Sperlonga-Terracina trip

Ancient town’s trip

Sperlonga-Terracina trip.Sperlonga is a beautiful seaside town to the south of Rome. Whitewashed houses are clustered together on a steep headland, the streets warren-like stairways that bring you to unexpected terraces above the sea. The old town is compact and charming, and a pleasure to explore.Sperlonga is a small settlement entrenched around the top of the rocky headland of Monte Magno, jutting out to sea. The village owes its name to the large natural grotto or spelunca that opens out on this coastline. It is where the Emperor Tiberius decided to build his holiday residence and the cave is in fact known as Tiberius’ Grotto. A National Archaeological Museum was built nearby along the Via Flacca to house the findings from the cave and is visited by many tourists, in particular by foreigners. The history of mediaeval Sperlonga is that of a small fishing village often forced to face attacks from the sea, such as the Saracen raids. In order to create a defensive line, four towers were built: the Torre Centrale, now undistinguishable from the village buildings, the Torre del Nibbio, the Torre Truglia at the entrance to the small harbour, and the Torre Capovento. For centuries Sperlonga was cut off from the main communication roads and so kept its natural environment intact. It can boast one of the cleanest waters in the Lazio region and has been awarded the prestigiou. (video- http://sperlongaturismo.it )

Terracina located near the sea and it is the Temple of the Sun Jupiter built 11 thousand years ago. The road is approximately takes one hour 20 minutes. (Distance 100 km).Jupiter’s most ancient attested forms of cult are those of the state. The most important of his sanctuaries in Rome were located on the Capitoline Hill (Mons Capitolinus), earlier Tarpeian. The Mount had two peaks, each devoted to acts of cult related to Jupiter. The northern and higher peak was the citadel . On the arx was located the observation place of the augurs (the auguraculum), to which the monthly procession of the sacra Idulia was directed. On the southern peak was the most ancient sanctuary of the god, traditionally said to have been built by Romulus: this was the shrine of Iuppiter Feretrius, which was restored by Augustus. The god here had no image and was represented by the sacred flintstone (silex). The most ancient known rites, those of the spolia opima and of the fetials, connect Jupiter with Mars and Quirinus, and are dedicated to Iuppiter Feretrius or Iuppiter Lapis. From this earliest period, the concept of the sky god encompassed the ethical and political domain. See photo ….