Getting My Beach Fix — Sperlonga

Having grown up in a city surrounded by beaches, I get beach cravings if I go too long without seeing the sea. I had thought living in Rome would stop these cravings as it’s less than an hour from the coast so surely there must be some residual salt in the air. Not enough it seemed, and so I started researching how to get my beach fix in Lazio.

My search took me to Sperlonga. And it came highly recommended by my flatmates, my students, my fellow travellers and my trusty Lonely Planet. A favourite spot of the Emperor Tiberius in Ancient times and now, almost 2000 years on, it is still a favourite spot of Romans in summer (for those interested in Roman History, there is a museum on the grounds of the Villa of Tiberius, but I didn’t visit it so can’t comment on it).

A seaside hilltop village of whitewashed buildings, with spectacular seafood pasta (not to mention the Lazio Chardonnay to match), full of that irreplaceable salt air I had missed so much. It was indeed a superb way to spend a day recovering from New Year’s celebrations.

    

Even the local cats recommended life in Sperlonga, as they sat on the roof of one of the many restaurants with delicious food and top-notch ocean views.

An easy day trip from Rome, I would take any opportunity I could to go back to Sperlonga. The only thing getting in my way is the number of other beautiful beaches all over Italy that I would love to explore. All of my students take pleasure in telling me how their region is the best and most beautiful in all of Italy — I now have a vast list of “the most beautiful beaches in the world” to visit on their recommendations!