Sermoneta: borgo, castello e giardini di Ninfa

Sermoneta still retains its medieval appearance, given by the typical “tower houses” within the village, the Church of Santa Maria Assunta and San Pietro in Corte, the city 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. The castle today 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 “Non ci resta che piangere” with 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, already owned by the family since the 1200s, was restored in the twenties and the garden populated with species of flora and fauna from around the world (such as the Japanese maple, the Canadian fir, the bamboo) based on an English garden model, where the ruins of the ancient city integrate with the vegetation and the evocative lake, granting the gardens of Ninfa recognition as a Natural Monument of the Italian Republic. In the 20th century, figures such as Gabriele D’Annunzio and Boris Pasternak stayed in Ninfa.