Era il 𝟭𝟴𝟴𝟵, come dimostra la scritta sull’arco, quando fu inaugurata la “𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑛𝑜̂𝑣𝑎”, con la costruzione del ponte che collegava il paese alla strada, appunto, che doveva snodarsi sulle colline verso Itri e dall’altro lato proseguire per Fondi.
È curioso immaginare che fino ad allora la via d’accesso principale al paese (oltre alla porta Marina) fosse via Torre di Nibbio. La strada saliva sul dorso del promontorio costeggiando le mura (come fa oggi) e proseguiva verso la 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮, unico ingresso a levante. Solo nel 1887 venne realizzata via Tiberio, che oggi conduce alla spiaggia dell’angolo.
L’accesso fino ad allora era possibile unicamente da nord, fin dai tempi di Riccardo dell’Aquila (1140) Signore di Fondi, che ci teneva che il paese fosse aperto verso Fondi ma chiuso verso Gaeta.
In corrispondenza dell’odierno accesso principale si innalzava un 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗲.
Parte di questo castello, già in rovina nel 1880, fu demolito per la carrozzabile Fondi-Sperlonga nel 1889.
La parte a levante venne ripulita nel 1934 per la sistemazione della piazzetta delle Rimembranze, mentre la parte a ponente fu ceduta in enfiteusi dal principe di Sangro a privati che nel 1920 l trasformarono in abitazioni.
Uniche testimonianze del periodo alto-medioevale (quando i pirati 𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗶 vi insediarono sul promontorio e costruirono le 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 tra cui lo stesso castello poi restaurato e ampliato in epoca rinascimentale), sono alcuni grossi blocchi lapidei di reimpiego, che probabilmente erano stati recuperati dai resti di qualche Villa repubblicana nei paraggi.
In una relazione su Sperlonga del 𝟭𝟲𝟵𝟬 leggiamo: “Oltrepassata la Chiesa (𝑆𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑒 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑙 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑜, 𝑛𝑑𝑟), con strada piana ma similmente pietrosa si esce alla piazza dove si eleva il Castello, molto antico nella parte più alta del borgo. Per una portella si entra in un vano scoperto dal quale, con grada in muratura, stretta e coperta, con più branche, si passa al ponte levatoio di legno e poi a una stanza a lamia; a sinistra per un’altra scalinata si scende a quattro stanze a lamia, un tempo adibite a carcere comunale; a destra si trova la bocca della cisterna con altra scalinata, diruta, con accesso al torrione; c’è poi un ponticello con entrata a un piccolo vano ad uso di carcere ed ancora un ponticello per il passaggio a un’altra stanza pure a lamia”.
Purtroppo dobbiamo far ricorso a molta fantasia per poter seguire il percorso di questo narratore. Del castello baronale non restano che la memoria storica e le mura della torre di Nibbio.
Per tutto ciò che non possiamo vedere di quella che è stata la casa, la vita quotidiana degli uomini e delle donne che appartengono alla nostra storia e che ci hanno dato il loro sangue, credo che sia ancora più importante, oltre che affascinante, ricordare e tenerne traccia.
#sperlongainpillole
Ganimede Residence
(Top choice apartments).
Hotel Mayor
(Short walk from the sea, family-run, clean, excellent breakfast)
Hotel Grotta di Tiberio
(4 Stars, pool with jacuzzi, gourmet restaurant, excellent view and location)
Hotel Amyclae
(an elegant 3 star-hotel located on the beach)
Great combination! Me and my fiancée went for the Ancient Roman tour and it was perfect! First a nice historical walk through the old parts in the city of Sperlonga.... read more Then we went to the wineyard, got to learn more about the history of roman wine, different grapes and the process of wine making. And to finish off; a lovely wine tasting with some Italian treats! …
This small but high qualitative company gave us a great experience. First a visit to Tiberius villa close to Sperlonga - amazing sculptures and history, really recommend a visit. After... read more the villa, we were driven to the vineyard Monti Cecubi, where we learned about the history of the wine and the vineyard. The guide had great knowledge about both the history and the wines, and we were only three persons - so it became a very nice and personal tour. Thank you Irene:)
Fascinating overview on the history of Sperlonga, followed by a tour of the winery and a tasting of three delicious wines accompanied by an exquisite selection of local products. Irene... read more was the best guide - thank you!
I stumbled on the Amyclae Experience in Sperlonga while searching for wineries near Rome. Since we were staying nearby, this tour seemed like a perfect fit. Irena was... read more easy to communicate with, responsive, and flexible. This particular tour was in English. We started with a...More
We extremely enjoyed a toured Monti Cecubi in Itri viewing the winery and learning fascinating local history. Our guide Irene, Sarah and Pietro were wonderful. We had a... read more family of five and several others were in our group. We started the morning off with a lovely hike through the trails near the winery and learned of the local olive trees, birds and cork trees. The sights were stunning of the surrounding area of Itri, Formia, and Gaeta in the distance. We visited the vineyard area and learned how the grape vines grow and are planted along side other plants for nutrients. We visited the inside of the winery and learned how the grapes were pressed and turned into wine. My boys thought the giant wine barrels and bottling machine where really cool! The day was complete when we were able to sit at a gorgeous lava stone table overlooking the vineyard and enjoyed a delicious meal which included fresh local grilled meat, vegetables, potatoes and YES... THE AMAZING Cecubi Wine. There are several different varieties of the wine and our guide was very knowledgeable about how each one was made and which foods to pair it with. You are able to purchase bottles of wine there on sight and we made sure to take advantage of this opportunity. We had the lovely surprise of enjoying local chocolates handmade in Itri brought in to be paired with our dessert wine. I highly recommend this specific tour and this tour group. They have several other tours in the area and we are already planning to sign up and tour with them again. The combination of history, nature, delicious food, wine and the professionalism and kindness of your guide make for a FANTASTIC DAY! I can't wait to book another outing. If you are curious this tour can be customized for the enjoyment of larger groups, small groups, couples, and families with children of all ages. We were completely impressed and delighted.
Irene walked us through the very picturesque historic district of Sperlonga, tour of the museum and reserved a sunset dinner at the beach for us. perfectly started with a... read more stop for gelato!. She managed and organized a memorable visit that my family and I will cherish for a lifetime. She is very thoughtful, knowledgeable and caring. We brought my 83 year old father and she made sure we took frequent breaks and even had a chair for him at the museum. We had a perfect time with Irene of Amyclae Experiences! I highly recommend!!
We had a great day with Irene and her friend. First she gave us a tour around the village and told us some history and legends of Sperlonga. On the... read more drive to the wineyard her friend continued to tell us about the surroundings of Sperlonga,...More
We are so happy for the professional and inspiring winetour first starting with a walk in historical Sperlonga and ending up in a winery nearby. We got a lovely mix... read more of stories from roman and medioval time unntil today. And you even understand a lot...More
Great combination! Me and my fiancée went for the Ancient Roman tour and it was perfect! First a nice historical walk through the old parts in the city of Sperlonga.... read more Then we went to the wineyard, got to learn more about the history of roman...More