Rising abruptly from the flat coast south of Rome, a lone forested headland juts into the Tyrrhenian Sea — and it still bears the name of the enchantress who once ruled it. This is Monte Circeo, identified since antiquity as Aeaea, the island of Circe, where Odysseus’s men were turned into swine and their captain lingered for a year. Part of our In the Wake of the Odyssey series, here’s how to visit the Riviera of Ulysses.
The Myth: Circe the Enchantress
On the island of Aeaea, the goddess-witch Circe transforms Odysseus’s scouting party into pigs. Protected by a magic herb given to him by Hermes, Odysseus resists her spell, frees his men, and stays a full year as her lover before she sends him on to the Underworld. Ancient writers were confident about where this happened: according to Britannica, commentators identified Aeaea with the promontory of Monte Circeo on the coast of Lazio — a landmark that still carries Circe’s name and was very likely a near-island in the Bronze Age before the surrounding marshes silted up. The Roman poet Virgil, too, placed Circe here in the Aeneid.
From the summit of Monte Circeo, the whole Ulysses coast unfolds — the reason ancient sailors, seeing this dramatic isolated peak, were sure a goddess must live upon it.
What to See at Monte Circeo
- The peak and Circeo National Park — walking trails through Mediterranean forest to panoramic summit views.
- San Felice Circeo — a charming hilltop town with medieval towers and ancient “cyclopean” walls.
- The sea caves — including the Grotta della Maga Circe (Cave of the Sorceress Circe), best reached by boat.
- The Riviera di Ulisse — the “Riviera of Ulysses,” the beautiful coast stretching south toward Gaeta and Terracina.
Tours & How to Visit
Monte Circeo sits about 100 km south of Rome, an easy day trip or a stop en route to Naples. The most atmospheric way to experience Circe’s realm is from the water, exploring the caves and cliffs by boat.
Boat Tour to the Circeo Caves — Best Experience
A small-group boat trip beneath the cliffs of Monte Circeo to the sea caves — including the grotto named for Circe herself.
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Where to Stay
San Felice Circeo and neighbouring Sabaudia and Terracina make relaxed seaside bases within easy reach of Rome.
Browse hotels and places to stay nearby →
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Circe’s island in real life?
Ancient writers identified Circe’s island of Aeaea with Monte Circeo, a headland on the coast of Lazio about 100 km south of Rome that still bears her name.
How do you get to Monte Circeo from Rome?
It’s about a 90-minute to two-hour drive south of Rome, making it a comfortable day trip, especially combined with a boat tour of the sea caves.
Why is it called the Riviera of Ulysses?
This stretch of the Lazio coast is nicknamed the Riviera di Ulisse because of its many associations with Odysseus’s (Ulysses’s) wanderings, above all Circe’s Monte Circeo.
Details Most Visitors Never Learn
- The “island” reading is geographically fair. Monte Circeo rises to 541 m on a limestone ridge about 6 km long, joined to the mainland only by a low saddle of alluvial deposits — and, as Britannica puts it, “from the sea bears the appearance of an island.” Homer’s Aeaea, more or less.
- Virgil doubled down. In the Aeneid, Aeneas sails past Circe’s forested headland — cementing the Roman-era identification that Homer’s commentators had already made.
- Neanderthals were here first. A Neanderthal skull was found in the Grotta Guattari at the mountain’s base in 1939, and excavations between 2018 and 2023 recovered remains of at least nine more individuals.
- The famous “ritual cannibalism” story is dead. The 1939 skull was long presented as evidence of a Neanderthal skull-cult; current analysis attributes the bone accumulation mainly to a hyena den. A good example of how confidently archaeology can be wrong.
- The town stands on a genuine ancient acropolis. San Felice Circeo preserves mortarless polygonal “cyclopean” walls from ancient Circeii, forming a circuit roughly 200 × 100 m; Circeii became a Roman colony in 393 BC and later a fashionable imperial resort.
- The national park dates to 1934 and protects about 86 km² of coast, wetland and roughly 40 sea caves — among them the Grotta della Maga Circe.
Practical Details
- From Rome: about 100–105 km, roughly 1h20–1h45 by car via the SS148 Pontina. By public transport it’s awkward — a Cotral bus from Roma Laurentina takes around two hours; there’s no direct train.
- Boat tours of the sea caves run about two hours from San Felice Circeo or Terracina.
- Grotta Guattari is not a walk-in attraction — the archaeological area is protected, with restricted or guided access only. Check before you count on it.
- You can climb the peak: trails run up to the 541 m Picco di Circe from San Felice, steep in sections, with views to the Pontine Islands.
- Best season: May–June or September. This is an Italian seaside resort in August — go then and you’ll be sharing it with Rome.
