History: Roman Gaeta (Villas, Mausoleums and Cicero)

THE ROMAN AGE (a holiday resort):
– Its role: as early as the 1st century BC, Gaeta was a renowned holiday destination for emperors, consuls and patricians.
– What remains: grand villas with pools, nymphaea and gardens stood on the hills and along the shore, all the way to Sperlonga.
– The port: Cicero, in 66 BC, described it as a port of considerable importance.

THE MAUSOLEUMS (what you can still see):
– Mausoleum of Lucius Munatius Plancus: on the summit of Monte Orlando, still well preserved.
– Mausoleum of Lucius Sempronius Atratinus: on the hill of the same name, on the northern side.