Sermoneta

Sermonetta is a little Medieval town, with a population of 6,000, and dominated by the atmosphere of the past. To visit this city is ike going back in time a thousand years. by a remarkably well preserved 13th century castle which first belonged to the Caetani family, and then taken over by the
Borgia family in the early 16th century.

Other than the castle, the « Giardini di Ninfa », a magnificent garden with plants and trees of all sorts, where a stream runs down into a lake. Ninfa was a Medieval city that was abandoned in the 12th century. The ruins of it are still visible in these gardens.

Time seems to have come to a stop in Sermoneta. To this day the city is surrounded by defence walls inside of which one can discover old stone houses, bastions, gates and churches, including the cathedral dedicated to the Vergin Mary which contains a worthy collection of works of art.
A few kilometers out of town you will find the Valvisciolo abbey where you can see a number of painting from various periods.

The month of May in Sermonetta is called the « Maggio Sermonetano ». It is when shows take place in the street every night; in June and July the Caetani Castle becomes the concert theatre of the International Classical and Chamber Music Festival. The year ends with the San Michele Fest and the Festa della Madonna della Vittoria, during which are reenacted the history of the battle of Lepanto in 1571, and espacially the fiest that went on after its victory.