Arcadia Italy

 BY ILARIA D'ONOFRIO, PROGRAM ASSISTANT, SUMMER 2018

Rome is the eternal city, with its countless monuments, its friendly people and its delicious food. Anybody who stayed in Rome can agrees on that. But what somebody could not know is that there are amazing places to visit even outside the city area, ready to be discovered. For that reason let me talk you a bit about the south of Lazio, the Italian region which Rome is situated, and where, near the coast of the Mar Tirreno, you can find a naturalistic gem called National park of Circeo 

The park was established in 1934 to preserve the peculiar flora and fauna you find in its area, that can be delineated by the city of Anzio, Terracina, Sabaudia and San Felice. Obviously, for its large extent (we’re talking about 8,917 hectares), it includes different kind of environment, which can be grouped into four main habitats: the forest, the promontory, the humid area and the island of Zannone.

The forest, known as Selva di Circe, is situated on the coast of San Felice and it’s the largest plain forest in Italy. It’s mainly known for its piscine (pools), marshy areas formed due to the copious rain of the autumn period. The water on the ground reflects the beautiful plants and trees which characterize the forest, so if you like taking walks into a peaceful and mysterious location or taking pictures of Mediterranean plants and animals this is the right place for you.

Then there is the Promontory called “Monte Circeo”, with its height of 541 meters and which has become the symbol of the park itself. According to the legend, the wizard Circe had lived there, the one that tried to turn Ulysses and its companion to pigs, as you can read in the famous Odissea. If you look at the shape of the promontory it’s similar to a sleeping lady, and that’s probably the reason why we have those legends of Circe. Talking about the location, is mainly characterized by vegetation and beautiful caves, like Grotta Azzurra with its light blue water, or like Grotta Guattari where it was found a Neanderthal-type skull.
The humid area is mainly formed by four coastal lakes - Lake Sabaudia or Paola, Lake Caprolace, Lake Monaci and Lake Fogliano. This area is full of birds, who can find water and rest during their migratory flights.
Last but not least there is the Zannone Island, which belongs to the Pontine Islands archipelago, together with Ventotene, Ponza, Palmarola, Santo Stefano and Gavi. It’s the only island of the group that hasn’t been occupied by humans, so all its Mediterranean vegetation is perfectly preserved. If you’ll ever have the chance to visit this island you’ll have the feeling of walking into a different world, made just by plants, animals and silence.

This was a brief description of the multitude of landscape what you’ll enjoy in this beautiful park, and remember that is not so far from Rome. You can easily get to the Park Visitor Centre of Sabaudia by train, by car or by bus. I really recommend you to visit the site of the park, where you can find all the information you need and even a list of events and activities you can book during your visit. Why not doing a bike tour down the coast, or canoeing on Paola lake?