COMUNE DI SAN FELICE CIRCEO
Going backwards in time, prior to the periodo f written history, the S.Felice Circeo region was the theatre of one of Ulysses’ adventures: it wash ere that he was attracted by the sorceress Circe and lived for a long period, protected from her magic charms with the help of Hermes. The long history of S.Felice Circeo is revealed in the finds on exhibit at the Homo Sapiens et Habitat Permanent Exhibition, and above all in the coastal caves where archaeologists found the 50,000 year-old skull of a Neanderthal-man, as well as bones of hyenas, tigers and horses (in the Grotta Guàttari), and the remains of prehistoric men (Grotta delle Capre, Grotta del Fossellone and Grotta Breuil). The city’s origin are documented by the acropolis and by the cyclopic walls of Circeii, which date back to the 6th-4th century b.C. and extend up to the top of the hill and the historic centre. This area is a splendid combination of environments. First and foremost is the Circeo Promontory, the only rise in the Pontine Marshes Plain, whose peak, the Picco di Circe, commands a vast panorama that takes the plain as far as Rome and the hills. The foot of the promonto-ry and the area all around it are dominated by the intense green of the forest in the Parco Nazionale del Circeo, with Sabaudia and the lakes on one side, the coast of Terracina on the other, and the expanse of the sea as far as the Pontine Islands. The small characteristic histori centre of S.Felice Circeo, whose focal point is the 13th century Torre dei Templari tower and the Palazzo Baronale, which lie on Piazzetta Lanzuisi, is the hub of night life in the summer, with its bars and typical night spots, shops and boutiques. From here one can explore the hill from two approaches: the Strada delle Crocette, a steep road that goes through the holm-oak thicket up to the plateau that leads to the Circeii acropolis; the Strada del Faro that winds along the coast on the southern side of Quarto Caldo, leading to the residential area and affording views of the sea. A trip by boat will allow you to see many fascinating grottoes - Azzurra, del Presepio, delle Capre, del Fossellone, dell’Impiccato, della Maga Circe – which are connected to special sites just like the Bat-teria, Punta Rossa, the alabaster quarry, the Precipizio, the Fico, Cervia and Paola towers.
The rugged coastline of the promontory gives way, on the southeastern side, to the beach which, except for some interruptions, extends as far as Terracina, For those who prefer boating and yachting, there is the marina, which also has boat connections with the island of Ponza in the summer
www.comune.sanfelicecirceo.lt.it
PORTS – BERTHING – DOCKS
PORTO DI SAN FELICE (port/marina) - coordinates 41°13' 39" N, 13°05' 86" E. The marina of San Felice Circeo is protected by an outer breakwater and an inner pier with a 215 m long quay. To the west there are pontoons for mooring leisure craft. Pontoons: managed by a private company - Seabed: sandy - Depth: 0.80-4.50 m at the quay – Boat berths: 380 - Max. length: 22 m.
Local Maritime Office: Via Ammiraglio Bergamini 90, tel. 0773548072 - e-mail: sanfe-licecirceo@guardiacostiera.it
