Circeo National Park

The park was created in 1934 to save a remnant of the Pontine marshes then being drained, and it holds four brackish coastal lakes, a long dune belt, and the Selva di Circeo, an old lowland oak forest of a type almost entirely lost in Italy. Monte Circeo rises abruptly at the southern end, a limestone promontory identified since antiquity with Homer's Circe; the Grotta Guattari on its flank produced a Neanderthal skull in 1939. Flamingos, herons and migrating waterfowl use the lagoons, and the island of Zannone offshore is part of the park.

Background

The park covers 84.40 square kilometres along the coast between Anzio and Terracina, and no other Italian national park lies entirely on plain and coast. Its forest, now c. 3,300 hectares, is the last relic of the old Selva di Terracina, and no plain forest in Italy is larger. The promontory, which tops out at 541 m, is a Mesozoic massif of limestone and dolomite with the shape of an island, and a 25 ha cork oak wood grows where it meets the plain. A sand strip 22 km long runs from Torre Paola to Capo Portiere. The four lakes, Paola, Caprolace, Monaci and Fogliano, reach a maximum depth of two meters. Zannone joined the park in 1979.

Source: Wikipedia, "Circeo National Park"

What's there

• The coastal lakes - four brackish lagoons behind the dune belt.
• The Selva di Circeo - a rare surviving lowland oak forest.
• Monte Circeo - a limestone promontory with a summit path and wide views.
• The lagoon birds - flamingos, herons and migrating waterfowl.

When to go

April to June and September to October; birdlife peaks on migration. Summer brings beach crowds to Sabaudia. Some zones are closed for conservation.

Things to know

Beaches are busy and developed in summer while the reserve zones are strictly limited. Trail signage is patchy. Grotta Guattari access is restricted and booked.

Nearby

Sperlonga lies east; the Pontine islands are offshore.

Key facts