August in Sperlonga, Italy

Oh, Italy in the Summertime, specifically Italy in August! Living in Italy presents quite the paradox. The beaches are beautiful and buzzing with activity. The lounge chairs on the beach are all lined up in perfect little rows. Each beach front establishment has their own colors of sun umbrellas and matching lounge chairs. They are playing music and mixing up Spritz (the favorite Aperitivo or mixed drink of Italy). The Italians are out in full regalia, suntans glowing, and families playing and lounging in the sun together.

But there is a downside to all of this beach side togetherness. August is when the entire country shuts down and everyone flocks to the beaches. So parking is at a premium and restaurants must be booked in advance. Forget those early days of June when we parked on the street for free and strolled right onto the beach and had our choice of many places to sit, lounge and eat.

All of us locals (I just love calling myself that, does it count if I have lived here a year and remember the somber days of winter?) have friends visiting so we had to bare the crowds and pricey parking and ventured out for a beach day.

We decided on the Sperlonga area because we had long wanted to paddle boat out to the caves. We settled into some lounge chairs on the beach at Lido Il Pirata, this time we opted to pay the fee (usually $5 per chair and $5 per umbrella) to sit in the establishments lounges. Its such a civilized way to have a beach day! There is a free section where you can bring your own chairs and umbrellas if you would prefer.

After the hassle of parking in August we dropped our beach items off at our lounge chair area and freeing ourselves of our hot clothes we plunged ourselves into the refreshing waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. (Yes, this is actually part of the Mediterranean Sea but this part of the Med is named after the Tyrrhenian people that have been identified since the sixth century BC as Etruscan people)

After a deep soak we decided we should organize ourselves to rent the paddle boats that would carry us to the nearby caves for some exploring. We had made this journey before in hopes of exploring the caves but our hopes were dashed when the sea was too rough for the paddle boats. So we thought we should strike while the seas were calm.

So a group of eight of us rented two paddle boats and began our man-powered journey to the caves. Two sturdy people paddled while two of us lounged on the front of the boat taking in the deep blue sea sparkling in front of us. One friend brought music along and we happily zipped our way to the caves while singing ABBA songs, deeply absorbed in our own version of Mama Mia.

Soon we arrived at the caves and brought our boats in close for a view. The beautiful blue waters summoned us to jump right in so we obliged. Near the caves we could touch the ground so we felt confident of our safety. We found the entrance of the cave and swam right in. At first the cave was dark but soon our eyes adjusted and we could see a perfect spotlight of sun shining in from a hole in the cave. It lit the water up a turquoise blue as if we were swimming in a swimming pool. It was so similar to the famous “Blue Grotto” of Capri but without the tourism, high prices and limited exposure. Here we had the blue grotto to ourselves to swim at our leisure.

Up the beach towards the ancient city of Sperlonga you will find the”Grotta di Tiberio” or “Grotto of Tiberius”. Interestingly Tiberius was the Caesar of the Roman Empire during the childhood , ministry and death of Jesus Christ. Tiberius’ grotto was located near Tiberius summer Villa and was filled with statues depicting scenes from Homers Odyssey. The museum is here today still housing these statues.

As I float on my back and look into the blackness of the ceiling of the Grotto I think of the two thousand years that people have been coming to these caves and enjoying these waters.

Soon I was desiring the sun on my face again so I swim towards the mouth of the cave and the sunshine. I had to wedge myself around some rocks in order to swim back to the boat. It must have been at this point that I must have pressed myself up against a tiny community of jellyfish larvae. Apparently these little embryos of jellyfish are intact with tiny stinging cells or nematocycsts that can wallop a punch! I would not realize it until later when I was home and took a shower that their tiny toxins would be released and I would have a raging itchy rash that would last for days and be a constant reminder of the beautiful day I had in Sperlonga! Not exactly the momento you want to bring home but travel does have its dark side that does not show in the happy smiling pictures of Instagram!

But I would not know about this little inconvenience until the next day. For now I am happily swimming in the beautiful waters and bathing with Caesars.

We lolled away the rest of the afternoon with a rousing game of volleyball in the water and bobbing and talking with friends. As the sun starts to set we make our way to the outdoor showers and pay our euro to rinse the saltwater off our hair, bathing-suits and skin. After refreshing ourselves we are ready to explore Sperlonga.

Sperlonga is a white-washed Medieval city with narrow winding streets reminiscent of the Greek Islands. Speckled with blue doors that mimic the sea, bright pink bougainvillas climb and cling to the white walls creating a beautiful Mediterranean affect. Every restaurant has its own theme and effortless charm. Its little streets offer charming glimpses of the deep blue ocean peaking out from behind flower covered arbors.

Sperlonga has stood the test of time. This storybook city may look delicate and frail but it has withstood attacks and sieges from Moorish Pirates and has lived to tell the tale.

As I stand looking out at the beach spread in front of me, as it stretches toward the Grotto of Tiberius and beyond, I think of how beautiful it is. I find it more beautiful than Positano or Sorrento or Amalfi or the Cinque Terra, yet it is still “undiscovered” Italy. Still untouched by the American tourist. Yes, the Italians certainly know it is here and are quite content to keep it just the way it is: a playground for the savvy and local Italian.