Fondi, an absolute jewel

Fondi is a large town of 36,000 inhabitants in the province of Latina. Lying to the south of the Pontine plain, it is surrounded by the Ausoni and Aurunci mountains, in an excellent central position between Naples and Rome. The nearby lake of Fondi has 500 plant species and through the Sant'Anastasia channel it reaches the sea, in a 13 km long sandy coast among the most beautiful in Italy. Of very ancient pre-Roman origins, it became a Roman city after the dominations of the Aurunci and Volsci. It therefore maintains the Roman urban plan even if the monumental imprint is linked to the Caetani family who dominated it from 1299 to 1494. It is crossed by the ancient Via Appia which in some sections maintains the original base. Among his most illustrious sons we remember the Roman Emperor Tiberius and Pope San Sotero. Saint Thomas Aquinas lived there for a long time. Fundamentally agricultural-commercial center, it boasts a first-rate artistic and historical heritage. We remember the Caetani Castle, symbol of the city, dating back to 1319, a defensive fortress with a mighty tower, now home to the civic museum. Remarkable Palazzo Caetani, in Renaissance-Mediterranean style. To visit the churches of San Pietro, Gothic-Renaissance style and the fifteenth-century Santa Maria Assunta, Renaissance with interesting portal and bell tower. Last mention of the church of San Francesco, 14th century, Gothic with Romanesque influences, 2 naves and splendid polychrome stained glass windows.