early Spring until the first weekend of November.
Parco Pantanello – photo by FB Pantanello Park
Outside the garden’s walls lies Parco Pantanello, a reconstitution of the original Pontine Marshes. The Park can be visited from October to May.
Cisterna di Latina hosts several events, such as the “Fiera della Ricalata”, which celebrates the return of the shepherds from the transhumance, the historical “Giostra del Saraceno”, a challenge among the village four districts, the “Palio dell’Anello”, the buttero cowboys competition, and the Cisternese Christmas, with the re-enactment of Jesus’s Nativity in the caves of Palazzo Caetani.