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Anzio, Nerone’s villa and contemporary history

Posted on 18 March 2010

Just a few Km south from Rome, on the Lazio coast there is the city of Anzio, famous for being the city where Nerone was born and right in here he built a majestic villa visitable today thanks to the archeological excavations that broguht it to light.
Tacito refers in his writings that Nerone was born in Anzio, on the Lazio coast south from Rome and that he built a harbour and a huge villa on the seaside. A fantasy legend says that Nerone, in his Anzio villa, witnessed the burning of Rome seeing the deep black smoke which was rasing from the capital. The fire that he made. Anzio is a place worth a visit being at just 40 Km from Rome and with many stories to tell. In this city, in Nerone’s villa, some famous statues were visible (now they are in important museums), we talk about “Fanciulla d’Anzio”, “Gladiatore Borghese” and “Apollo del Belvedere”. Since some years, thanks to accurate excavations, some important areas of this villas are back to light and are now visible. This villa is right on the seaside at a few steps from what originally was the center of the city with its harbour. This villa, during the course of history, passes to many Roman Emperors which were using it as a summer residence. It had many changes and modifications which let it very close to the harbour (nowadays you can see some artificial caves, called Nerone’s caves). Recently, during some excavations, the archaeologists found a marvellous painting “Il Ninfeo di Ercole” which has been restored and it’s now visible at the Museo di Villa Adele. A visit to Anzio can also be the occasion to know something more about contemporary history, because on January 1944 the Allies arrived here to liberate Rome. To this event a little but very rich museum has been created and it’s located in Villa Adele.