The geographer Strabo traces the name Gaeta back to the Doric word Kaietas with the meaning of inlet.
The legend, on the other hand, links the toponym to the name “Caieta”, nurse of Aeneas, who died in the waters of the gulf as the poet Virgil narrates in the Aeneid. Multiple factors, including the beauty of the places, the presence of easy landings and the mild climate, led the wealthy patrician families of ancient Rome to prefer these places for their holidays. All along the coast, grandiose villas were built, embellished with gardens and swimming pools.
Our walk can only lead us to the Sanctuary of the Split Mountain, which is located in the area of the Monte Orlando Regional Park. The name is attributed to the great fault that characterizes it, also creating a spectacular panorama; wanting to link this place to a legend, we refer to the episode in which at the moment of the last exhalation of Christ a very strong earthquake was created in Jerusalem, which reached Gaeta, contributing to the creation of this magical place.
The visitor who walks the staircase can notice the perfect correspondence between the protrusions and the recesses of the two walls which thus form a perfect joint. The fame of the place is immense, international, there are countless tourists who visit it from day to day. The sacred building is placed in a truly unique context, surrounded by natural events mysteriously linked to mystical events.
Another wonderful corner next to the Church is the Grotta del Turco, a refuge for the Saracens who had the purpose of plundering the territory: for over 60 years, from 846 until the Battle of the Garigliano in 915, Gaeta was tormented by the raids of the Saracens. A staircase consisting of 270 steps leads to a large cavity located at sea level, dug by the incessant erosive action of the sea waves that undermine the basal walls. The long descent and the demanding ascent are offset by a grandiose spectacle that nature offers the visitor, with the waves of the sea breaking in all their energy inside the ravine, echoing under the vault.
