You might have heard of Sperlonga, a little beach town beloved by Romans. It’s certainly not as famous as the Amalfi Coast, but it’s not exactly a secret either. Located about an hour and a half south of Rome on a part of the coast sometimes called the Ulysses Riviera, Sperlonga has been drawing sun-seekers to its shores since before the Roman Empire.
Legend has it Odysseus (Ulysses is the Latin version of his name) washed up somewhere around the nearby Monte Circeo, the mountain named for the sorceress Circe, who turned Odysseus’s sailors into swine before taking him as her lover. And pretty much ever since then, Sperlonga and the neighboring towns have been tied up in myths and legends.
I remember hearing about Sperlonga when I moved to Rome the first time 15 years ago and my landlord would talk wistfully about his time there. Following his advice, I took the train down from Rome to visit the town with friends. I’ve been back a few times since then, most recently this summer: for an overnight stay in June and again in July for a day trip. I recently included Sperlonga in a couple of articles tied to Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film, The Odyssey, but I think the town deserves a closer look.
Sperlonga is designated one of the Borghi Più Belli d’Italia (Most Beautiful Villages in Italy) and it’s easy to see why. The centro storico is a maze of whitewashed buildings and narrow lanes that open onto charming squares and belvederes with sweeping views of the Mediterranean coast.
Its name derives from the Latin word speluncae, grottoes, of which there are many. The upper town developed during the Middle Ages, when people sought higher ground in order to protect themselves from Saracen pirate attacks.
Below the centro storico, miles of pristine golden sand beaches stretch out along the coast. Sperlonga is home to four Blue Flag beaches prized for their cleanliness and excellent water quality. So when the temperature hit the upper 80s in June, I decided it was time for the first beach escape of the season.
Marco and I drove down on a Sunday and checked into Hotel La Nave, a retro family-run hotel with clean, simple rooms and a beach club. We grabbed sandwiches and beers at the beach club’s kiosk and settled into our lounge chairs on the sand.
That evening, we walked to the centro storico and climbed up to the top to admire the views and have an aperitivo before dinner. On the way up, I noticed that there’s now a series of street art-style murals depicting Odysseus and his adventures with QR codes that you can scan to find more information, so it seems the town decided to pay homage to Homer’s hero.
The main square was buzzing with people sipping spritzes at the outdoor cafés or shopping at the little boutiques surrounding them. On a previous trip, we had enjoyed creative Mediterranean cuisine at Mudejar Spiriti e Cucina near the main square, but this time we decided to have pizza at Pizzeria Acqua e Farina, which makes delicious Neapolitan-style pies.
The next morning, after breakfast in Hotel La Nave’s wood-paneled dining room overlooking the beach, we drove over to Bazzano Beach on the other side of town. It was a Monday in June and we practically had the place to ourselves, with lounge chairs in the second row and an excellent fritto misto at the restaurant. It was one of those perfect, easy beach days with swims in the Mediterranean that restore you.
The only problem was that I didn’t make it to the Villa di Tiberio before it closed on Sunday. On Monday it was closed, as most museums in Italy are. So when I confirmed an assignment for Condé Nast Traveller about the Ulysses Riviera, I had to go back.
This time, though, we went on a Saturday in July and the beach club was packed, the waiters running around trying to keep up with the lunch orders. Marco started arguing with the guys renting the lounge chairs because they insisted on charging us full price even though it was late afternoon.
At that point, I left him there to nap on the beach and hiked up to the Villa di Tiberio, hellbent on finally visiting it. Built by the emperor Tiberius, the villa was rediscovered in 1957, during construction work on the new Via Flacca that runs along the coast.
There, in a grotto where Tiberius once hosted lavish banquets, archeologists found a group of ancient marble sculptures depicting characters from The Odyssey. After visiting the ruins of the villa, I went inside the attached Museo Archeologico di Sperlonga to see the statues and was blown away.
A huge statue depicting Scylla and Odysseus’s ship in the middle of the museum is meant to draw your attention, but it was the hulking figure of the cyclops Polyphemus that stopped me in my tracks. It depicts the giant sleeping just as Odysseus is about to blind him with a sharpened pole. The episode is one of the most famous from The Odyssey.
Imagine Tiberius recounting the story to his dinner guests as they gazed upon the enormous sculpture. When the statues were discovered, the townspeople protested against their transfer to Rome, blocking the vehicles that would have carried them away. Thanks to their uprising, these extraordinary artworks stayed and a new archeological museum was built to house them.
I think it’s worth going to Sperlonga to see the Villa di Tiberio, wander the lanes of the centro storico, and relax on the pristine beaches, but it’s probably best to avoid summer weekends, when Romans descend on the town.
What do you think? Have you been to Sperlonga? If so, share your experience with me and other readers in the comments. If not, do you want to go?
Further Reading
You can read my aforementioned article about the Ulysses Riviera for Condé Nast Traveller here.
I also mentioned Sperlonga and the Ulysses Riviera in this article for Italy Magazine about 5 places in Italy where you can trace Odysseus’s steps.
Last month I was featured on Danielle Oteri’s podcast episode “Sirens, Shipwrecks, and the Real Ulysses Coast.”
Looking for more tips about the area? Check out my very subjective list of the best beach towns near Rome.
You can find all of the New Roman Times’ coverage of under-the-radar destinations here.
Nice story Laura! See my take on Sperlonga here. https://smokepoint.substack.com/p/consider-the-clam?r=1b1dyj&utm_medium=ios