From our editorial team
For Romans, the Parco del Circeo is a classic summer holiday destination. Most international holidaymakers are not (yet) familiar with the nature reserve with its endless beach.
Rome inspires. With its squares, palaces, frescoes and forums. Anyone who has spent a few days in the Eternal City is fulfilled - and perhaps ready for the next contrast. For sand instead of stone. For waves instead of murals. For a piece of unspoilt coastline that is much quieter than the Colosseum, for the Parco Nazionale del Circeo.
A coastal paradise with a connection to Mythen
Photo: stock.adobe.com/Samuele Gallini
A completely different world begins just an hour and a half's drive south of Rome. The Parco del Circeo is not a classic seaside resort, but a wild, protected natural landscape: 8,500 hectares of sand dunes, forests, freshwater lakes and lagoons - in between ancient ruins, rugged rocks and the sea in an almost kitschy colour.
The park was founded in 1934 and stretches along the coast, past places like Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo and Torre Paola. There are no beach castles here, no background music, no rows of sunbeds. Instead: Wind in your face, the scent of pine, a feeling of space - and water that shines in almost every shade of blue.
Circe sends her regards
Incidentally, the name of the park goes back to the sorceress Circe - the mythological figure from Homer's Odyssey who turned Odysseus' men into pigs. The Circeo peninsula was regarded as her residence in ancient times.
Photo: stock.adobe.com/Stefano Tammaro
Sabaudia - rationalism meets natural idyll
Anyone looking for a specific destination should head for Sabaudia, a special architectural case in Italy. The model town was built in the 1930s during Italian fascism - with clear lines and architectural rigour. Between 1927 and 1939, around 840 km² of marshland south of Rome was drained and parcelled out for agriculture. The contrast with the surrounding area is all the more beautiful: one of the longest and most unspoilt beaches in Italy begins just a few steps away from the sober cityscape.
Here you can swim if you are looking for peace and quiet. The Spiaggia di Sabaudia stretches for kilometres along the coast, protected by dunes and pine forests. Some sections are managed, but most are freely accessible. You can spend the whole day here without anyone trying to sell you a selfie stick.
Torre Paola - Postcard with rock
A little further west is the most photogenic section of the park: the beach of Torre Paola, named after the medieval watchtower that stands proudly on a rock. The view of the sea, framed by Monte Circeo in the background, has something epic about it. If you arrive early in the morning, you will experience the beach in almost complete silence. If you stay in the afternoon, the light slowly turns golden. And yes: there is also a small lido with deckchairs - but it is unobtrusive. Everything seems restrained, almost as if it has fallen out of time. Even the parking situation is surprisingly civilised in the low season.
Practical thinking
The best way to reach the region is by car - from Rome via the SS148 "Pontina". If you are reliant on public transport, you can take the train to Priverno-Fossanova and from there take a bus to Sabaudia or San Felice Circeo. Not very convenient, but doable.
