In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
About 230 km from the papal cities of the Ciociaria via the abbeys of Casamari and Fossanova and the enchanted garden of Ninfa to Monte Circeo, Terracina, Sperlonga and Gaeta – mountains, the Pontine Plain and the Tyrrhenian Sea in one route.
The spirit of the route
Between Rome and Naples lies a landscape that is often only seen in passing: the Ciociaria with its mountain villages, the Pontine Plain with its dead-straight canals and the coastal strip with Monte Circeo, which rises from the plain like an island. The route begins in Anagni, the city of the popes, and leads to the Cistercian abbeys of Casamari and Fossanova and to the ruins of the town of Ninfa, where roses and ivy now grow. Then it heads for the coast: Sabaudia with its dunes, the Circeo National Park, Terracina beneath the Temple of Jupiter Anxur, and Sperlonga with its white alleys and the grotto where an emperor dined. From the sliding door you see the mountains in the morning and the sea in the evening; between the two lies a landscape that takes its time.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Anagni to Alatri (approx. 25 km)
- The drive
- From Anagni on country roads through the hills of the Ciociaria to Alatri; a winding country road with climbs into the old towns, easy to drive. About 40 minutes.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Anagni: the cathedral with the crypt, called the “Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages” because of its frescoes.
- Alatri: acropolis with Cyclopean walls of polygonal stone blocks.
- Collepardo and the Certosa di Trisulti in the Monti Ernici, a detour into the mountains.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: For Alatri and the Monti Ernici map portals list a few sites in the mountains; check facilities, status and suitability for motorhomes beforehand. In the towns themselves there are hardly any pitches; in Anagni and Alatri many campers use car parks on the edge of town.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the towns of the Ciociaria wild camping outside designated sites is not permitted; in the Monti Ernici the rules of the protected areas apply.
- Insider tip for campers
- The old towns of Anagni and Alatri sit high on the hill with narrow alleys; park below and walk. The road to Collepardo is narrow and winding – larger motorhomes are better off skipping it and making the trip by car or taxi.
2Stage 2: Alatri to Veroli (Abbazia di Casamari) (approx. 20 km)
- The drive
- On country roads to Veroli and the Abbazia di Casamari. A quiet drive, easy to manage. About 30 minutes.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Abbazia di Casamari: Cistercian abbey in early Gothic style, with a cloister and monastery shop.
- Veroli: medieval hill town with churches and views of the valleys.
- Isola del Liri: a town with a waterfall in the middle of the centre, not far from Casamari.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Near Casamari and Veroli there are aree di sosta and agriturismi with pitches; check details beforehand. The abbey car park is for visitors; please ask about overnighting.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Wild camping around the abbey and in Veroli is not permitted; quiet side roads are no substitute for pitches.
- Insider tip for campers
- The abbey opens at fixed times and the monastic community asks for appropriate clothing; check the current opening times beforehand. The monastery shop sells the monks’ herbal liqueur and honey.
3Stage 3: Veroli to Fossanova (Priverno) (approx. 35 km)
- The drive
- On country roads through hills and valleys of the Monti Lepini to Priverno and the Abbazia di Fossanova. Partly narrow and winding, easy to drive. About 50 minutes.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Abbazia di Fossanova: one of the first Gothic churches in Italy, where Thomas Aquinas died in 1274.
- Priverno: cathedral and town walls, a small old town in the Amaseno valley.
- Sezze: a hilltop town with views over the Pontine Plain.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In the area around Fossanova (Sezze, Roccagorga) agricampings are listed according to map portals; clarify beforehand whether motorhomes are accepted and which season applies.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): At the abbey car park and in Priverno overnighting is not permitted; away from the villages the access roads are narrow and seldom suitable for motorhomes.
- Insider tip for campers
- The abbey lies about 5 km south of the centre of Priverno; there are only a few pitches. Combine the visit with the drive to Ninfa.
4Stage 4: Fossanova to Sermoneta (Giardino di Ninfa) (approx. 30 km)
- The drive
- Via Sezze and Cisterna di Latina on well-built provincial roads to Norma, Sermoneta and the garden of Ninfa. Winding in the Monti Lepini, about 45 minutes.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Giardino di Ninfa: the ruins of a medieval town, now a garden with roses and watercourses, run by the Fondazione Roffredo Caetani. The garden is open only on selected days, mostly weekends and public holidays, and only with advance booking.
- Sermoneta: Castello Caetani, a fortress with views as far as the sea.
- Norma: a viewing terrace on the Lepini Mountains.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Sermoneta a camper area on the edge of town is listed according to map portals; clarify status, servicing and fee beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Wild camping near Ninfa and Sermoneta is not permitted; the place is organised for tourism. Around the garden the parking and access rules are strict.
- Insider tip for campers
- Ninfa opens only on selected days, mostly weekends and public holidays from spring to autumn (in 2026 among others from 3 October on Saturdays and Sundays, and on 1 November and 8 December); check dates and booking on the Fondazione Caetani website. The atmosphere is best in spring with the roses and in autumn with the foliage.
5Stage 5: Sermoneta to San Felice Circeo (approx. 50 km)
- The drive
- Via Latina and the Via Pontina south, then via Sabaudia on the Litoranea to Monte Circeo. Flat and straight, a lot of traffic on the Pontina; quieter from Sabaudia. About 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Parco Nazionale del Circeo: dunes, coastal forest and the lakes of Sabaudia (Lago di Paola).
- Sabaudia: a planned town of rationalist architecture, founded in 1934.
- Monte Circeo with the promontory and the Grotta Guattari, where a Neanderthal skull was found in 1939.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Around Sabaudia and San Felice Circeo there are many campsites, according to map portals among others near Sabaudia and on the coast towards Monte Circeo. Electricity, sanitary facilities and servicing are usually available, the season runs from spring to autumn; check status and suitability for motorhomes beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Circeo National Park and on the coast wild camping is prohibited; the municipalities and the park authority monitor beaches and car parks. If you look outside the season, you will hardly be tolerated.
- Insider tip for campers
- Set aside a day for Monte Circeo – a hike on the park trail or by bike from the campsite. The SS148 Pontina national road is heavily used, so watch for weekend traffic towards Rome.
6Stage 6: San Felice Circeo to Terracina (approx. 35 km)
- The drive
- On the coast road towards Terracina, past the foot of Monte Circeo and through the Pontine Plain, finally on the Via Appia to Terracina. Flat, well built, about 45 minutes.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Terracina: the Temple of Jupiter Anxur on the heights with a view over the coast, plus the old town with the cathedral square and the Roman forum.
- The view from the old town back to Monte Circeo, and in clear weather as far as the Pontine Islands.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Near Terracina there are several campsites by the sea (according to map portals). Check servicing, season and fees beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): On the temple grounds and at the beach of Terracina overnighting is not permitted; the municipality monitors coastal car parks in season.
- Insider tip for campers
- The drive to the Tempio di Giove Anxur: a narrow road, only for small motorhomes; often the climb on foot is better. Terracina has a ZTL in the old town.
7Stage 7: Terracina to Sperlonga (approx. 15 km)
- The drive
- Along the coast on the Via Flacca (SR 213); bends, rock walls and the tunnels and galleries by the sea. About 30 minutes, slow in high season.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Grotta di Tiberio: the villa and grotto of Emperor Tiberius by the sea, with the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Sperlonga.
- Sperlonga: old town on a rock spur above the beaches, white alleys and steps.
- Sperlonga beach: a long sandy bay, lined with rocks along the Via Flacca.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Around Sperlonga there are several campsites and pitches according to map portals; check facilities, status and season beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In Sperlonga overnighting outside the sites is not possible; parking is scarce, and in high season motorhomes are often turned away at the entrance to the town.
- Insider tip for campers
- The old town is a ZTL, and the Via Flacca is heavily used in season; set off early. The Grotta di Tiberio lies just beyond the town on the Via Flacca towards Gaeta.
8Stage 8: Sperlonga to Gaeta (approx. 20 km)
- The drive
- On along the Via Flacca (SR 213) beside the coast to Gaeta; a coast road with tunnels and lovely views over the gulf. About 35 minutes.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Gaeta: the old town Gaeta Medievale with the cathedral and Torre Campanaria, the harbour and the fortress.
- Montagna Spaccata and Santuario della Santissima Trinità: a rock cleft with a chapel, a place of pilgrimage above the sea.
- Spiaggia di Serapo: Gaeta’s long sandy bay.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Near Gaeta several aree di sosta and one campsite are listed according to map portals; check status and details beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In Gaeta wild camping is not permitted; car parks at the beach have restrictions, and the municipality and harbour authority monitor them.
- Insider tip for campers
- Gaeta’s old town has very narrow alleys and ZTL zones; park outside. Ferries and hydrofoils to the Pontine Islands (Ponza) leave from the coast at Formia and Terracina, among others – vehicles mostly stay on the mainland; check harbours and connections beforehand.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- Italian law (Codice della Strada, Art. 185) distinguishes parking (“sosta”) from camping (“campeggio”): a motorhome may stand and stay overnight wherever parking is allowed, as long as only its wheels touch the ground. Chairs, tables, awnings, levelling legs, wedges and draining grey water are not allowed, and many municipalities also ban overnight stays by local ordinance.
- In Lazio and around the Circeo National Park municipal ordinances and park rules apply; beaches, dunes and coastal car parks are strictly monitored in season, and fines in the three-figure range and towing are possible.
- In the Parco Nazionale del Circeo and in the nature reserves of the Ciociaria the park authorities’ own rules apply; do not camp outside designated sites.
- Useful apps: park4night, CamperOnline (Italian, with up-to-date user reports) and Campercontact; check the current status in advance.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Servicing is called “camper service” or “carico e scarico”. You will find stations at campsites, at many aree di sosta and at some agriturismi; the apps show current user reports, because broken or locked stations are common.
- Empty grey water and the toilet cassette only at a station; illegal dumping is a main reason why municipalities introduce new motorhome bans.
- Tap water is usually drinkable, look for “acqua potabile”. Public fountains (“fontanella”) are often good places to fill up in Italy, but in dry summers there can be restrictions.
- Gas: German exchange cylinders cannot be swapped in Italy. Refillable cylinders and gas tanks are filled at GPL filling stations with the Italian adapter (Dish); often only the staff do the filling, and in rural regions GPL stations are few and far between. Arrive with full cylinders.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Speed limits: motorhomes up to 3.5 t 90 km/h outside built-up areas, 110 km/h on expressways, 130 km/h on motorways; over 3.5 t 80 km/h outside built-up areas and 100 km/h on motorways. Caravan combinations: 70 km/h outside built-up areas, 80 km/h on motorways. Dipped headlights are required outside built-up areas, even in daytime.
- ZTLs with camera monitoring exist in many old towns of the region, for example in Terracina and Gaeta; entry without a permit is prohibited, fines arrive by post.
- Tolls: the A1 (junction near Anagni) is tolled; the Via Pontina, the SS7 Appia and the Via Flacca are toll-free.
- If a load projects beyond the rear, for example bikes on a rear carrier, the red-and-white warning panel (50 × 50 cm) is compulsory. Alcohol limit 0.5, for new drivers and professional drivers 0.0; mobile phone at the wheel only with a hands-free kit. From 15 November to 15 April winter equipment (snow chains or winter tyres) may be required on many routes – follow the signs.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Walking boots for Monte Circeo and the trails in the national park.
- Bikes for the cycle paths in the Circeo park and on the Pontine Plain.
- Mosquito repellent for the coastal plain and the canals.
- Level 2 wheel ramps for the sloping pitches in the mountains.
- A booked ticket for the Giardino di Ninfa – visits are possible only with advance booking.
- Red-and-white warning panel for a rear carrier or bike carrier.
As of 2026-09. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
