Holiday homes & rentals in Terracina

The Italian beach town of Terracina is halfway between Rome and Naples, and characterised by sun, sea and vespas. But there are also temples here that have weathered a thousand years, seafood restaurants spilling onto the beach heaving with fresh fare, and even a legendary witch.

What to eat on your Terracina holiday

Fresh seafood on the beach is a common source of enjoyment here, with numerous 'osterias' run by enthusiastic chefs lining the coast. Delicacies include risotto alla pescatora, calamari fritti and boar sausage, with deep fried doughnuts eaten late into the night. Food festivals are the ultimate time to come to Terracina, and every season offers something new: strawberries in the spring, muscat grapes in summer and chestnuts in the autumn.

Travelling around Terracina

Mount Circeo is named after the witch who seduced the Greek hero Odysseus on his voyage home to Ithaca. The story goes that Circe tricked the Greek sailors and turned them into animals, before being outsmarted by their wily leader. Vaguely resembling a woman's profile, the mountain certainly is spellbinding, with a perfect panorama that lights up at sunset. Back in Terracina town, you can time-travel; the beautiful ochre buildings of the centro storico (old town) give way to a ruinous Roman temple dating to the 6th century BCE.

Top sights in Terracina

Terracina Cathedral

Founded a thousand years ago, this incredible edifice is constructed on the podium of an ancient temple, likely dedicated to Emperor Augustus. This original base can still be seen, and includes 25 ancient steps and a round archway decorated with a mosaic in the Sicilian-Norman style.

Tempio di Giove Anxur

This hidden treasure of the ancient world is mentioned by Livy and Virgil and remains utterly spellbinding today. Overlooking the turquoise ocean is the cloister of an ancient temple. The lengthy avenue of stunning Roman columns rise out of the hill, supporting a higher platform on which the temple itself once stood. This gigantic ancient plinth is a stunning location from which to take in the view, and an atmospheric relic of ancient spiritual life in the second century BCE.

Monumento Naturale Campo Soriano

This remarkable rock formation looks a bit like the spires of a Romanesque church, but is in fact naturally occurring in the landscape of the stunning Campo Soriano Park. Towering monoliths of limestone are scientifically significant and are surrounded by a swathe of flora including laurel, ash, oak, hackberry and butcher's broom.

Museo Civico Pio Capponi

The civic museum of the ancient town of Pio Capponi couldn't be more picturesque, located in the first level of the stuccoed Frumentaria Tower, a 13th century building near the Forum. Founded in 1894, the museum houses artefacts from archaeological investigations in the area, in particular the Monte Saint Angelo Sanctuary, it is filled with antiquities of striking beauty.

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