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St Vitus Cave in Itri: palaeontology and the memory of war
The Grotta di San Vito is found on the Collina di San Cristoforo, on the slopes of the Aurunci Mountains, created in limestone rocks with an entrance so wide you simply cannot miss it. The area was declared a Natural Monument in May 2025, and is under the management of the Aurunci Mountains Park Authority. The cave is of potential palaeontological interest, but is yet to be investigated. It is associated with the figure of St Vitus, patron of the sick, but its significance extends well beyond devotion.
A quarry turned refuge
The entrance — a wall of approximately 2 metres followed by a slope down into the main chamber — shows that the site was used as a quarry some time in the past. During the Second World War, the town’s inhabitants sought shelter there from bombing. The territory of Itri, crossed by the Gustav Line, was severely affected.
The Roman sanctuary of Hercules
A few hundred yards from the cave, on the same hillside, archaeologist Marisa de' Spagnolis brought to light in 2011 the remains of a sanctuary dedicated to Hercules, dating to the 2nd century BC. Excavations revealed a monumental stairway of 16 metres, inscriptions of the gens Allia and finds datable from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD. This discovery rewrote the history of the territory.
