Gaeta

Sister cities

• Somerville
• Cambridge
• Bethlehem
• Frontignan
• Cetinje
• Mobile

History

Ancient Caieta was situated on the slopes of the Torre di Orlando, a promontory overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It was inhabited by the Oscan-speaking Italic tribe of the Aurunci tribe by the 10th-9th century BC. Only in 345 BC did the territory of Gaeta come under Rome's influence. Caieta, with its temperate climate like the neighbouring Formia and Sperlonga, became one of the earliest locations of villae maritimae, seaside villas and luxurious retreats for the Roman elite owned, for example, by Scipio Africanus (236–183 BC) and Gaius Laelius. Caieta was also linked to the capital of the Roman Empire by the Appian Way and its extension the Via Flacca. The remains of the monumental villa of Lucius Marcius Philippus, stepfather of Augustus, are in Hotel Irlanda in the Arcella area. Lucius Munatius Plancus (consul in 42 BC) had a vast villa located on Monte Orlando overlooking the Gulf of Gaeta. His mausoleum, built at the end of the 1st century BC, is still an impressive monument inside a large clearing within the villa. Lucius Sempronius Atratinus probably lived here as indicated by his mausoleum. Atratinus was suffect Consul in 40 and 34 BC, propraetor in Greece in 39 BC, and first admiral of Mark Antony's fleet from 38–34 BC. In the Roman imperial age, it continued as a popular seaside resort for many important and rich characters of Rome. Emperor Domitian (r. 81–96 AD) also had a villa in the area. Emperor Antoninus Pius restored the port, given its strategic relevance. Remains of an aqueduct that supplied the town from the Conca hill can be seen a few metres from the villa of Hortensius. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, after the Lombard invasion, Gaeta remained under the suzerainty of the Byzantine Empire. In the following years, like Amalfi,…

Most-observed species

• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  213
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  152
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  126
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  112
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  108
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  107
• Italian Sparrow

  Passer italiae (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  102
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  97

Most recent

• M 4.5 — 2026-07-31
  0 km WSW of Torre Caracciolo, Italy
• M 4.4 — 2026-07-24
  5 km W 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