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Gianola and Monte di Scauri Regional Suburban Park: Mediterranean shrub and Roman ruins
The Gianola and Monte di Scauri Regional Suburban Park lies on the coastal strip that separates the Aurunci Mountains from the sea in the Gulf of Gaeta, at the southernmost tip of Lazio. It is one of the last stretches of undeveloped coastline in the Gulf of Gaeta. The villa of Mamurra — a knight from Formia and engineer working for Caesar — extended for hundreds of metres along this promontory. Today you can walk right through it, admiring cisterns, caves and cork oaks.
A cork oak grove next to the sea
The park is made up of several hills; the highest is Monte di Scauri, reaching 123m above sea level. On the northern slope, the cork oak grove is so dense you forget the coast is there. The type of Mediterranean shrub changes with every trail: broom and rock roses on the ridges, Aleppo pines jutting over the cliffs, strawberry trees in the undergrowth where the Charaxes jasius — the two-tailed pasha, the only European representative of a typically tropical butterfly genus, whose caterpillars sport a bizarre four-pointed head - is to be found.
Archaeological finds and a marine protected area
People recognised the value of this promontory as far back as 2,000 years ago. Throughout the area, along the paths and amid the vegetation, Roman remains can be found. Part of the coast is also a marine protected area, where fishing and motorised navigation are prohibited.
