The coastal area called Lido di Enea in which Lavinio is situated is a popular holiday resort frequented mostly by the inhabitants of the capital and its surroundings. Its geographical proximity makes it a very convenient place to get to. Here you can find many tourist-recreational and protected areas of great value.
In the imperial era Lavinio ( Latin name Lavinium) was already a seaside resort popular with families of nobles and patricians. Archaeological excavations have brought to light many ancient villas inhabited permanently for the summer .
With the fall of the Roman Empire and the arrival of the dark centuries of the Middle Ages , the town experienced a period of great decline due to the lack of connecting roads to other towns. Compounding the crisis due to this geographical isolation were also the invasions of the Saracens, who lashed the Italian coast with their periodic raids. With the passing of centuries Lavinio remained a location of little importance, up to a turning point that took place in the early twentieth century. It was the fascist regime to break down the geographical isolation of Lavinio, thanks to the construction of a coastal road as a link between Ostia and Anzio. With the end of World War II, the whole area was finally cleaned up and it was decided that the site would return a seaside resort. The construction of a new railway station allowed the resort to be easily accessible from the capital .
Currently the residents of Lavinio are about ten thousand , while in summer the attendance is more than 40,000 . The coastal area is affected by residential, inland widely practiced agriculture. This residential tourist resort is just fifty kilometers from Rome has sandy beaches, both free and with service on payment. In the area there are numerous tourist facilities such as hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, bars, shops, nightlife and the important Regional Tor Caldara Nature Reserve , Site of Community Interest (SCI) run by the WWF.
Established in 1988, the Regional Tor Caldara Nature Reserve is a protected area covering approximately 43 hectars located between Lavinio and Anzio. Small but great naturalistic and landscape value in which survives the original environment of this coastal area, now disappeared due to urbanization, characterized by sand dunes and lush Mediterranean vegetation.
Visiting the Nature Reserve you can enjoy the vegetation and its wild inhabitants with a rich bird life which counts among species also bee-eaters. The trails through the reserve are easily accessible to all and meander through the bush to reach areas of interest such as the tower erected as a protection against attacks by Saracen pirates ( the "Tower Caldane " ) and the fascinating fossil dunes near to the sea.
Of great environmental and landscape interest are open sulfur mines where for centuries there were intensive mining activities. The whole area is rich in sulphurous due to intense volcanic activity underground and there are numerous fumaroles from which the gas rich in sulfur comes out from the earth.
The Roman Villa Lavinia
It was the year 1999 when, in the vicinity of Tor Caldara , were discovered the remains of a Roman villa probably dating back to the second century AD The domus was built on the sea and in the interior there are still several mosaics and marble works, as well as some architectural elements that make hypothesize the presence of a small spa complex. Unfortunately, over the centuries, the domus was repeatedly sacked and marbles were used as building material for other architectural works. Moving from Lavinia to Anzio is possible to visit the Imperial Villa, also known as "Villa of Nero ", well preserved and of significant dimensions.
The nearest town, Anzio (49 000 inhabitants), is located on the Lazio coast in the province of Rome , less than sixty kilometers from the capital. The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and known in history for being the site of the landing of the Allies in 1944.
The archaeological remains found in the area of Anzio testify that this area was settled since ancient times of prehistory. The ancient Antium was long inhabited by the Volsci , an ancient Italic people , then passed under the dominion of Rome . Attracted by the natural beauty of the place, patricians and noble Romans built here beautiful villas on the sea. Here were also born emperors Nero and Caligula.
With the arrival of the Middle Ages , the town fell into a state of decline and only towards the end of the sixteenth century the then Pope Clement VIII , intervened in order to protect what was left of the village. However, it was only a century after that, thanks to the initiative of Pope Innocent XII, with rebuilding of the city port that a significant recovery of local economies was possible. The birth of modern city dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, precisely in 1856 when, separating from neighboring Nettuno, Anzio bacame a municipality. Until 1870, the city remained under the dominion of the Papal States, to be finally annexed to the Kingdom of Italy .
Following the annexation Anzio became a famous seaside resort frequented by middle-class and aristocratic families of the capital. At that time were built several buildings in Art Nouveau style and luxurious villas overlooking the sea. With the outbreak of World War II began the difficult years for the city, which later went down in history for being the site of the landing of the Allies began on January 22, 1944. Many were the damages of the town, not to mention the many civilian casualties. Landing ended on 31 January, but the capital was only released in June of the same year.
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