Gaeta: What to see for a day
Gaeta is a seaside town in Italy located at the Province of Latina between Rome and Naples surrounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea. It has been a popular tourist spot many centuries ago as well as a resort during the Imperial Rome.
Besides Gaeta has developped as an old and modern navy port. This Italian town is famous for its 7 beaches, one of them is Serapo.
When the ship docked at the port, I went on a shore excursion as Tour Escort with a group of cruise passengers and a British tour guide. The bus took us first to the Main Square in Gaeta which ride took for about 20 minutes, wherever you go while in Gaeta, you will pass the Riviera di Ulisse (translated into English as Ulysses’s Coast) which reminded me my road trip towards the Port of Savona (Genoa) when I had my first contract with the first cruise ship and also the Promenade des Anglais in Nice (France).
The Main Square is a quiet area which houses date from past centuries. There are some typical stores and cobblestone alleys. As you travel through old town, you will see a dominant building on top of the town named Aragonese-Angevine Castle, a hilltop castle which is said to be 1500 years old. That castle still serves as a military barracks.
The Aragonese-Angevine Castle is located on top
Neo-Gothic Church of St. Francis
Gaeta is also famous for its most significant churches. The Neo-Gothic Church of St. Francis located on top of the hill in the middle of a neighbourhood where some aristocrat families used to live centuries ago, currently the local administration protect those aristocrats’s houses. That church was built in the 13th century and contains important art by Neapolitan artists.
Church of the Holy Annunciation
The Church of the Holy Annunciation is close to the Ulysses’s Coast. It was built a century later and rebuilt 300 years later. It is famous for its Golden Grotto where Pope Pius IX often mediated during his reign.
Cathedral of St. Erasmus
The Cathedral of St. Erasmus was built in 1106 by Pope Pascal II and dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven and to the Saints Erasmus and Marciano. It is famous for its ”Vergini e Santi” (Virgins and Saints) an oil painting by Sebastiano Conco and the Candelabra of the Easter Canddle, a historical column of the 12th century.
Later, you will see some attractions on the outskirts of Gaeta. For example, there are local fishermen tending their boats to bring fresh fish and other seafood to the local markets and townspeople enjoying Serapo Beach.
Gaeta is a great choice to go with family and friends at the weekends or Easter to stay away from the stressful big cities and enjoy this historical seaside through its crystal-clear blue sea, explore its streets and alleys, as well as its nature represented by Mount Orlando and also its delicious gastronomy which is a mixture of sea and land flavors.
