Holiday in Rome and South Lazio       Monday 2nd July - Monday 16th July 2012.

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Sperlonga and district

We travelled to Sperlonga on Friday 6th July after visiting Ostia Antica and stayed for 7 nights at the Hotel Moresco Park. This was a fairly new establishment with 14 very comfortable bedrooms. It is situated on a headland overlooking the town and benefits from good views over the bay and any breezes that are about. Each room has a terrace facing the sea.

Hotel Moresco Park

Front Gates

Hotel Moresco Park

Front of hotel

Hotel Moresco Park

Terraces outside bedrooms

Hotel Moresco Park

Breakfast Terrace

Hotel Moresco Park

View over Sperlonga

Hotel Moresco Park

Bedroom

Sperlonga is a small town in two parts. The Old Town covers a Headland, at the end of which is a castle. The new town runs along the beach.

Sperlonga

Beach area

Sperlonga

Narrow streets and houses of older part of town.

There were plenty of places to see and visit within fairly easy reach. Just down the road was the Archaeology Museum and the villa of Tiberius.

Archaeology Museum

Large Statuary piece from the Grotto of the Villa of Tiberius - this is a reconstruction as the original alongside is in pieces, with some missing.

Villa of Tiberius

Over view

Villa of Tiberius

Painted wall plaster has survived in parts of the villa.

Villa of Tiberius

The large cave or 'Grotto' behind the villa. The pools were constructed as part of the grotto.

During the week we were at Sperlonga we travelled around visiting various towns. We visited another grotto - La Grotta di Pastena

La Grotta di Pastena

The entrance to the grotto.

La Grotta di Pastena

The interior of part of the grotto. There is about 500 metres open to the public.

La Grotta di Pastena

One of the larger stalagtites.

We also went the town of Caserta hoping to visit the famous gardens of the Villa. It was closed.

Caserta

Front of the enormous villa.

Caserta

View of garden through an arch.

We moved on to Monte Cassino and visited the Battle Museum and the Abbey on top of the mountain. We could not photograph in the museum.

Monte Cassino

The Abbey on Monte Casino. The abbey was destroyed during 1944 and then rebuilt during the 1950s, exactly as it was originally.

Monte Cassino

View of one of the courtyards in the Abbey.

Monte Cassino

The Polish Cemetery. There are several other war cemeteries in the valley below the mountain.

We went to visit the lakes of Nemi and Albano and the nearby towns, Frascati among them. Lake Nemi is small and entirely surrounded by hills and buildings. Lake Albano is a little more open and we managed to get a photograph. We also discovered reference to an Archaeological Park at the nearby Roman site of Tusculum, so we visited this site to find it closed whilst archaeological excavations were being conducted.

Lake Albano

View of distant Castel Gandolpho

Frascati

View up central piazza to Villa Aldobrandino.

Frascati

Front gates of Villa Aldobrandino. Note the entrance road underneath and almost completely covered by the trees.

Roman Site of Tusculum

Near to Frascati. The Roman road can be seen. The site is closed for the moment and it was not possible to get to see it. There is a theatre and other remains.

Roman Site of Tusculum

The Roman road continues down the hill towards the valley.