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The Town of Formia and the Local Area |
Perché venire a Formia? The Formia area is lively and colourful; in the summer months Formia never sleeps; there is always something to do in this quiet yet vibrant corner of southern Italy. So what are the advantages of staying in Formia? THE COST is certainly a plus point in this area of Italy. If you have done your research, you will agree that our apartment is very reasonably priced compared to other similar properties in Italy in locations such as this. Do remember Italy is not the cheapest holiday option in Europe. If you would prefer a villa with a swimming pool in the middle of nowhere then you would get more value for money in Portugal or Spain than anywhere in Italy, but if it is an Italian experience that you are yearning for then do read on. When planning a holiday, it is not just the cost of the apartment that needs to be considered; there are all those hidden extras like car hire, meals out, shopping, days out sightseeing, sports, activities for children etc. As much as possible we have considered all of this and are able to assist our guests as much as they would like us to with the planning of their holiday to Formia. Since our children were very young we have spent several weeks each year in Formia and our holidays have always been excellent; through friends and family we have made many useful connections in the Formia area and beyond. These connections we now share with our Formia guests and they can help make this an economical yet unforgettable Italian experience. There are very few places anywhere in the world where you can have the beach, pool and sporting experiences that this region has to offer and yet be a short drive away from spectacular Roman Ruins and world class cities with monuments and museums that completely take your breath away. Beaches in the Lazio / Campania regions
Private Beach attached to Hotel close to the flat
A typical day at the seaside in the South of Italy
The Royal
Palace of Caserta, Home of the Kings of Naples
“Travel
is the ruin of all happiness! There's no looking at a building after
seeing Italy”
The Great Hall at the Royal Palace of Caserta, Home of the Kings of Naples
“A man who
has not been to Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority,
Magnificent Ceiling Frescos at the Royal Palace of Caserta, Home of the Kings of Naples
Spectacular Fountains and Waterfall at the Royal Palace of Caserta, home of the Kings of Naples
So what is there to do in the Formia area
Il Mare e le Spiagge The flat is within walking distance of Formia’s public beaches. These are free and available to guests at any time of year (don’t forget to take the parasol in the hall in the flat when going to the public beach during the summer months as it is extremely hot, especially in July and August). But remember it is the special things that make a holiday truly memorable. We have made a useful connection with a luxury 4 star hotel right on the beach just a 10 minute walk from the apartment. At certain times of year we can offer our guests free or very low cost access to the beautiful beach attached to this Hotel. Here you would receive use of the hotel’s beach, which is cleaned daily, sun loungers and / or deck chairs and beach side bar. Elegant dining facilities on the beach terrace are available if desired at a very reasonable cost (see beach terrace photo). There is a life guard on the beach all day so children are safe when they swim in the sea (although do read with care the Beach and Pool Health and Safety information sheets we send to all our guests prior to departure).
Beautiful
Hotel Beach Terrace ten minutes’ walk from the flat
Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air…
Beach close to the flat – Public beach on the left, Private beach attached to Hotel in centre La Bella Sperlonga If you would like to explore beaches further afield, we recommend you visit Sperlonga. Sperlonga is a beautiful medieval town built onto a rock which protrudes into the Tyrrhenian sea. It is definitely worth a visit. Sperlonga’s long, sandy beach is renowned in Italy as one of the cleanest beaches in the country (under sea filters clean the water on a daily basis). In fact the water is so clean, that fish are easily visible. If you feel like treating yourself to a day of opulent luxury, then we can arrange for you spend one or more days in a beautiful beach resort right on the beach in Sperlonga new town. Once there you will receive exclusive beach and poolside parasol service. The beautiful pool is on the beach itself and life guard facilities for both pool and beach are provided all day until 7 pm in the summer. Lunch is available on the splendid hotel terrace overlooking the Islands of Ponza and Ventotene for a very reasonable price. (Please see Sperlonga Beach resort photos). We highly recommend a day or more in this wonderful place. Parents can totally relax on the beach in this resort while their children enjoy the fantastic pool in the care of experienced and qualified life guards. A definite must. A day at this excellent beach resort for a family of four will cost £15 - £30 (depending on time of year) – believe me it is worth every penny.
Luxury Beach Resort in Sperlonga
Beautiful
Sperlonga at Dusk Sperlonga e Levagnole Other resorts we have sent our guests to in recent years, include two excellent beach lidos in Sperlonga and Mondragone. Both of these lidos provide full beach and parasol service and they both have lifeguards on duty until 7 pm in the summer months. At the Sperlonga lido you can buy excellent Olive Oil produced from the family olive groves in the Itri hills and very good basic but home cooked lunches for as little as €3 - €5 per person.
Sunset on
Sperlonga Beach Lido Sinuessa in Levagnole The other beach lido is in the Levagnole resort near the town of Mondragone, in the Campania region, where English speaking guests are particularly welcome as one of the owners is English. This lido is famous in the area for its volcanic spring. Guests are able to have naturally hot showers at a fraction of the cost of the hotel spa nearby. This stretch of beach is particularly famous for its glorious sunsets (see photo below). If you hire a pedalo just before sunset you will have a magical boating experience that you will remember forever.
Spectacular Sunset on Sinuessa Beach
Boating at Sinuessa Beach in Levagnole
Former guests at Sinuessa Beach Opposite the beach lido in Levagnole is an excellent restaurant attached to a hotel / spa where you can have an abundant but reasonably priced lunch on the terrace overlooking the Bay of Mondragone. The cost of any of the resorts mentioned here, will vary according to times of year; at times we are able to include one or more days at these resorts at no extra cost to our guests (please contact us about our special offers as soon as you know which month you would like to book for). If you book for August you should go to this beach for the Ferragosto sea procession and fireworks. This usually takes place on the Sunday before 15th August but you need to ask at the lido to be sure.
Firework
display over Sinuessa Beach at the Ferragosto Beach Procession
"Italy, my Italy! Queen Mary's saying serves for me - (When
fortune's malice Lost her Calais) - Open my heart and you will see
Graved inside of it, Italy."
Children and Sport If you ask anyone who has been to the south of Italy with children to tell you about their time there, I am sure they will all say the same thing: “Southern Italians love children, they welcome them everywhere with open arms”. This was certainly true for us when our children were young, that’s why we kept going back. All beaches and pools in Italy are now obliged to have full time lifeguards to make sure children are safe when playing near or in the water. Restaurants, cafés, Italian style pubs, all have high chairs and are happy for families with young children to go and eat, drink or snack there at any time of the day or evening. Beach holidays are a wonderful way of entertaining young children as they will be occupied for the entire day at a comparatively low cost; they will make lots of Italian friends on the beach and could even learn a little Italian. When our children were small all they really wanted to do when we were in Italy, was to go to the beach or the aqua park; they weren’t really interested in much else. As they got older they started asking about some of the other sporting activities that they can do in the area. They tried a variety of activities but their favourites have proved to be horse riding on the beach in Sperlonga and water skiing on the lake also in Sperlonga. I think our younger daughter would like to have a go a paragliding but you have to be over 18 to do that in Italy so she has a few more years to go.
British Children relaxing at a Café in Sessa Aurunca
Little boy enjoying a southern Italian beach
British and Italian children and adults at restaurant in Carano Altre Attività Sportive If you are a track sports enthusiast, the CONI sports and athletics club is just two streets away from the flat and provides facilities for track sports, tennis and athletics. Athletes training at Coni are always welcome (please contact us about our special rates for athletes). The windsurfing school in Formia Vindicio is a short bus-ride or drive away and has proved popular with many of our summer guests. In the town of Sperlonga there is a water skiing centre and horse riding club where you can have leisurely rides on the beach at sunset. The horse riding club also provides a day camp service for children of all ages. At the camp children will have riding lessons, cookery classes, treasure hunts and a couple of hours on the beach. The waterskiing school on the lake in Sperlonga has proved very popular with many of our guests’ teenage children. They are happy to arrange intensive two, three, five day courses at a very reasonable cost. If you are an angler you can hire a boat on the Garigliano river just south of Formia or you could go to the Pontine Islands of Ventotene and Ponza and join one of the local fishermen for the day. Sub aqua enthusiasts will not be disappointed with the excellent sub aqua opportunities on the Islands of Ponza and Ventotene and if you just like boating then why not hire a little boat of your own in Ponza and spend the day boating around the island, exploring all its hidden little bays and secluded beaches? If you visit this area in winter you could go to the Abruzzo mountains in Roccaraso for a day or more and try your hand at skiing. It will take between one and a half and two hours to drive to Roccaraso depending on traffic. If you are interested in these or any other sporting activities in this area do contact us and we will send you further information and / or appropriate telephone numbers and email addresses.
Horse Riding Camp for Children of all ages
Water Skiing on the Lake in Sperlonga
Wake Boarding on the Lake in Sperlonga
Sub Aqua on the Pontine Island of Ponza - Photo courtesy of: stix1972.typepad.com/
Windsurfing courses available at Vindicio Beach in Formia - Photo courtesy of: mauisea.com
Paragliding on the Beach (for over 18s only).
Skiing in
Roccaraso –
photo courtesy of
Roccaraso - Aremogna Ski School. The Aqua Park in Itri The aqua park in the nearby town of Itri is a must for children and parents alike; its three waterslides and two large pools surrounded by the spectacular views of the Itri hills, will provide you with a day out that you will treasure forever. Not to mention the home made white chocolate doughnuts produced freshly every afternoon; you need to try one at least once.
The Aquapark in Itri
Former guests
at the Aquapark in Itri
“When
the children are happy, we are happy”
La Cultura e La Storia You may have young children and may need to plan your holiday to suit their needs; many families just want to spend time on one of the many beautiful beaches or take the children to the aqua park at Itri or just shop in Formia or go to one of the many bars for coffee, ice-cream and delicious Italian pastries; but this region of Italy is steeped in history and culture all around so you cannot help but be affected by it. The ancient town of Gaeta is just a short drive away, the main road you will use on a daily basis to go in and out of Formia is the Via Appia (the Appian Way, built by the Romans over 2000 years ago). Cicero’s tomb is at the northern end of Formia and the famous Roman aqueduct with the ancient Roman town of Minturnae and its beautiful Roman Theatre are just 10 minutes south of Formia. Within driving distance of Formia are Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Mount Vesuvius, Scauri, Gaeta and Sperlonga. Rome is just over an hour away by train and the spectacular Pontine Islands of Ponza and Ventotene are easily accessible by ferry or jetfoil from the port in Formia.
The Ancient Coastal Town of Gaeta
Herculaneum
Pompeii
St.
Peters in Rome
Something of that Rome of which I have read so much."
The Coliseum in Rome
The Bay of
Naples and the Vesuvius Ma Perché venire in Italia? You may well ask yourself: ‘Why Italy? There are beaches, water parks and water-skiing everywhere? So why bother with Italy at all?’ I suppose what always made holidays in this part of Italy really special for me, is that even if I chose not to visit Pompeii or Montecassino or Rome or Minturnae, I could not stop the history and culture of this ancient part of Europe from having some impact on me and, more importantly on my children.
Cicero’s Tomb in Formia
Roman Theatre in Pompeii
Italy is known world wide as one of the ‘cradles of civilization’;
even if you choose not to spend your time sightseeing you cannot
fail but be overwhelmed with the history and culture all around you
in this unique area of Italy. When our children were younger we
didn’t spend much time visiting roman ruins in the southern Italian
summer heat, but being surrounded by these and other historical
wonders was always very special. It is a daunting experience when
you are casually window shopping in Formia Centro and you stumble on
the remains of a Roman tower, or when you are driving to the Aqua
Park in Itri and suddenly you find you are driving past Cicero’s
tomb or if you go to the Market in Sessa and you just happen to find
a parking space opposite the magnificent Etruscan / Roman Theatre –
quite by chance, not an experience you can have in many other
European countries. What better early memory can you give your
children than staying in a flat ‘just off the Appian Way’ or driving
past Cicero’s Tomb on the way to the Aqua Park or having a picnic
lunch in the Ancient Roman town of Minturnae, perched on the steps
of the Teatro Romano?
The original Appian Way from Rome to Naples
Roman Theatre in Sessa Aurunca where you can see plays and concerts free in the summer months.
Recently
discovered Roman Fresco in Roman cave in Sessa Aurunca La Bella Cittadina di Formia Formia itself is a beautiful chic Italian town surrounded on three sides by the spectacular Aurunci Hills and overlooking the Mediterranean sea. This town really does have it all. Designer shops, traditional southern Italian markets, restaurants serving the most amazing Italian food you'll ever eat at prices you won't believe and beaches and views to die for. This is an area which has something to offer all year round. We send all our guests a tailor made itinerary of activities for this area geared to the time of year they are booking for. Some, like the Easter Processions in Sessa are really very special and cannot be experienced anywhere else.
The beautiful Aurunci Hills In the summer Formia never sleeps: the magnificent Roman Theatre at Minturnae puts on open air operatic and theatrical productions throughout the summer months. Just a short walk from the Sperlonga beach resorts mentioned above, the open air summer theatre, provides entertainment for the entire summer season for people of all ages: Opera, Neapolitan songs, Classical Concerts, Pop and Rock Concerts, Traditional Folk Dancers and more. If you want to do more than just observe and admire, then Opera enthusiasts could have singing lessons with a professional opera singer in the local area and aspiring artists could attend art classes with a known local artist.
Rehearsals al Piccolo Teatro Romano
Aspiring
British Singers try their hand at Italian Opera Train Travel from Formia From the station in Formia you can catch an inter-city train to Rome and be there in just over an hour. A treno diretto will get you to Naples in just 50 minutes and to Salerno (Amalfi Coast) in under two hours. Train travel is cheap, efficient and comfortable. Gone are the days of over-crowded, hot trains that are always late and cannot be relied on. The Italian government has invested a lot of money in its transport system since the late seventies; Italy now has one of the most efficient and economical train networks in Europe.
Trevi Fountain in Rome – just an hour from Formia by train.
Caserta Palace Ceiling Fresco detail – just 40 minutes from Formia by train.
Piazza del
Plebescito, Naples – just 50 minutes from Formia by train. The Port in Formia and the Pontine Islands The port in Formia is approximately 1 Km. from the apartment and from there you can take a ferry or jetfoil to the Pontine islands of Ponza and Ventotene, where the sea water is a beautiful deep blue and there are caves and grottos to explore all around the two islands. One of our guests did this last year and she said it was the best day of the family’s entire trip. They took the jetfoil to the Island of Ponza then they hired a private boat for the day and explored the entire island on their own. It must have been truly magical. Other guests have joined fishermen for the day and have experience fishing for squid, octopus and giant prawn.
Boats you can
hire to tour the Pontine Islands of Ponza and Ventotene
Glorious
Sunset on the Island of Ventotene
"For us
to go to Italy and to penetrate into Italy is like a most
fascinating act of self-discovery, back down the old ways of time.
Strange and wonderful chords awake in us, and vibrate again after
many hundreds of years of complete forgetfulness."
The Beautiful
Island of Ponza – just one hour from Formia on the Jetfoil.
The Coastal Town of Gaeta with Formia in the background: www.gajeta.com
30 minutes south of Formia are the traditional villages in the Campania region; my grandparents lived in this area and this is where I stayed as a child. A trip to the medieval market town of Sessa Aurunca for the Thursday morning market is a must. I used to go to it with my grandmother and I still go every Thursday whenever I am in Italy. If you do go then you should have lunch in Sessa’s local osteria called Da Nicola, after the market. There are no menus and very little choice but whatever La Signora Amelia prepares is superb. A two course meal with a bottle of the local wine will cost you approximately €10 per person. Anyone interested in Italian cuisine could attend excellent but very informal cooking classes in this trattoria. One week in La Signora Amelia’s kitchen and you will be ready to rival both Jamie and Gordon.
Da Nicola Pizzeria in Sessa Aurunca
The Thursday morning market in Sessa Aurunca During the spring and summer months this region of Italy has many 'feste' and 'sagre'. A festa was traditionally a religious festival but now all the towns and villages in the area have their summer entertainment programme which can range from funfairs for the children and open air concerts and street dancing. Last Year the Opera Aida was performed in the Gaeta Arena; overlooking the bay in the moonlight. This and all the other activities in the programme were free.
Carpets of flowers for the Easter Monday Procession in Sessa Aurunca
One of the
nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever
it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.
100% Buffalo Mozzarella
Seafood Taglierini, with clams, mussels, prawn and octopus
"They eat the dainty food of famous
chefs with the same pleasure with which they eat simple, peasant
dishes, mostly composed of garlic and tomatoes, or fisherman's
octopus and shrimps, fried in heavily scented olive oil on a little
deserted beach."
Magnificent Italian Pastries
‘Delizia al Limone’ – Delicious local Lemon Dessert.
Local Spice and Herb Speciality Shop
Giant Ice-cream from the Gelateria Fiorelli
We DEFINITELY recommend a visit to Il Gelso, this is a beautiful restaurant which has a magnificent oleander-lined drive. It is not surprising that this restaurant is often used for weddings. The word Gelso means mulberry. The reason it is called this is that it has an ancient mulberry tree in the centre of its outdoor dining area. In the hot summer months diners sit under the mulberry tree and eat, drink, sing, dance and forget that there is anything else in the world other than this. The Gelso restaurant is famous in the area for its Karaoke evenings. Your host at Il Gelso is the 'larger than life' Fernando, affectionately known as ‘Mr King’. His rendition of 'My Way' has to be second only to Sinatra himself. As Fernando spent many years in America he speaks English well and welcomes all our guests with open arms. Believe it or not a meal with wine at this beautiful place will only cost about £15 per person. (Less if you happen to be there at the same time as us).
Entrance to Il Gelso Restaurant with its ancient Mulberry Tree on the right.
Fernando at Il Gelso pictured here with two of our guests last Summer
Fernando
dancing with former guest and singing ‘My Way’ What about autumn and winter in Formia? If you would prefer to visit this area of Italy during a quieter time of year when the weather is cooler, we recommend September to November. September is still quite hot, although not as hot as August and most of the beach lidos and resorts will still be open. In October the weather starts to cool down a little and the aqua parks and some of the smaller beach lidos will close. We always go to Formia in October / November as it is one of our favourite times of year there: it is warm but not too hot, it is less crowded as people are back at work and children are back at school, the beaches are deserted so you often get an entire beach to yourself and the temperature for sightseeing is far more comfortable than it is in August. The down side is that you could get a few rainy or windy days or if you are really unlucky a rainy or windy week – but then that could even happen in August – most of the time you would get a couple of cooler days – when you could do some sightseeing - and then some really glorious, sunny days for the beach; as warm as any sunny day in the UK in May or June. Waterskiing is also good at this time of year. If you do opt for an October holiday then we highly recommend Sperlonga for your beach days. See photos below taken in October / November 2007:
View of Formia from Gaeta
The port in Gaeta at dusk
The ‘Mercedes’ in Gaeta – available to hire for private functions
Early Autumn evening in Sperlonga
Children swimming in the sea in Sperlonga on Halloween 2007
On the beach in Sperlonga – 1st November 2006
1st November 2007
Wake Boarding on the lake on 1st November 2007
Glorious, Sunny Sperlonga on 2nd November 2007
If you would like to spend an extended period of time in this area of Italy, then do email us about our long term lets from December to March or April. Although it is probably too cold to go to the beach at this time of year, there is still a lot to do in the area. Visitors during the Christmas season must visit the little villages in the Lazio and Campania hills and look out for the 'Presepi Viventi'; these are very special Nativity Re-enactments which would involve an entire village community for several days or longer (it literally means the 'Living Crib'). Visitors to the area in the Easter season must visit the town of Sessa Aurunca (20 mins away from the apartment) to see the Good Friday and Easter Monday Processions. On Good Friday the entire town processes through the town for 8 hours culminating in four enormous bonfires being lit in the town's incredible medieval town square. It feels more like 1408 than 2008.
The Good Friday Procession in Sessa Aurunca
One of the huge bonfires at the Good Friday Procession in Sessa Aurunca
"Italy
is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life."
The colourful
Easter Monday Procession in Sessa Aurunca Skiing in roccaraso If you do opt for a long term stay in the winter months, you should drive up to Roccaraso occasionally for a day’s skiing. It takes about two hours to get there and you can hire all the equipment you need at one of the many ski schools in the area. If this interests you, do contact me and I will send you further information and a couple of email addresses:
Roccaraso in
Winter
Skiing in
Roccaraso Little extras! A taxi service with tour guide facility could be arranged on request as could special celebration treats – eg: flowers for birthdays, anniversaries etc, surprise champagne and birthday cake on the beach or at home or a V.I.P. celebration in one of the local restaurants. Remember the little things can make all the difference.
Flowers and Birthday cake arranged for a guest last summer at her
surprise Birthday Party at Il Gelso restaurant. This was all
arranged by us from the UK. If you would like to surprise your
partner with a surprise celebration, let us know and we will arrange
it all. (See Guest Book entry for details of a similar surprise
celebration). We are in Italy during the Easter period, during most
of July and August and for two weeks at the end of October. If you
are there at the same time as us we are happy to meet up with you
and spend a couple of days on the beach together and maybe even go
out for a meal together in the evening.
Online Italian survival courses are available free to any of our
guests who would like to learn a little Italian before setting off
for Formia
"I love
the language, that soft Latinate, which melts like kisses from a
female mouth, and sounds as if it should be written on satin with
syllables which breathe of the sweet South."
Please read our comprehensive Guest Book for experiences other people have had in the Formia area in recent years. NB: Important Health and Safety documentation will be sent to all guests interested in making a booking. Please read all this documentation with care, especially the Beach and Pool Health and Safety advice and the ‘Driving in Italy’ sheets.
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