What to see in Fondi, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Prince's Palace, the Cathedral of San Pietro, the Church of Santa Maria, San Francesco and the Baronial Castle.
Tourist information
Located along the Via Appia, in the flat stretch between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Aurunci Mountains, near the lake of the same name, Fondi is a city of very ancient origin, as evidenced by the cyclopean walls.
Important Roman center, it belonged to the possessions of the Church, in the ninth century it was destroyed by the Saracens and sold to the Duchy of Gaeta.
After returning to the Church in the thirteenth century, it was given as a fief to the Caetani.
The Palazzo del Principe, dating back to 1319, has towers and crenellated walls, with a tower that rises detached from the main body.
The Cathedral of San Pietro, erected on the site where the Roman Temple of Jupiter was located, was rebuilt in the twelfth century.
It has a facade characterized by an architrave decorated with bas-relief, while in the interior with three naves, remarkable works of art are preserved, including a cosmatesque organ, having a rich mosaic decoration of 1286, in addition to the sepulcher of Cristoforo Caetani .
What see
In the Latin cross interior of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, which was erected in the Gothic-Renaissance style between the end of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the sixteenth, there are interesting artistic testimonies.
In the San Francesco complex, the church shows Gothic architectural phases, while works of Roman origin are preserved in the cloister.
Among the excursions to do in the surrounding area, the one in Litri is recommended, a picturesque town located 14 km away at the foot of the Aurungi mountains along the Via Appia and divided into two parts by the Pontone stream.
The famous brigand-patriot Fra Diavolo was born in this place, who started a fight against the French between the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth.
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Remarkable is the Baronial Castle from the Middle Ages, of which only the male remains and the walls, built in turrite, while the Church of Sant’Angelo is from the 11th century.
At 26 km there is the Sanctuary of Madonna della Civita, located on Monte Fusco, where there is an effigy of the Virgin to whom miracles are attributed.
Born as a chapel, it was transformed into a church in 1300 and 1800 into a sanctuary.
