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The Villa Tiberio Promontory and the Torre Capovento–Punta Cetarola Coast: the Natural Monument on the Riviera of Ulysses
Between Sperlonga and Punta Cetarola, 82 hectares of land and 33 of sea have been protected since 2002 as a Natural Monument. This is the Riviera di Ulisse: sheer cliffs, transparent waters, caves opening onto the Tyrrhenian Sea, and the Pontine Islands on the horizon on clear days. The area is managed by the Ente Parco Riviera di Ulisse.
An Emperor's Whim
Tiberius chose this coast because the family on his mother’s side - possibly his grandfather Aufidius Lurco - had already settled here. The villa of the 1st century BC was enlarged until a natural cave was transformed into an imperial dining room. There was a fish pond with an artificial island at the centre, a circular pool of 12 metres, and nymphaea with water features. Around the water, four monumental sculptural groups narrated the adventures of Ulysses: the blinding of Polyphemus, Scylla devouring his companions, the Theft of the Palladium, Ulysses dragging Achilles. They were the work of the same sculptors from Rhodes as the statue of Laocoön in the Vatican — Agesander, Athenodoros, Polydorus.
The Discovery of 1957
For almost two thousand years the complex lay forgotten. Then, in 1957, construction works for the Via Flacca brought to light over 15,000 marble fragments, which are now kept at the National Archaeological Museum, opened in 1963 beside the excavations.
Along the Coast
The Riviera path continues southwards through Mediterranean scrub, Aleppo pines and dwarf palms. At the 3 kilometre mark we can see the ruins of Torre Capovento — a watchtower built in 1532 against the Saracens, which recently collapsed. Beyond, the cliffs of Punta Cetarola form a WWF marine protected area.
