Sperlonga

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Comune di Sperlonga
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Lazio
Province	Latina (LT)
Mayor	Rocco Scalingi (since June 2006)
Elevation	55 m
Area	18 km²
Population
- Total	3,091
- Density	172/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	41°16′N, 13°26′E
Gentilic	Sperlongani
Dialing code	0771
Postal code	04029
Patron	St. Leo and St. Roque
- Day	September 2-5
Website: www.comune.sperlonga.lt.it

Sperlonga is a coastal town in the province of Latina, Italy, about half way between Rome and Naples.

Surrounding towns include Terracina to the West, Fondi to the North, Itri to the North-East, and Gaeta to the East.

[edit] History

Sperlonga was an ancient Roman resort: Emperor Tiberius built here a famous villa, including one of the grottoes (Latin: speluncae) which gave the name to the town.

After the fall of the Western Empire, in the 6th century, the ruins of the Imperial residence served as refuge for local people. Later the population began to move to the nearby promontory of St. Magnus, in order to escape the unhealthful marshes and the Saracen attacks. The danger posed by the Saracens is made clear by the presence of many watchtowers all along the coast to Gaeta. In 1534 the small centre was destroyed by Barbarossa.

In the 18th and 19th centuries Sperlonga recovered and acquired some noble residences, and agriculture flourished. However, the touristic expansion occurred only after the opening of the coastal road Terracina-Gaeta (the via Flacca) in 1957.

[edit] Main sights

Sperlonga's main cultural attraction is the museum erected on the ground of the former Villa of Tiberius showing many statuary founding celebrating the deeds of Odysseus. Tiberius moved to Capri after 26 AD. The villa included a grotto where some noteworthy sculptures, now housed in the museum, have been found: these portrayed the assault of Scylla to Ulysses' ship, the blinding of Polyphemus, the robbing of the Palladius and Ulysses lifting Achilles's corpse. The works have been attributed to Rhodian sculptors Hegesandros, Athenedoros, and Polydoros, and are thought to be the same authors of the famous group of Laocoön and his Sons (As attributed by Pliny th Elder). Yet whether the very same artists are responsible is questionable. Some scholars believe them to be related, but not the same people; apart from Athenedoros (II) who was the last to be credited as an artist on the Laocoon group, but first to be credited with the Scylla series - suggesting that he was the youngest during the creation of the Laocoon group, but eldest artist who worked on the Scylla group. Furthermore, the differentiation in 'classicism' between the two set of works implies that one preceded the other with separation, and thus that not all artists are the same people, but descendents.

The most ancient church is that of Santa Maria (early 12th century), currently closed for restorations which have disclosed the presence of precious mediaeval mosaics.

Sperlonga is mostly a tourist town thanks to it beaches, a long beach on its west side going all the way to Terracina, and a series of short beaches and rocky cliffs on its east side towards Gaeta.

[edit] Transportation

The main connection is that by road from Terracina and Gaeta. The nearest railways station is that of Fondi-Sperlonga, on one of the two Rome-Naples mainline (the one going via Formia).