Well known since ancient times, harbour Anzio is a pleasant town, with a fishing port and a seaside resort with a long sandy beach.
Located 60 km South of Rome on the coast of Lazio, Anzio is easy to reach by train or by car.
HOW TO GET THERE
Anzio is easy to get by public transport.
By train: Trains from Rome (Stazione Termini) run directly to the town on the line Roma-Nettuno every hour (every two hours on Sundays) and the journey takes one hour. (Euro 3,60)
By car: Anzio can be reached from Gran Raccordo Anulare (GRA) the motorway around Rome exit number 26 , Via Pontina (SR148) km 31,6 and Via Nettunense (SP 601) 21 km.
By plane: International Airport Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Rome is only 50 km far from Anzio. From the airport, take the train to Roma Termini (Leonardo Express, 30 minutes) and then get the train to Anzio, on the line Roma-Nettuno. (Euro 17,00).
HISTORY
According to some legends, the city has very ancient origins, being founded by Anteias, son of the Greek hero Odysseus and the enchantress Circe. In ancient times, Antium was the capital of the Volsci, an italic tribe, prominent in the 5th century and rival of Rome. The Romans eventually conquered the strategic harbour, and many wealthy Romans as Cicero and Gaius Maecenas built their magnificent seaside villas there. The most famous among them is the imperial villa which extended along the seafront of the Capo d’Anzio, on the West coast. Both Emperor Caligula and Nero were born in Antium. Nero himself built a new, magnificent villa and a port. By the Middle Ages, the increasing frequency of Saracens raids caused the site to be deserted. Most of the remaining population settled in the nearby town of Nettuno. In the 17th century pope Innocent XII ordered the construction of a new port facility completed in 1700 and the Roman aristocracy rediscovered the area. During World War, II the Allied forces mounted an amphibious landing at Anzio and Nettuno (Operation Shingle, January 22, 1944) leading to several months of rather bloody battle until they finally broke through and marched on Rome, liberating it on 4 June, 1944.
WHAT TO SEE
Anzio offers a wide range of outdoors activities and also comprises museums and Roman ruins. Many remains of its rather intense history are still visible. Tourist can simply enjoy the beaches and the sun or visit ruins, museums and historical sites.
Villa of Nero a very famous archaeological complex, facing the sea. It was made of pavillons, thermal baths, gardens, fountains, terraces. Many important art works were found in this site, including the well-known Fanciulla d’Anzio (Maiden of Antiu) and the Gladiatore Borghese (Borghese Gladiator) At the foot of the promontory the Grotte di Nerone (Nero’s Caves) stand out in front of the ancient Roman port, which today is almost entirely submerged.
Anzio Archaeological Museum The Museum illustrates the birth and the development of the Ancient Antium history, including the villas, the port and the marina. It gives also many information about the archaeological heritage scattered in the main Italian and European museums.
Beachhead Museum A small museum with relics (weapon, documents, battle plan) of the Allied landing during World War II.
Villa Borghese, a natural reserve founded in 1674, owned by the Borghese’s family with a little caste surrounded by a beautiful park with palm trees and a pinewood.
Torre Astura at the southeast extremity of the Bay of Antium, is a medieval costal tower of the Frangipani family. It is conspicuous both from Antium and the Circeian headland and breaks the low sandy coast between them.
Tor Caldara Natural Reserve: on the west coast it is an outstanding natural and hydro-geological area, rich in Mediterranean vegetation, wild fauna and bird. The tower which gives its name to the reserve is still standing and was used to control the Lazio coast from pirate raids.
Anzio War Cemetery It’s a special cemetery which contains 1056 graves resulting from Operation Shingle in 1944. As poet Michael Elliot-Binns wrote soldiers “seem to be buried on the doorstep of their home” .
Sicily – Rome American Cemetery and Memorials located in Nettuno, a few miles from Anzio, this cemetery in an immense field of 7861 headstones of the American military war dead, flanked by Roman pines and Italian cypress trees.