Sermoneta: village, Castle and Ninfa Gardens

Sermoneta still preserves its medieval appearance, characterized by the typical “tower houses” within the village, the Church of Santa Maria Assunta and San Pietro in Corte, the defensive walls built to protect against barbarian invasions in the early medieval period, and the Caetani Castle, erected in the 13th century by the noble family that ruled the fiefdom until modern times. Today, the castle belongs to the Roffredo Caetani Foundation and hosts cultural meetings and residencies for artists and scholars, as well as events such as the Pontino International Festival of classical and chamber music.
The castle stables were part of the set for some scenes of the film “Nothing Left to Do But Cry” featuring Massimo Troisi and Roberto Benigni.
The Foundation was created by Lelia Caetani, the last descendant of the family, who passed away in 1977.
The artistic sensitivity of the Caetani family also extended to the surroundings of Sermoneta.
The Castle of the ancient city of Ninfa, owned by the family since the 1200s, was restored in the 1920s and the garden was populated with examples of flora and fauna from all over the world (such as the Japanese maple, Canadian fir, bamboo) modeled after an English garden, where the ruins of the ancient city blend with vegetation and the evocative lake, granting the Ninfa gardens recognition as a Natural Monument of the Italian Republic. In the 20th century, Ninfa hosted personalities such as Gabriele D’Annunzio and Boris Pasternak.