Formia

Sister cities

• Santeramo in Colle
• Ferrara
• Naples
• Gračanica
• Fleury-les-Aubrais
• Arpino
• Haninge Municipality

History

Formiae was founded by the Italic population of the Aurunci. It was called Formiae (derived from Hormia or Ormiai, after its excellent landing) by ancient authors. It appeared for the first time in history in 338 BC when, after the Latin Wars, it received the Roman status of Civitas sine suffragio as it remained neutral, together with the city of Fondi. Throughout antiquity the city of Caieta was also part of the Formian territory. It became a renowned resort during the Republican era for rich Romans to build elaborate villas and Horace called it "the city of the Mamurrae" as the rich and noble equestrian family of Mamurra had strong interests there, including the villa-estate nearby at Gianola, which can still be seen. The impressive remains of Roman villas still stretch along the coast from the fishponds in the Nuovo Porto to Gaeta. Cicero had a villa there. He was assassinated on the Appian Way just outside the town in 43 BC and his monumental tomb can also still be seen. The villa attributed to Cicero, now in the Villa Rubino, includes an elaborate nymphaeum and rooms decorated with frescoes and stucco. The hotel Villa Irlanda contains a cryptoporticus with stucco of the monumental villa of Lucius Marcius Philippus (consul 56 BC), stepfather of Augustus. Villa Caracciolo has a large court surrounded by rooms. Many marble sculptures have been removed from these villas, the majority of which are in the Museo Nazionale in Naples, notably a fine pair of Nereids riding on sea monsters. Remains of an amphitheatre and theatre can be seen. The enormous underground cistern dug below ground was probably the biggest Roman urban cistern in the world until the Piscina Mirabilis was built at the end of the 1st c. BC. Sextus Julius Frontinus (40 – 104 AD), "Curator Aquarum"…

Geography

Formia lies on the Tyrrhenian Sea, in southern Lazio, close to the town of Gaeta and next to the borders of Campania region. The municipality borders with Esperia (FR), Gaeta, Itri, Minturno and Spigno Saturnia. It includes the hamlets (frazioni) of Castellonorato, Gianola-Santo Janni, Marànola, Penitro and Trivio.

Most-observed species

• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  208
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  151
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  127
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  111
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  108
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  106
• Mastic Tree

  Pistacia lentiscus L. · Magnoliopsida
  106
• Italian Sparrow

  Passer italiae (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  103

Most recent

• M 4.5 — 2026-07-31
  0 km WSW of Torre Caracciolo, Italy
• M 4.4 — 2026-07-24
  5 km WNW of Pizzone, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2026-05-21
  2 km E of Procida, Italy
• M 6 — 2026-03-09
  16 km SSE of Sant'Angelo, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2025-11-18
  16 km ESE of Ventotene, Italy
• M 4.4 — 2025-10-25
  3 km WNW of Summonte, Italy