Experience the best of Sperlonga

The old town of Sperlonga climbs a rocky promontory above the Tyrrhenian Sea, a tangle of white stairways, arches and small squares that look down on two long beaches of fine sand. A sixteenth-century watchtower, Torre Truglia, stands at the edge of the town, one of several built along this coast as a defence against raiders from the sea.

A little way south-east, the ruins of the Roman emperor Tiberius's villa stand beside a large natural sea cave where he is said to have dined, and a museum beside the site shows the sculptures found in the cave in 1957, including scenes from the story of Odysseus. Gaeta, with its hillside castle, and Terracina, with its Roman temple, are each a short drive along the coast.

Seafood comes first in Sperlonga's kitchens, from grilled fish to spaghetti with clams, and the small dark olives of the Gaeta area turn up on many tables. The alleys fill with people on summer evenings, while out of season the town is quiet and slow. Swimming weather runs from late spring to early autumn.