Latina
The portion of Latina Municipality that was originally encompassed within the Park borders was larger than today's: in 1934, it included the so-called "Lido di Latina", i.e. the stretch of coast from Capo Portiere to Foce Verde. In the 1970s because of unauthorised building, this stretch was excluded from the Park perimeter, and compensated for by including the lakes Fogliano, Monaci and Caprolace.
Currently, the areas of Latina Municipality included in the Park are the dunes from Capo Portiere to Rio Martino, Lake Fogliano, and the extraordinary Borgo Fogliano.
Borgo di Fogliano
In the municipality of Latina, on the shores of the lake of the same name, Borgo di Fogliano is a significant place not only for its nature but also for its history and architecture.
The first human settlements in the area date back to prehistory. The Romans carried out reclamation works that made the area suitable for fishing and breeding, and testify to the place's wealth even in remote times.
After a period of abandonment, the Fogliano area thrived again under the Papal States. Sermoneta, Ninfa and the coastal lakes of Fogliano and Caprolace constituted a single, rich estate that Pope Boniface VIII (Benedetto Caetani, 1294) gave to the Caetani family.
The Caetani family added new buildings to the estate: a hunting lodge was built in 1742 to host the Duke of Albany and the Cardinal Duke of York, the grandsons of James II of England, during their hunting trips; the main villa and the so-called "English villa" were built in 1877.
Later renovations completely transformed the main villa and the hunting lodge, that today constitute a single structure incorporating the remains of the ancient church of St. Andrew, then replaced with a small Neo-Gothic church by the villa.
The area became part of Circeo National Park on 2 July 1975, and in 1978 the Park's wetlands were included in the list of "Wetlands of international importance" (Ramsar Convention, 1971).
Fogliano Lake
(photo by PN Circeo)
Colonial Villa of Fogliano (LT) built in English style
(photo by Marco Buonocore)
Fogliano Wildlife Recovery Center (LT)
(photo by Marco Buonocore)
