History: Gaeta the Fortress, the Bourbons and Italian Unification

THE KEY TO THE KINGDOM:
– Strategic role: known as the Key to the Kingdom of Naples, Gaeta endured countless sieges that decided the fate of southern Italy.
– A second capital: it was often the base for the conquest of Naples (Ladislaus of Durazzo, Alfonso of Aragon).

THE GREAT FORTIFICATIONS:
– Angevin-Aragonese Castle: it became a royal residence under Alfonso of Aragon (1436).
– Charles V (1538): he built the great bastions and defensive works we see today, turning Gaeta into an impregnable military citadel.

TURNING POINTS:
– The Pope’s refuge (1848-49): Pius IX fled Rome and took shelter in Gaeta, which for a year became the second Papal State.
– The last siege (1861): this is where the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ended. On 13 February 1861, with the Bourbon surrender beneath the walls of Gaeta, Italian unification was complete.

MODERN TIMES:
– Second World War: the town suffered immense destruction and its population was evacuated, before being reborn as a tourist and cultural centre.