20 Route 2.
FONDI.
From Rome
The *C'attedrale S. Pietro is believed to occupy the site of
the temple of Jupiter Anxurus. The vestibule rests on 10 ancient
columns, at the bases of which are recumbent lions. To the r. a
large antique sarcophagus. which, according to the inscription,
was once employed in torturing the persecuted early Christians.
The beautiful fluted columns of the canopy in the interior once
belonged to the ancient temple. The pulpit with its ancient mosaics
rests on columns in the early Christian style with lions at the
base. To the 1. in the W. corner of the church a stair-case
(94 steps) ascends the * Clock Tower, which commands an exten¬
sive prospect over the sea as far as the Ponza islands and Ischia.
to the r. to Monte Circello, to the 1. over the marshes.
Beyond the inn rises a picturesque mass of rock on the road¬
side, formerly inhabited by a hermit.
Above the town are the considerable remains of Pelasgic walls
and reservoirs. The * Palace of Theodoric , on the summit of the
rock. is especially worthy of a visit (ascent 3/4 hr.; not without
guide: boy 1 p.). The view embraces the sea, with the islands
of Ponza and Ischia, and the expansive plain as far as the Alban
mountains.
The Harbour of Terracina, of great importance during the
Roman period, still recognized by the break-water, is now almost
entirely imbedded in sand. The Palace of Pius VI. affords a
magnificent prospect.
From Terracina the course jof the Via Appia, bounded by
remnants of ancient tombs, is pursued, skirting the mountains,
which approach so closely to the sea that at the pass of Lautulae
the space left for the road is extremely limited. Here, B. C. 315.
the Romans fought a battle with the Samnites, and in the 2nd
Punic war Fabius Maximus here kept Hannibal in check. On a
hill about 1A> M. to the 1. is situated the monastery of Retiro,
on the site of the villa in which the emperor Galba was born.
Then to the r. the Lake of Fondi, the Lacus Fundanus or Amy-
clanus of the ancients, so called from the town of Amyclae which
is said to have been founded here by fugitive Laconians.
The papal frontier is at Torre dell' Epitafia. The tower
de' Confmi or La Portella, a gateway at which officials of the
Italian douane are posted, is reached i1..^ M. from Terracina.
On a height to the 1. the village of Monticelli; by the road-side
fragments of tombs. The traveller now enters the Terra di Lavoro
(p. 10). one of the most beautiful and fertile districts in the
kingdom. The next place is (14 M. from Terracina) Fondi
(5000 inhab.), the ancient Fundi, where Horace derides the pride
of a civic official '-with broad purple border and coal-shovel'-'
Permalink: http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/j5t7b
