The Museo delle Mura of Sermoneta is an open-air museum where history, architecture, and landscape intertwine. It unfolds along the ancient city walls, passing bastions, towers, and walkways that once guarded the town. The most imposing structure is the Bastione della Torrenuova (Torrenuova Bastion) (15th–16th centuries): a “swallow-tailed” fortification designed by the military engineer Jacopo Castriotto to render the town impregnable. Nearby, the Parco della Mandolina – Parco d’Europa (Mandolina Park – Park of Europe) offers a scenic path among centuries-old olive trees and majestic fortifications. Built by Giacomo I Caetani, the Bastione di San Sebastiano (San Sebastiano Bastion) completes the defensive system with its gateway and the remains of the drawbridge. The panoramic route, equipped with information panels and seating areas, offers breathtaking views over the Pontine Plain, the Lepini Mountains, the Circeo, and the Pontine Islands — a true open-air museum where history meets nature. The first fortifications of the town date back to the second half of the 13th century, under the Annibaldi lordship. They were built to protect the numerous houses that had grown around the castle, forming a vital part of the fief. The Caetani, who arrived at the end of the 13th century, made no substantial changes to the existing walls. It was only in the mid-15th century that new defensive works were built to encircle the entire town, responding to gradual population growth and the expansion of the inhabited area beyond the original circuit. Further fortifications were carried out during the Borgia lordship, between 1499 and 1503, when the new feudal rulers renovated both the castle and the town’s walls in response to the advent of firearms. The last significant fortification works were carried out in the mid-16th century.
Menu
