The Circeo National Park - between nature and legends

In the heart of the Lazio coastline, nestled between the blue of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the reclaimed plains of the Agro Pontino, stands one of the most surprising places of our natural heritage: the Circeo National Park. With its 8,917 hectares of extension, this park contains such a variety of environments that it is difficult to believe they are all contained in a single territory. Not just any place, but a precious treasure chest where biodiversity resists, adapts, and silently tells the millennial story of the relationship between man and nature.

A mosaic of ecosystems Established in 1934, the Circeo Park is one of the few Italian parks created not to protect a single species, but to preserve a complex set of natural environments: from the coastal plain forest (foresta planiziale) to the coastal dune, from the wetlands to the brackish lakes, from the limestone promontory to the Island of Zannone, in the heart of the Pontine archipelago. Each habitat is an irreplaceable piece of the delicate ecological balance. Its establishment, accompanied by a modern and pioneering vision for the 1930s, prevented the total deforestation of the ancient Selva di Terracina, one of the last lowland forests in Italy. The portion saved from cutting constituted the first configuration of the Park.

The coastal dune: a green desert overlooking the sea Walking along the 25 kilometers of coastline that stretch between the promontory and Capo Portiere, one encounters one of the most fragile and fascinating environments of the park: the coastal dune. Up to 27 meters high, modeled by the wind and saltiness, the dune is a harsh environment, which forces plants and animals to continuous adaptations. At its summit, the halophytic vegetation resists with tenacious roots, while the Mediterranean scrub thickens towards the interior. During spring, the dune explodes in a blaze of colors: pink blooms of Silene, bright yellows of legumes, inebriating scents that attract pollinators and nature lovers. But the beauty of this landscape is ephemeral and fragile. The invitation to those who visit is as simple as it is fundamental: only walk on the boardwalks, do not trample the vegetation, leave footprints only on the sand.

Coastal plain forest (Selva di Circe): the ancient heart of the Park The Selva di Circe extends for over 3,300 hectares and is considered one of the last and best-preserved lowland forests in Italy. A shady, cool, and fragrant world, where natural pools, marshy areas, and mysterious paths meet. Here deciduous oaks dominate: Turkey oak, Pedunculate oak, and Italian oak. In the undergrowth, among ferns, butcher's broom, and cyclamen, live wild boars, fallow deer, foxes, porcupines, and small rodents. The forest is also a precious reserve for birds: woodpeckers, owls, falcons, tits, and wrens nest there undisturbed. Since 1977, the Selva di Circe has been recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, as part of the MAB (Man and the Biosphere) program, demonstrating its ecological and cultural value.

The Circeo Promontory Looking up, one cannot help but notice the unmistakable profile of the Circeo Promontory. 541 meters high, this limestone relief is an imposing presence in the Pontine landscape, it is an open-air laboratory: the "Quarto Freddo" – the inner side – which is more humid and shaded, hosts forests of holm oak, cork oak, and hornbeam; the opposite side – the "Quarto Caldo" – exposed to the sun and salty winds, is instead dominated by low scrub, heather, rockrose, and halophyte species. The numerous sea caves, such as the famous Grotta Guattari, hold important prehistoric evidence, including a Neanderthal man's skull found in 1939.

Credit - Circeo National Park

Wetlands: the kingdom of migratory birds Next to the dune runs a lagoon area composed of four coastal lakes: Paola, Monaci, Caprolace, and Fogliano. Together they form one of the most important wetlands in Italy, recognized by the Ramsar Convention as an "area of international interest". In spring and autumn, more than 260 species of aquatic birds gather here: ducks, coots, cormorants, herons, and black-winged stilts. A paradise for birdwatchers and nature photographers, who manage to capture rare spectacles with binoculars and silence.

The Island of Zannone The last piece of this naturalistic mosaic is the Island of Zannone, the northernmost of the Pontine Islands. The only one of the group to be part of the Circeo National Park, Zannone is a wild and uncontaminated place, covered with Mediterranean scrub and dominated by a holm oak forest. Its geological peculiarity – composed of volcanic, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks – makes it a true open-air geological laboratory. No humans live on the island, but rather peregrine falcons, mouflons introduced at the beginning of the 20th century, and seabirds like shearwaters and yellow-legged gulls. The seabed, rich in gorgonians and submerged habitats, also represents a precious ecosystem for biodiversity.

Credit - Circeo National Park

The legend of Monte Circeo Monte Circeo is the beating heart of the National Park of the same name, but also the legendary setting for one of the most fascinating tales of Greek mythology. Because Circeo is not only a naturalistic marvel: it is the face sculpted in stone of Circe the Sorceress, the enchantress who made Ulysses fall in love. The very name "Circeo" echoes the memory of Circe, daughter of the sun god and the Oceanid Perseis, a powerful sorceress capable of charming, transforming, and dominating. In the Odyssey, Homer recounts that Ulysses and his companions, having landed on the island of Aeaea during their very long return to Ithaca, were hosted by a mysterious woman who transformed part of the crew into pigs. Only the cunning of the Greek hero, protected by a magical herb given by Hermes, managed to break the spell and win Circe's heart, remaining with her for a whole year. But where was this island called Aeaea really? For centuries, geographers, historians, and poets have tried to locate it. Today, many agree: Aeaea was not an island in the strict sense, but Monte Circeo, which once overlooked the sea from all sides before the reclamation of the Agro Pontino. Its unmistakable shape – seen from San Felice Circeo – suggests the profile of a reclining woman, her face turned to the sky, her hair loose on the sea: she is Circe the Sorceress, who still seems to watch over her ancient domains today. The myth of the sorceress Circe did not remain confined to the pages of the Odyssey. On the contrary, it continues to inspire art, literature, music, and cinema. But above all, it lives in the very landscape of Circeo, in the silhouette that stands out at sunset, in the stories whispered by fishermen and the elderly of the village.

A heritage to protect, experience, and respect The Circeo National Park is much more than a tourist destination. It is a common good, a bulwark against the homogenization of the landscape, a refuge for rare species, and an open-air school for anyone who wants to learn to look at nature with new eyes. Amidst environmental crises, climate change, and land consumption, Circeo reminds us how fragile beauty is. Preserving it is a duty, experiencing it with respect is a privilege.