The city has played a conspicuous part in military history; its walls date toRoman times and were extended and strengthened in the 15th century,[3] especially throughout the history of theKingdom of Naples (later theKingdom of the Two Sicilies).
Present-day Gaeta is a fishingport and a seaside resort.NATO has a naval base here. In 2025, it received theblue and green flags fromFEE for the twelfth consecutive year. It is one of theI Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").[4]
Ancient Caieta was situated on the slopes of the Torre di Orlando, a promontory overlooking theMediterranean Sea. It was inhabited by theOscan-speakingItalic tribe of theAurunci tribe by the 10th-9th century BC. Only in 345 BC did the territory of Gaeta come under Rome's influence.[5]
Caieta, with its temperate climate[6] like the neighbouringFormia andSperlonga, became one of the earliest locations ofvillae maritimae, seasidevillas and luxurious retreats for the Roman elite owned, for example, byScipio Africanus (236–183 BC) andGaius Laelius.[7] Caieta was also linked to the capital of theRoman Empire by theAppian Way and its extension theVia Flacca.
The remains of the monumental villa[8] ofLucius Marcius Philippus, stepfather ofAugustus, are in Hotel Irlanda in the Arcella area.[9]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.[10]
In theRoman imperial age, it continued as a popular seaside resort for many important and rich characters ofRome. EmperorDomitian (r. 81–96 AD) also had a villa in the area.[13]
EmperorAntoninus Pius restored the port, given its strategic relevance.[14]
Remains of an aqueduct that supplied the town from the Conca hill can be seen a few metres from the villa ofHortensius.[15][16]
At the beginning of theMiddle Ages, after theLombard invasion, Gaeta remained under thesuzerainty of theByzantine Empire. In the following years, likeAmalfi,Sorrento andNaples did, it would seem to have established itself as a practically independent port and to have carried on a thriving trade with theLevant.[3]
As Byzantine influence declined in Southern Italy, the town began to grow. For fear of theSaracens, in 840, the inhabitants of the neighbouring Formiæ fled to Gaeta. Though under the suzerainty of Byzantium, Gaeta had then, like nearby portsNaples andAmalfi, a republican form of government with adux ("duke" or commanding lord under the command of the ByzantineExarch of Ravenna), as a strong bulwark against Saracen invasion.
Around 830, it became a lordship ruled by hereditaryhypati orconsuls:[3] The first of these wasConstantine (839–866), who in 847 aidedPope Leo IV in thenaval fight at Ostia. At this same time (846), the episcopalsee of Gaeta was founded when Constantine, Bishop of Formiae, fled thither and established his residence. He was associated with his sonMarinus I. They were probably violently overthrown (they disappeared suddenly from history) in 866 or 867 byDocibilis I, who, looking rather to local safety, entered into treaties with the Saracens and abandoned friendly relations with thepapacy. Nevertheless, he greatly expanded the duchy and began the construction of the palace. The greatest of thehypati was possiblyJohn I, who helped crush the Saracens atGarigliano in 915 and gained the title ofpatricius from the Byzantine EmperorConstantine VII.
The principle ofco-regency governed the early dynasties: Docibilis I associated John with him, and John, in turn, associated his sonDocibilis II with him. In 933, three generations were briefly co-ruling:John I,Docibilis II, andJohn II. On the death of Docibilis II (954), who first took the titledux, theduchy passed from its golden age and entered a decline marked by a division of territory. John II ruled Gaeta and his brother, Marinus, ruledFondi with the equivalent title of duke. Outlying lands and castles were given away to younger sons, and thus the family of the Docibili slowly declined after the mid-century.
Allegedly, but improbably, from the end of the 9th century, theprincipality of Capua claimed Gaeta as a courtesy title for the younger son of its ruling prince. In the mid-10th century, theDe Ceremoniis ofConstantine VII lists the ceremonial title "prince of Gaeta" among the protocols for letters written to foreigners.[17]
PrincePandulf IV of Capua captured Gaeta in 1032 and deposed DukeJohn V, assuming the ducal and consular titles. In 1038, PrinceGuaimar IV of Salerno took it from him and, in 1041, established theNormancounts of Aversa, who were afterwards princes ofCapua, aspuppet dukes. The native dynasty made a last attempt to wrest the duchy from Guaimar in 1042 underLeo I of Gaeta.
In 1045, the Gaetans elected their Lombard duke,Atenulf I. His son,Atenulf II, was made to submit to the Norman PrinceRichard I of Capua in 1062 when Gaeta was captured byJordan I of Capua. In 1064, the city was placed under a line of puppet dukes, appointed by the Capuan princes, who had usurped the ducal andconsular titles. These dukes, usually Italianate Normans, ruled Gaeta with some level of independence until the death ofRichard III of Gaeta in 1140. In that year, Gaeta was definitively annexed to theKingdom of Sicily byRoger II, who bestowed on his sonRoger of Apulia, who was duly elected by the nobles of the city. The town did maintain itscoinage until as late as 1229 after the Normans had been superseded by the centralisingHohenstaufen.
Gaeta, owing to its important strategic position, was often attacked and defended bravely in the many wars for possession of theKingdom of the Two Sicilies. In 1194, thePisans, allies ofEmperor Henry VI in the conquest of the kingdom, took possession of the city and held it as their own.
In 1227,Frederick II, who wasKing of Sicily since 1198, was in the city and strengthened the castle. However, in the struggle between Frederick and thePapacy, in 1228, it rebelled against Frederick II and surrendered to the pope after the Papal forces destroyed the castle in the fray. After the peace of San Germano of 1230, it was returned to the Sicilian kingdom. In 1233, Frederick regained control of the important port and fortress. Following the division between the Kingdom of Sicily, Gaeta became a possession of the newKingdom of Naples. In 1279,Charles I of Anjou rebuilt the castle and enhanced the fortifications. In 1289, KingJames II of Aragon besieged the city in vain. From 1378, Gaeta hosted for some yearsantipope Clement VII. The future King ofNaplesLadislaus lived in Gaeta from 1387. Here, on 21 September, he marriedCostanza Chiaramonte, whom he repudiated three years later.
KingAlfonso V of Aragon (as Alfonso I of Naples) made Gaeta his beachhead for the conquest of theKingdom of Naples in 1435, besieged it, and to his disadvantage, displayed great generosity by aiding those unable to bear arms which had been driven out from the besieged town. After a disastrous naval battle, he captured it and gained control of the kingdom. He enlarged the castle, which became his royal palace, and created a mint. In 1451, the city was home to theTreaty of Gaeta, stipulated betweenAlfonso V and theAlbanian lord,Skanderbeg: the treaty ensured protection of the Albanian lands in exchange for political suzerainty of Skanderbeg to Alfonso.[18]
In 1528,Andrea Doria, admiral ofCharles V, defeated a French fleet in the waters off Gaeta and gave the city to its emperor. Gaeta was thenceforth protected with a new and more extensive wall encompassing Monte Orlando.
On 18 July 1806, the French captured it underAndré Masséna, after a heroic defence. It was created as aduché grand-fief in the Napoleonic Kingdom of Naples, but under the French nameGaète, for finance ministerMartin-Michel-Charles Gaudin, in 1809 (family extinguished in 1841). On 8 August 1815, it capitulated to the Austrians after a three-months siege. It had been attacked and partially reduced by ships of the Royal Navy on 24 July 1815.
After his flight from theRoman Republic,Pope Pius IX took refuge at Gaeta in November 1848. He remained in Gaeta until 4 September 1849.
In 1860, Gaeta was theKingdom of the Two Sicilies' last Northern outpost. During the1861 siege, KingFrancis II of the Two Sicilies offered a stubborn defence, shut up in the fortress with 12,000 men and was inspired by the heroic example by his wife QueenMaria Sophie afterGiuseppe Garibaldi's occupation ofNaples. It was not until 13 February 1861 that Francis II was forced to capitulate when the withdrawal of the French fleet made bombardment from the sea possible,[3] thus sealing the annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to the Kingdom of Italy.Enrico Cialdini, the Piedmontese general, received thevictory title ofDuke of Gaeta. During the functioning of the Government ofMontenegro in exile from 1919 to 1924, that supported thePetrović-Njegoš dynasty and opposed the rule of thehouse of Karađorđević in Yugoslavia (The Greens) were located in Gaeta.
After theRisorgimento and untilWorld War II, Gaeta grew in importance and wealth as a harbour. The nearby town of Elena, separated after the Risorgimento and named after the queen of Italy, was reunited with Gaeta followingWorld War I.Benito Mussolini transferred Gaeta from the southern region known today asCampania (formerly Terra di Lavoro, to which it is historically and culturally attached) to the central region ofLazio.
After the king dismissed Mussolini in the summer of 1943, the latter was initially taken via Gaeta to the island prison ofPonza. After Italy surrendered to the Allies, however, the town's fortunes began to decline. Recognising its strategic importance and fearing an Allied landing in the area, German troops occupied the city and expelled most of the population. The exclusion zone extended five kilometres from the historical city centre. Soon after, however, the population was expelled even beyond this point. The Gaetani were finally ordered to leave the area completely. Those who could not be placed in aconcentration camp and a few were taken toGermany.
Following the Allied advance across theGarigliano River and the Allied occupation ofRome, the Gaetani were allowed to return to their city and begin the process of rebuilding. In subsequent decades the city has boomed as a beach resort, and it has seen some success marketing its agricultural products, primarily its tomatoes and olives. Many of its families count seamen among their number. However, the decades sinceWorld War II have been as difficult for Gaeta as they have been for most of Italy'sMezzogiorno. In particular, its importance as a passenger seaport has nearly vanished: ferries to Ponza and elsewhere now leave from the nearby town ofFormia. All attempts to build a permanent industry as a source of employment and economic well-being for the town have failed. Notable losses include the Littorina rail line (now used as a parking lot and a marketplace), theAGIP refinery (nowadays a simple depot), and the once-thriving glass factory, which has become an unused industrial relic.
Gaeta does have a viable tourism industry as it is a popular seaside resort. Its warm, rain-free summers attract people to its numerous beaches along the coastline, such as Serapo and Sant'Agostino's beaches. Nearly equidistant toNaples andRome, Gaeta is a popular summer tourist destination for people from both cities' metropolitan areas.
Angevine-Aragonese CastleThebell tower of theCathedralDome ofSan Giovanni a Mare church
The natural seagrotto of La Grotta Del Turco (the Turk's grotto)
The main attractions of the city include:
The Angevine-Aragonese Castle. Its origins are uncertain: most likely it was built in the 6th century, in the course of theGothic War, or during the 7th century to defend the town from theLombards' advance. The first documents mentioning it date to the age of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, who strengthened it in 1233. The current structure is made of two different edifices: the "Angevine" one, in the lower sector, dating to the House of Anjou's rule in the Kingdom of Naples; and the "Aragonese", at the top, built by emperor Charles V, together with the other fortifications that made Gaeta one of the strongest fortresses in southern Italy. The Angevine wing housed a military jail until the 1980s (German war criminal officersWalter Reder andHerbert Kappler were imprisoned here). Now it is a property of Gaeta's municipality, which uses it for conferences and exhibitions. In the dome of the tallest tower is the Royal Chapel, built by KingFerdinand II of the Two Sicilies in 1849.
The Mausoleum ofLucius Munatius Plancus (22 BCE) is a cylindricaltravertine monument at the top of Monte Orlando (168 m (551 ft)). It stands at 13.20 m (43.3 ft) and has a diameter of 29.50 m (96.8 ft). Another importantRoman public man,Lucius Sempronius Atratinus,Mark Antony's fleet commander, has a mausoleum sited in the more recent district of Gaeta: of similar diameter; it is, however not as well preserved.
The Sanctuary ofSS. Trinità was mentioned as early as the 11th century and visited, among the others, bySt. Francis and SaintPhilip Neri. The Crucifix Chapel was built in 1434 over a rock which had fallen from the nearby cliffs. From the sanctuary, theGrotta del Turco can be visited: it is a grotto which ends directly in the sea and where the waves create atmospheric effects of light.
San Giovanni a Mare - The church was initially built outside the old sea walls by the hypate Giovanni IV in the 10th century. It combines thebasilica form with theByzantine one. The simple façade has a Gothic portal and a dome, while the interior has a nave with two aisles. The inner pavement is slightly inclined to allow waters to flow away in the case of maritime floods.
TheCathedral of Saints Erasmus and Marcian and St. Mary of the Assumption was erected over a more ancient church, Santa Maria del Parco, and consecrated byPope Paschal II in 1106: it had a nave with six aisles separated by columns with Gothic capitals. In 1778, however, two of the aisles were suppressed, and the Gothic lines were hidden. In the 13th century, Moorish arches were added over the capitals. In 1663 the crypt was decorated in Baroque style. The interior houses a banner from theBattle of Lepanto, donated byPope Pius V toDon John of Austria, who used it as his admiral's flag. The main sight of the church is, however, the marble Paschal candelabrum, standing 3.50 m (11.5 ft) tall, from the late 13th century: it is inRomanesque style, decorated with 48 reliefs in 4 vertical rows, telling theStories of the Life of Jesus. There are also paintings byGiacinto Brandi andGiovanni Filippo Criscuolo. The cathedral contains the relics ofSt. Erasmus, transferred fromFormia; the remarkable campanile, in Arab-Norman style, dates from the 12th century. At the base are slabs and parts of columns from ancient Roman edifices. The Cathedral has a greatbell tower, standing at 57 m (187 ft), which is considered the city's finest piece of art. The base has two marble lions, and the whole construction largely reused ancient Roman architectural elements. The upper part, octagonal in plan, with small Romanesque arches with majolica decoration, was completed in 1279.
TheChapel of the Crucifix is a curiosity: built on a huge mass of rock that hangs like a wedge between two adjoining walls of rock. Legend tells how the rock was thus split at Christ's death.
Temple of St. Francis - According to the legend, the church was constructed by the saint himself in 1222. In reality, Frederick II ordered the construction. The church features a fine Gothic-Italian style and hosts paintings and sculptures by many of the most famous Neapolitan artists.[citation needed]
Theparishchurch of Santa Lucia, the formerSt. Maria in Pensulis, was once a Royal chapel and here prayedMargaret of Durazzo and KingLadislaus. It originally had Romanesque andSicilian-Arab lines, but in 1456 it was rebuilt in Renaissance style and 1648 adapted to a Baroque one. The site has a Mediaevalpronaos with ancient fragments and figures of animals.
The Mediaeval Ward of Gaeta is itself of interest. It lies on the steep sides of Mount Orlando and has characteristic houses from the 11th-13th centuries.
Gaeta is also the centre of the Regional Park ofRiviera di Ulisse, which includes Mount Orlando,Gianola andScauri's Mounts, and the two promontories of Torre Capovento andTiberius' Villa inSperlonga.
View of Monte Orlando from a former anti-aircraft position on Serapo's seaside. TheMontagna Spaccata is the sharply vertical cliff on the right side of the promontory. The bastions ofCharles V can be seen just in the lower left corner of the convent in the woods.
In 1967, the homeport of the U.S. Sixth Fleet flagship relocated fromVillefranche-sur-Mer to Gaeta.[22] Support facilities were established in Mount Orlando. This was done following the transfer of the responsibilities of Lead Nation forNATO Naval Forces in the Mediterranean from theUnited Kingdom to theUnited States. TheBritish Mediterranean Fleet was abolished - its former base inMalta was no longer exclusively under British control due to that nation having achieved independence from the UK.
The town is host to the families of the crews who work on the ship. There was aDOD school forAmerican children and the US Naval Support Activity, Gaeta, which provided health care and other services until it was closed down in 2005. The NATO base itself was located on Monte Orlando, which overlooks the Gulf of Gaeta. It has recently been transferred to a shore-based facility where the Commander Sixth Fleet also operates.
Gaetani speak a dialect of Italian that, while similar to the nearbyNeapolitan, is one of the few Italian dialects to preserve Latin'sneuter gender.
Distinctive local cuisine includes thetiella, which resembles both apizza and a saltycrostata. Tiella can be made with several stuffings. Typical stuffings include dicedsquids,parsley andchilli pepper,octopuses and just enoughtomatoes. Other stuffings includeescaroles andbaccalà (dried and salted cods),courgettes/zucchini,spinaches,rapini andsausages, olives, onions, and sardines. The town is also known for its distinctive brand of olives, marketed throughout the world (the main production, however, takes place in neighbouringItri), and its beaches (Serapo, Fontania, Ariana, Sant'Agostino). Sciuscielle, mostaccioli, susamelli, and roccocò are also local desserts most often made during Christmas time. A Latin text found in Gaeta dating from 997 AD contains the earliest known usage of the word "pizza".[23]
The most famousfolklore event of Gaeta isGlie Sciusce of 31 December, in which bands of young Gaetani in traditional costumes head to the city's streets, playing mainly self-built instruments.
^Nicola Migliavacca, Il mausoleo di Lucio Atratino, in Gazzetta di Gaeta, vol. 3, 8 (38), Gaeta, La Poligrafica, agosto 1976, pp. 11-14
^Silvia Bullo, Provincia Africa: le città e il territorio dalla caduta di Cartagine a Nerone, Roma, L'Erma di Bretschneider, 2002, ISBN 978-88-8265-168-8.
^Martin, Tyrone G. (December 2001)."The Pope's First American Visit".www.usni.org.Archived from the original on April 15, 2025.The occasion was the first time a pope set foot on U.S. territory. (A commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy has the same legal status as a piece of U.S. soil, in the same way any of its embassies around the world does.)
^Brenckle, Matthew (September 23, 2015)."The Pope Deck".ussconstitutionmuseum.org.Archived from the original on March 12, 2025.While Pope Paul VI's whirlwind trip in 1965 was the first time a pontiff set foot in the United States proper, he was not the first to traipse on American territory. Thanks to a bit of legal contortionism that honor goes to Pope Pius IX in 1849! You see, a nation's warships are considered sovereign territory, and so to walk the decks of an American naval vessel is to tread on American "soil."
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