Director responsible for Anne Bruno Latest UpdatesCountries Why Join?IL Magazine Free Daily E-Letter Video Our Experts Testimonials FAQsTopics Valerie Fortney-Schneider returned to her roots in the southern Italy region of Basilicata There is certainly no shortage of gorgeous coastline in Italy being a boot-shaped peninsula surrounded by sea While I certainly love a boat trip along the glittery Amalfi Coast my favorite beaches are in towns that aren’t very well known While the hoards are scrambling for an empty patch of sand or crawling over crammed-too-tight chairs in the popular spots My region of Basilicata has a small piece of Mediterranean shoreline The rollicking coast offers up coves and beaches along its 20 miles of waterfront and coves with park-like beach settings that provide services for a fun day on the sea It has also been awarded the Blue Flag cleanliness designation for 25 years running If I’m not renting a kayak to paddle to a hidden which are next door to each other with a footpath between them I love Il Mirto’s deeper water (reached by a ladder) and swimming to the little “island” rocks beyond and the garden layout with lots of space between the sunbeds under shady trees La Secca has a half-shell sandy beach for easier access and have a grassy park for picnics or sleeping on a blanket but it’s not unreasonable and if you’re in for the whole day I go to Marina di Maratea and the rock-lined cove of Santa Teresa Beach Learn more about Italy and other countries in our daily postcard e-letter Simply enter your email address below and we’ll send you a FREE report – Italy: Europe’s Most Seductive Country where small seaside towns are still relatively unknown to foreign tourists drawing mostly people from the nearby cities though a smattering of northern Italians and northern Europeans have found it Castellabate is actually a collection of four hamlets put together with the old town on the hill A hop further down is teensy Ogliastro Marina which is where we go for excellent seafood meals we generally throw ourselves in the water in Santa Maria I love that the sandy beaches are right in town and that I can swim in the shadow of a medieval waterfront castle There is a kilometer-long corso lined with shops and cafes and comes with the added bonus of southern hospitality If I want a day with services and an umbrella I head to San Marco and the lovely resort at the Approdo Resort where I can pay a fee for an umbrella by the pool or on the water Between Rome and Naples is a pretty old town hanging over the turquoise sea with about three miles of sandy beaches right at hand below the whole area falls under a regional park called the Riviera di Ulisse (Ulisse being Odysseus in Latin) so you know the water is clean and the area is protected to keep it that way With Roman ruins and a medieval atmosphere in town I like the beaches below the promontory next to the marina where I can swim below an ancient watch tower hemmed in by the rock walls of the hillside I like Lisa Beach with its umbrellas and chairs which also happens to be next door to my favorite restaurant in Circeo I head over to the opposite side of the promontory to Sabaudia where powdery sand beaches are backed by brush-studded dunes but the Cala San Giovanni north of Polignano a Mare is a beautiful spot It is one of those umbrella-laden beaches (possibly the only ordered rows of anything in Italy are at the beaches!) but it’s a relaxing spot with pine trees behind it and here a path leads to covered picnic tables The price is that you have to scramble over the reef to the water but this is a pretty part of Puglia’s shore Another spot I like is the Costa Merlata near Ostuni because that is what the coastline looks like There is an arch of little-known sandy beach at the section called Contrada Santa Lucia comfy beach establishment called Paragrafo 25 Much of Le Marche’s Riviera delle Palme is covered by huge expanses of sand and the rumble of the railway line behind the beach By now you’ve probably understood that interminable sand with nothing to look at isn’t my preferred kind of beach white cliffs covered in strikingly green trees and a pair of attractive towns to enjoy all add up to stunning Both Sirolo and Numana have beaches right below town a golden-sand bay flanked by jutting hills with both free beach and beach club options available But the ones backed by the white cliffs are my favorite The Spiaggia dei Frati is beautiful and a short walk from the municipal beach of Numana with its white rocks jutting out of the water that gives it the name (two sisters) and a white pebble beach smacked against the white escarpment It is reached by a shuttle boat or private water taxi from the marina in Numana Its beauty is unimpeded by any development or concessions Move to Italy and Enjoy La Dolce Vita (the Sweet Life) Best Places to Live in Italy From $1,700 Per Month Two Beautiful Small Towns to Live in Italy Wanted in RomeMagazine Archaeologists in Italy have discovered the fossilised remains of nine Neanderthals in a prehistoric cave south of Rome, the Italian culture ministry announced over the weekend. It is believed that the Neanderthals may have been hunted by hyenas and dragged back to animals' den in the Grotta Guattari in the coastal town San Felice Circeo, some 90 km south of Rome. The fossilised bones include skullcaps, teeth and broken jawbones, in a discovery described by culture minister Dario Franceschini as "extraordinary." Image courtesy Ufficio Stampa e Comunicazione MiC. Photo by Emanuele Antonio Minerva. Archaeologists say the bones belonged to seven adult males, a woman and a young boy, discovered alongside the fossilised remains of elephants, rhinoceroses, bears hyenas and aurochs, an extinct species of large wild cattle. The culture ministry says the find, conducted by the archaeological superintendency of Latina and the University of Tor Vergata in Rome, will help to enrich studies on Neanderthals and shed light on how the Italian peninsula was populated. The Guattari site gained international importance in 1939 when a Neanderthal skull was discovered by chance in the cave in 1939. Image courtesy Ufficio Stampa e Comunicazione MiC The culture ministry said the latest discovery confirmed that the Italian cave was "one of the most significant places in the world for the history of Neanderthals." Archaeologists say the oldest remains date from between 100,000 and 90,000 years ago while the other eight Neanderthals are believed to date from 50,000 to 68,000 years ago A close ancient cousin of Homo sapiens Neanderthals are believed to have died out about 40,000 years ago Wanted in Rome ™ is member of the Wanted World Wide Ltd network.Click here to find out more about our Network or Follow us on social networks © 2025 / 2026 Wanted World Wide LTD Network a legendary sorceress who turned Odysseus’s shipmates into pigs The latest tribulation arrived in envelopes that plopped onto doormats in and around the modern town of San Felice Circeo in recent weeks and demanded that the occupants stump up five years’ back payments of a levy some had no idea they owed The demands are the latest twist in a dispute with its origins in the Middle Ages This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Of property rights and dead popes” Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents A low-tech fix is delivering high-impact results George Simion will face Nicusor Dan, a mainstream candidate, in a run-off There are five luxuries it can no longer feasibly afford Friedrich Merz’s career is one of unforced errors and puzzling missteps Both Donald Trump and Ukraine’s diplomats will consider it a success Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Italian archaeologists believe most of Neanderthals were killed by hyenas then dragged back to den Italian archaeologists have unearthed the bones of nine Neanderthals who were allegedly hunted and mauled by hyenas in their den about 100km south-east of Rome Scientists from the Archaeological Superintendency of Latina and the University of Tor Vergata in Rome said the remains belong to seven adult males and one female Experts believe the individuals lived in different time periods Some bones could be as old as 50,000 to 68,000 years whereas the most ancient remains are believed to be 100,000 years old which include skullcaps and broken jawbones which had already gained notoriety for the presence of fossils of these distant human cousins no further human remains had been uncovered in Guattari Researchers found traces of vegetables alongside human remains and those of rhinoceroses, giant deer, wild horses and, of course, ferocious hyenas. According to the researchers, most of the Neanderthals had been killed by hyenas and then dragged back to the cave they had transformed into their den. Once inside, the animals consumed their prey. Read more“Neanderthals were prey for these animals,” said Rolfo Even before these ferocious predators took possession of the cave experts do not exclude the possibility that Neanderthals had at one time made it their home Rolfo has announced that his team of researchers intended to analyse the DNA of these individuals to understand their ways of life and history A preliminary analysis of dental tartar has revealed that their diet was varied which contributed to the growth of their brains The Guattari Cave in San Felice Circeo Photograph: Italian Ministry of Culture/AFP/Getty“It is an extraordinary discovery that the whole world will talk about,” said Italy’s culture minister “These findings will help to enrich studies on Neanderthals.” Neanderthals inhabited Eurasia, from the Atlantic coast to the Ural mountains, from about 400,000 years ago until a little after 40,000 years ago, disappearing after our species established itself in the region. Last year, remains and tools found in Bulgaria, revealed that modern humans and Neanderthals were present at the same time in Europe for several thousand years giving them ample time for biological and cultural interaction Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInA series of tornadoes that hit southern Italy has been caught on camera by one observer from his house in the San Gregorio neighborhood of Patu The footage shows several funnels of fierce tornadoes swirling above the ocean on Sunday afternoon One tornado hit the industrial district of Crotone destroying cars and damaging roofs Heavy rainfalls hit various regions over the weekend prompting the Italian civil protection agency to publish a weather alert for Sunday in central and southern Italy The rain caused a large sinkhole to open up in a road in the village of San Felice Circeo Locally sourced grapes and imported tar pitches may have been the norms for winemakers along the coast of Italy during the Roman period according to jars recovered from the ocean near the harbor of San Felice Circeo giving researchers a useful insight into the practices for producing wine in this particular region in 1–2 century BCE What makes the research particularly notable is that it combines some of the latest chemical analysis techniques with other approaches used in archaeobotany to discover more about these jars than would otherwise be possible "[T]hree marine amphorae, retrieved in 2018 from the ancient anchorage of San Felice Circeo (Italy), offered a rare opportunity to develop interdisciplinary research through archaeobotanical and chemical analyses," write the researchers in their published paper One of the lab techniques used here was a combination of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry different ways of separating and identifying chemical markers in a material – in this case trained on the organic residue left in the jars The researchers also looked for pollen trapped in that residue. This kind of analysis has been done before and rarely with the purpose of trying to understand the wider historical context for an artifact A careful study of the grapevine pollen revealed that the jars were used to make both red and white wine and that local plants were used – though it's not clear whether or not these plants were domesticated at the time traces of pine suggest it was used to waterproof the jars and perhaps also to flavor the wine The tar pitch that included the pine would have been sourced from outside the region Some of the pollen grains used in the study "The presence of both pollen and charcoal allowed a better understanding regarding the pitch origin, which is impossible to reach through organic residue analyses alone," write the researchers The findings around the San Felice Circeo harbor some 90 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of Rome include a variety of other ceramics and artifacts Archaeologists think that the area may have been close to a Roman canal While the researchers can't be sure about all of the conclusions that they've reached in their study they have been able to go further because of the range of interdisciplinary methods used in teasing out the chemical makeup of what's left in these jars That means combining chemical and botanical expertise with other historical and archaeological records and previous studies into wine jars such as these – going beyond chemical analysis to dig into the surrounding history of the artifacts "By using different approaches to unravel the content and nature of the coating layer of Roman amphorae, we have pushed the conclusion further in the understanding of ancient practices than it would have been with a single approach," say the researchers The research has been published in PLOS One Home → Science Three earthenware jars recovered near the harbor of San Felice Circeo in Italy are giving us a glimpse into how the Romans made their wine When most people think of the Roman Empire blocks of legionnaires with square shields still has a strong tradition of wine-making to this day as do the many territories that were part of Rome’s domain But how exactly did these ancient people make their wine A study led by researchers from the Sapienza Università di Roma in Rome is offering some insights into this question The findings are based on the discovery of three marine amphorae — elongated pottery used to transport goods on ancient wooden cargo vessels in the Mediterranean — the ancient anchorage of San Felice Circeo in Italy in 2018 The site sits some 90 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of Rome and a wide range of other ceramic items and artifacts have been discovered at the site “[These amphorae] offered a rare opportunity to develop interdisciplinary research through archaeobotanical and chemical analyses,” write the researchers These jars were dated to the 1st or 2nd century BCE Their contents were analyzed to gauge the wine-making practices of this time (the late Greco-Roman period) in the region of Italy What is particularly interesting about this study is that it combined some of the most advanced chemical analysis techniques available with established archeological methods to tease out every last scrap of information possible from the amphorae One of these chemical analysis techniques was a combination of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry Both are approaches that allow for the chemical components of a sample to be separated and identified The organic residues left inside the amphorae were ideal starting materials for such analysis The team also looked for pollen particles preserved inside the residue This is a well-established archeological technique although it is not often used with residue trapped inside containers and is very rarely used to gain clues about the historical context of an artifact — it is most commonly used to gain environmental or climate data the team reports that pollen particles inside the jars suggest that they were used to make both red and white wine The grapes used for this purpose were locally-grown although it is not clear whether they were domesticated or wild fruit the jars were sealed with a mixture of tar pitch and wine to make them waterproof The tar which contained the pine would most definitely have been imported from outside the region showcasing the intense trading that characterized the region at the time It is possible that the pine was used as a flavoring agent “The presence of both pollen and charcoal allowed a better understanding regarding the pitch origin which is impossible to reach through organic residue analyses alone,” the study explains “By using different approaches to unravel the content and nature of the coating layer of Roman amphorae we have pushed the conclusion further in the understanding of ancient practices than it would have been with a single approach” Although some of the findings of this study will need to be validated with other research due to the novel nature of the methods used the team is confident that their interdisciplinary approach will help archeologists better understand the chemical makeup of whatever artifacts they are examining allowing us to get a better glimpse of the lives and practices of those before us The paper “Archaeobotanical and chemical investigations on wine amphorae from San Felice Circeo (Italy) shed light on grape beverages at the Roman time” has been published in the journal PLOS One. © 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved. © 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved. There are many places to see in our region, and in summer we should consider ourselves really lucky: we can reach the sea in a short time. So even though the vacation season is still a while away, don’t be discouraged. In this article we tell you about the most beautiful seaside resorts near Rome. Here’s where you might go this weekend (and don’t forget the sunscreen!). Gaeta is located a short distance from Sperlonga. Unlike the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea, this municipality has more than 19,000 inhabitants and is inhabited by many people even during the winter months. It is called “the city of 100 churches” because of the many religious buildings in the area. There are seven beaches, but the best known is Serapo beach for its fine sand and proximity to the city. In Gaeta there is never a dull moment, you can go for long walks on the beach, snorkeling and the aperitifs at sunset. We consider it a suitable place for everyone. In the municipality of Santa Marinella, another location well known for its splendid waters, we find the Castle of Santa Severa. This is one of the best attractions in the world. And confirming this is Time’s coveted list (World’s Greatest Places). The sandy beach at the Castle is very spacious and makes for a nice walk. There are also establishments on site to reserve sunbed and umbrella. Otherwise, many decide to settle on the free beach. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Saporetti (@saporettitorrepaola) Sabaudia is a bit of a VIP seaside resort. Many actors and soccer players own their beach houses here. The beach is fine sand and the sea is clean; you can also engage in windsurfing in this windy area. What we like best about Sabaudia is the wilderness that surrounds it. At sunset, we recommend you try the aperitifs at Saporetti (Loc. Paola Tower), very nice. Also in the province of Latina, we find San Felice Circeo. The village is full of interesting stories and legends; here the sorceress Circe bewitched Ulysses. A short distance from San Felice Beach, you will find the famous Goat Cave. According to legend, in this very cave the sorceress created powerful spells. In addition to the crystal clear sea and great beaches, we recommend visiting the old town. In the evening, downtown becomes lively: clubs, open boutiques, and lots of young people on the streets. A cinema was also dedicated here to Anna Magnani, as the actress loved this village very much and it is where she was buried. Near Circeo in the province of Latina is Terracina. This seaside resort is very lively in summer and was awarded the Blue Flag for water and beach quality again this year. An international recognition won eight years ago. It is a place suitable for both families and younger people. Appetizers and other beach activities are often organized. In addition, there are many stores to visit downtown for an afternoon stroll. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RymBow (@rym_bow) Anzio is a popular summer destination for its clear waters and seafood restaurants overlooking the sea as a town that is inhabited even in winter A lively place not far from the Castelli Romani Fondi is another seaside resort that has been awarded a blue flag Quieter than nearby Sperlonga and Terracina we recommend it if you want beautiful sea at a good price accommodations here are cheaper if booked in time View this post on Instagram A post shared by Visit Lazio (@visit_lazio) Neptune is nicknamed “the blue coast of the Romans,” here there is also the fantastic island-fortress of Astura Tower to visit The beach stretches for more than 10 km and makes for some nice waterfront walks The seaside resort is lively and is frequented by many families Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed The Italian Culture Ministry said the Guattari Cave in San Felice Circeo was "one of the most significant places in the world for the history of Neanderthals." Archaeologists discovered the fossilized remains of nine Neanderthals at a prehistoric cave site south of Rome, the Italian Cultural Ministry announced on Saturday The oldest of the remains date from between 90,000 and 100,000 years ago while the other eight are believed to be younger The fossilized bones were found at the Guattari Cave in San Felice Circeo which is roughly 56 miles southeast of Rome A Neanderthal skull was discovered there in 1939, according to The Associated Press The ministry said the latest discovery confirms Guattari Cave as "as one of the most significant places in the world for the history of Neanderthals." Neanderthals died out roughly 40,000 years ago, but small traces of their DNA still exist in modern humans The excavation work at the site started in 2019 and explored parts of the cave that hadn't been studied before Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini called the finding "an extraordinary discovery that will be the talk of the world." which had been closed off by an ancient earthquake or landslide perfectly preserved the environment of 50,000 years ago the team of researchers unearthed many fossilized animal remains Become an NPR sponsor that encloses dramatic mountain scenery and miles of perfect golden beaches A place where stringent planning controls have kept the coast pristine and the hills a reserve for rare birds and plants When you add that this is all an easy hour-and-a-half's drive south from Rome's Fiumicino airport it begins to take on the appearance of a fantasy a calloused thumb of limestone sticking out into the Tyrrhenian sea In July and August the place is thick with wealthy Romans escaping the murderous heat of the city for the cool coastal breezes And they've been doing it for 2,000 years: the emperors Domitian and Tiberias both had villas in the area Circeo's history as a notable destination is even older if you believe the theory that the mountain took it's name from the witch Circe who turned Odysseus's crewmates into swine But Italians are creatures of habit and so we had the place almost entirely to ourselves We were staying in a charmingly quirky villa one of a dozen or so folded into the rocks and gardens at the foot of the mountain The villas were all built in the 60s by the Roman architect Andrea Busiri Vici in a style that owes something to modernism Not many holiday villas can better the setting In the distance we could see the jagged outlines of the volcanic Pontine islands: Ponza I found this view cheering - in the way that the view of islands so often is - until I read something of their melancholy history as a place of exile imprisonment and execution over the centuries The planning laws that have saved this stretch of coast also mean that it's practically impossible to get a swimming pool installed Our villa came with access to something much better: a perfect rock pool Every morning we took the path down to the shore through gardens thick with all the usual suspects - bougainvillea while we sunbathed and watched the islands ease in and out of the haze Half a mile down the coast are caves where Neanderthal remains have been discovered and again we had them spookily to ourselves One huge cavern gave on to a winding passage and my seven year old had a real sense of exploration and adventure as he delved deep An enchanting road winds up through the forest of holm oak and pine almost to the peak of the mountain moderately adventurous hike takes you down from the top all the way to the harbour 1,700m below a pre-classical structure of great mystery and power we at first thought there was nothing there but then realised that we were in the middle of ancient walls On a clear day you can catch the sun glinting off St Peter's in one direction and follow the curve of the bay of Naples in the other is split between a newish seaside zone and the medieval walled town up the hill The old town has a pretty square and not much else The truth is that this part of southern Lazio can't match Tuscany or Umbria for the beauty or historical interest of its towns There's a good beach and a lovely old town with archways One of our strangest trips was to Sabaudia Mussolini had the town built from scratch in 256 days as a playground for Italian workers The architecture has a clean and tidy feel to it rather than the grandiloquence you might expect and at times it felt as though we were the survivors of some global catastrophe as we wandered through the deserted parks and streets My children were oddly charmed by the large anti-aircraft gun and accompanying surface-to-air missile on display in the main square The road from Circeo to Sabaudia is stunning with the sea and a seemingly endless sandy beach on one side and peaceful lagoons on the other The road is studded with magnificent villas: this was once home to Rome's cultural elite Alberto Moravia brooded over his stories of adultery while Pasolini cruised the seafront for pliant ragazzi We struggled to find good value restaurants This really isn't a region of undiscovered gems The alternatives tended to be good but expensive or moderately priced and forgettable In the former category is the stellar Punta Rossa hotel which has a fantastically dramatic location But a room there in the high season will set you back anything from €350-€600 a night As it was only a 10-minute stroll from our villa we found it a good place to sit and drink a gin and tonic as we watched the sun set in the sea There are good markets in San Felice and Sabaudia so this is perhaps one time when self-catering really is the best option It seems entirely unfair that Italy should have yet another enchanting region If southern Lazio hasn't quite the magic of Tuscany or the strangeness of Puglia or the intensity of Sicily · Casa Delfino sleeps up to 11 and costs from £3,085 for a week, including maid service (4hrs daily), bookable through CV Travel (020-7401 1039, cvtravel.co .uk) who can also arrange Airone flights from London City to Rome Fiumicino was published this week by Random House at £5.99 New discoveries have arrived from the Guattari Cave in San Felice Circeo eighty years after the site was discovered In the course of research by the Soprintendenza archeologia belle arti e paesaggio for the provinces of Frosinone and Latina in collaboration with the University of Rome Tor Vergata some fossil finds of nine individuals of Neanderthal man have in fact emerged: eight can be dated between 50 thousand and 68 thousand years ago and one can be dated between 100 thousand and 90 thousand years ago together with others found at the site in the past (and referable to two additional individuals) bring the total number of individuals in Guattari Cave to 11 confirming its value as one of the most significant places in the world for Neanderthal history.In addition recent excavations have returned thousands of animal bone remains that enrich the reconstruction of the faunal several groups of large mammals have been determined which turns out to be one of the prevalent species along with the noble deer; but also the remains of rhinoceros The presence of these species fits well with the age of about 50,000 years ago when hyena dragged prey into the den using the cave as shelter and food storage many of the bones found show clear signs of gnawing The investigation is still ongoing and involves numerous scholars from several major national research organizations: INGV Experts are working to reconstruct the paleoecological framework of the Pontine plain between 125,000 and about 50,000 years ago when Neanderthals frequented the Latium territory research has focused on parts of the Cave that have never been studied including what anthropologist Alberto Carlo Blanc called the “Little Lake” because of the presence of water in the winter months It was in that very area that several human remains were found skull fragments (including two hemifrontials) and other fragments in the process of identification Biological analyses and genetic research will allow reconstruction of the vegetation climate and environment in which our ancestors lived Isotopic analyses will allow reconstruction of the diet of the animal species examined and the ancient diet of Neanderthals Excavations and investigations have also been extended to the outside of the cave where stratigraphies and paleosurfaces of frequentation dating between 60,000 and 125,000 years ago have been identified that testify to the times when Neanderthals lived the places where they were stationed and where the finding of charcoal and burnt animal bones authorizes the hypothesis of the presence of a structured hearth The research that the Ministry of Culture is still conducting in the area systematically addresses all aspects of the life of Neanderthals and the Latium territory and confirms the importance of the Circeo for the knowledge of Neanderthals at the European and world level “With this excavation campaign,” said Mauro Rubini director of SABAP’s anthropology service for the provinces of Frosinone and Latina a discovery that will shed important light on the peopling history of Italy Neanderthal man is a milestone in human evolution representing the apex of a species and the first human society we can talk about.” “They are all adult individuals,” noted Francesco Di Mario SABAP archaeological officer for the provinces of Frosinone and Latina and director of excavation and fruition work at Guattari Cave “except for one perhaps in his youth This is a satisfactory representation of a population that must have been quite large in the area We are continuing the studies and analyses with much more advanced techniques than in Blanc’s time capable of revealing a lot of information.” “The geological and sedimentological study of this deposit,” pointed out Mario Rolfo professor of prehistoric archaeology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata “will make us understand the climatic changes that occurred between 120,000 and 60,000 years ago through the study of animal species and pollen allowing us to reconstruct the history of the Circeo and the Pontine plain.” Culture Minister Dario Franceschini spoke with his usual enthusiasm: “An extraordinary discovery that the whole world will talk about because it enriches the research on Neanderthal man It is the result of the work of our Superintendence together with universities and research institutions the Italian Culture Ministry announced Saturday The fossilized bones which included skullcaps and broken jawbones were discovered in the Guattari Cave in San Felice Circeo in Italy's Lazio region They are believed to have belonged to seven adult males Scientists from the Archaeological Superintendency of Latina and the University of Tor Vergata in Rome believe the bones come from different time periods The oldest remains are thought to date from 90,000 to 100,000 years ago The other eight Neanderthals' remains are believed to date from 50,000 to 68,000 years ago "Neanderthals were prey for these animals," said Mario Rolfo, a professor of archaeology at Tor Vergata University, according to The Guardian The researchers also found traces of hyenas alongside the human remains This is not the first time researchers have discovered fossils in the Guattari Cave A Neanderthal skull was discovered there in 1939 by the anthropologist Alberto Carlo Blanc Excavations of a new part of the cave that hadn't been explored yet began in 2019 sealed this cave for more than 60,000 years thereby preserving the remains left inside for tens of thousands of years." Culture Minister Dario Franceschini called the finding "an extraordinary discovery that will be the talk of the world," according to the Associated Press Neanderthals are the closest known ancient relatives of humans They inhabited Eurasia from about 400,000 years ago until a little after 40,000 years ago Italy and more – from families who reveal their under-the-radar summer escapes Every year we spend two weeks in our house in Ribatejo province The house belonged to my great-grandmother and I went there every summer as a child They have a freedom there that they don’t have in the city Very few foreign visitors make it here and most Portuguese prefer to go to the beach to the south – people sometimes call Ribatejo the Tuscany of Portugal – and it’s also cooler than the south When we bring friends here they can’t believe how beautiful it is Silvia Bastos and family on holidayOne of the best things to do is spend the day by the Zêzere River or Castelo do Bode a 66km-long lake formed in the 1950s when the river was dammed In the past few years the lake has become more geared up for tourism and now there are places offering water sports such as wake boarding at Lago Azul in the town of Ferreria do Zêzere An unexpected attraction is the famed dinosaur footprints at Pedreira do Galinha with one of the best monuments in the country – the vast originally a 12th-century Templar stronghold It’s surrounded by castle walls and its various cloisters were built over several centuries Tomar and the river are jewels of Portugal Stay at Quinta da Anunciada (doubles €65-90) Jana and daughter near Pastivny DamI spent my childhood holidays at my grandfather’s cottage in the Orlické mountains about a two-hour drive east of the capital cycle paths and nature reserves – and completely under the radar There are no big hotels or expensive restaurants; it’s a peripheral tourist area where Czechs walk or have fun in the wild river – and that’s why I like it and now that we have two small daughters – Janička three months – we head there for our family holiday each summer Pastviny Dam Photograph: AlamyThe Pastviny Dam (Vodní nádrž Pastviny) and is the last stone-made dam in the Czech Republic known as the gateway to the Orlické mountains It’s a modest but pretty town with a rural atmosphere There are two great restaurants – Imrvere, a very typical Czech restaurant, which does excellent roast duck with dumplings, and Kanec unfiltered lager and a plate of utopenec (pickled sausage) Singer Gary Stringer and bassist Jack Bessant played at Žamberk’s JamRock festival a few years ago and were so impressed by the area they wrote a song called Road to Žamberk – then came back and played the festival for free the following year!Interview by Mark Pickering Old houses on a cobbled street in Ebeltoft my grandfather bought a plot of land in the 1950s to build a summerhouse on The Helgenæs peninsula is pretty rural – it’s known locally as the “snot drip” of Jutland (there’s a bump on the east coast that looks a little like a nose) It’s so off the beaten track that most Danes have never even heard of it There are lots of fields around and it’s surprisingly hilly for Denmark The house was built with two tiny bedrooms one for my grandfather and grandmother and the other for my dad and my uncle to share the water is calm and it’s great for swimming When I was small my family would spend three weeks here every summer ate strawberries and ice-cream and the sun was always shining – at least that’s how I remember it It isn’t fancy (although we did install an indoor shower in the 1990s) but I love it – my wife and I even got married here We drive over from Copenhagen every summer with our three kids – aged one four and seven – to spend time with my parents My dad built another small house on the same plot to fit everyone in but there’s usually still someone sleeping on the sofa or the floor kitesurfing and paragliding – the steep slopes leading to the beach give great uplift for catching the wind We eat pretty simply when at the summerhouse – we might pick up some salad leaves new potatoes or fruit grown from the produce stands with honesty boxes dotted along the roads And there’s a small fishing hut at the top of the peninsula where a fisherman and his son smoke fish and sell great seafood I wish I could tell you what it was called and how to get hold of them Just thinking about it brings back fond memories for me Helgenæs is a special place that’s tightly bound to my family Sol Og Strand (sologstrand.com) has a selection of holiday homes in Helgennæs starting at €302 a week in high season for a wooden cabin sleeping fourInterview by Helen Russell Aerial view of Cape Kamenjak Photograph: Sebastian Rothe/AlamyAt the end of the war in Croatia in 1995 my grandmother bought an old stone house in the village of Premantura It was a safe area for my twin brother Davor and me to go because it hadn’t been affected by the war A cousin of ours had bought a piece of land nearby and said is that there is untouched nature and untouched beautiful beaches It’s the only part of Istria that has a proper Mediterranean climate – completely different from anything else At the far end of the peninsula are 10 to and 15-metre-high cliffs that you can jump off to find spots where you can be on your own and not see anyone Daniel Dragojlovic with twin brother Davor, friend Ivana and her son in IstriaA favourite beach is Velika Kolombarica, whose cliffs are often featured in Croatian tourism ads. Just above it is the Safari Bar This Croatian guy who used to work in Switzerland decided to live like Robinson Crusoe so he made this bar out of practically nothing We usually cook at home but sometimes we’ll go inland to villages that do truffles and homemade pasta. Istria is the land of truffles. In Banjole, up the coast towards Pula, there’s a restaurant called Batelina where the chef creates dishes using types of fish and seafood that fishermen would normally throw away It also does amazing pasta and bottarga (cured fish roe) Most of the accommodation in Premantura is private apartments and villas, but the recently opened Premantura Resort has a pool and doubles from €85-€175 B&B We come to Premantura every August with my parents and grandmother and we still have friends we met here when we were young kids but they all have houses in Premantura and now return every year with their own families So these connections are still going strong.Interview by Mary Novakovich Sóstó Lake Hungary Photograph: Valentyna Gupalo/Getty ImagesPéter and I have been together for 10 years and for almost all that time we have spent part of our summers in Nyíregyháza-Sóstófürdő so the area is especially nostalgic for him which gives us a deep connection to the land even friends from Luxembourg and Belgium join us here because they love the relaxed vibe which is surrounded by an oak forest for nice long walks People come to bathe and run around the track We like to take a paddle boat out on the water where they always head to the Oceanarium first Tourism has really started to blossom here in recent years, and now there are lovely homes to rent and charming hotels to stay in, like Aventinus (doubles from £58). The upscale Hunguest Hotel Sóstó is opening this summer A bridge will connect it directly to Aquarius Every day, the kids crave ice-cream, usually from the atmospheric Omnia gelateria at the bottom of an old water tower. We sometimes eat at Colorado Steakhouse which has a kitsch American wild west feel For something lighter than steak and pulled pork, we’ll eat alfresco at Italian restaurant La Terrazza, which has magical views of the lake. Afterwards, if we are lucky, there will be live music at Krúdy Vigadó This beautiful terrace is where everybody comes together to chat and savour summer evenings.Interview by Alia Akkam Ruined Vallsanta Convent Photograph: Lux Populi/Getty ImagesEvery August I go with my husband and two daughters to Guimerà a tiny medieval village on a hillside in a quiet It’s only 130km west of Barcelona but it feels a world away from the city and the crowded beach resorts I’ve been coming to Guimerà for as long as I can remember and my father was born in the house where we stay each summer In the winter only a couple of hundred people live there but in the summer it’s full of families almost all of them with a connection to the village going back generations Elisa Minguella and family Photograph: Annette PaceyWhen I was a child I would spend the entire school summer holidays in Guimerà with my brothers and my grandmother I had complete freedom to stay out all day with my friends and I encourage my girls to do the same now They love the novelty of going to the bakery on their own to buy bread my whole family gathers in the village: my parents Every house in the village has a name and that’s how we know which extended family people belong to People ask: “De quina casa ets?” (Which house are you from?) The day out we love the most is at the medieval market of Guimerà which is held on the second weekend of August (10-11 Aug 2019) Everyone from the village dresses up in medieval costumes and each street is dedicated to a traditional trade At night we put on a play based on a story from the history of the village the best part of the event is the way everybody comes together to make it happen It’s that sense of community that will keep us coming back to Guimerà.Interview by Annette Pacey Stabilimento Saporetti near San Felice CirceoMy father has a house in Borgo Montenero a small village 100km south of Rome in a pine wood surrounded by fields of watermelons and strawberries The place is super quiet but there’s a farmers’ market every weekend an excellent little pizzeria called La Pizza in Piazza is on the beach: I always go for the salad niçoise and We like coming here because we know pretty much everyone now Federerica’s children at Cape CirceoThe area is relatively unknown to foreign visitors who tend to head further south to the Amalfi coast or stay much closer to Rome It’s a shame: Circeo is super-easy to get to (you can be here in just over 1½ hours from Rome) and it really has some beautiful beaches and pristine water – the area has been awarded a blue flag for the past three years There are plenty of places to stay: lots of agriturismi or B&Bs. One of my favourites is Podere Bedin (doubles €75-110); the owners are friendly and the restaurant uses local products (doubles from €140) is our go-to for kayaking trips the largest island in the Pontine archipelago in just an hour from the port of San Felice Circeo (boats depart everyday at around 10am) too – both in the old town of San Felice Circeo specialises in buffalo meat and mozzarella.Interview by Marianna Cerini Restaurants in the old town of Valkenburg aan de Geul Photograph: Chris Mueller/Getty ImagesWhenever we ask our children (aged 11 seven and six) where they want to go on holiday “We want to go to Oma’s campsite,” meaning Camping ’t Geuldal a friendly campsite surrounded by fields and woods in hilly South Limburg where their grandmother spends six months of the year in her caravan and where my husband holidayed as a child in the 1960s the beautiful Geuldal region is quiet and green whose fries are served with the best mayo we’ve tasted (they refuse to share the recipe) first in a rented chalet and now in our own caravan The kids can be totally free and play outside all day or take part in on-site activities such as ball games a mini-disco or caring for animals at the petting zoo lie in the sun and work a bit on my laptop Camping ’t Geuldal is 10km from Maastricht; tent or motorhome pitches in high season €17-22 plus €3-4pp Holiday homes around €600 a week high season based on four sharingInterview by Deborah Nicholls-Lee The Glénan islands Photograph: Mathieu Rivrin/Getty ImagesI was born in Finistère and loved telling people where I came from as it means the fin de terre – the end of the Earth When I was a teenager I used to go cycling around on my own or meet my friends and we would explore the Odet river riding past the giant blue and pink hydrangeas and on to Sainte-Marine a tiny port on the opposite side of the estuary from Bénodet which has since become a notable yachting centre Nicolas Tanguy and pal on his bike in BrittanyIt’s all about the simple pleasures. We always have the blé noir (buckwheat) crêpe: a complète (ham, eggs and cheese) or a caramel au beurre salé from La Misaine we have a plate of langoustines – Sainte-Marine is the French capital of langoustines which locals affectionately call demoiselles (maidens) so we always go down to see what the côtiers (small fishing boats) have brought in The bilingual French-Breton street signs make it feel very local and distinctive The stone houses have slate roofs and the ambiance is part-riverbank On our last trip we put our dog in the bicycle basket and went riding behind the dunes to the places I used to go to as a boy You can cycle to Île-Tudy on the opposite headland Much further west (you need a car) is La Torche which is famous for its tulips and for holding the world windsurfing championships (it’s one of the best windsurf spots in France) The whole area is perfect for puttering round in a boat I’m even thinking about taking my boat licence!Interview by Jon Bryant Family boating on an Uckermark lake Photograph: AlamyThis summer will be the fourth year in a row that our family – my wife Claudia and my two daughters Rosa (nine) and Tilda (seven) – will spend our summer holiday in a beautiful place called Lychen It’s little more than an hour’s journey north of Berlin but feels like a world away Unlike much of the rest of mostly flat Brandenburg state Getting there from Berlin is very easy – we don’t have a car so we take a train to Fürstenberg (one hour) and then ride our bikes 15km to Lychen Bert Schulz and familyEvery year we book one of two rental flats in a converted farmhouse called Hof Georgenhoehe (from €52-82 a night for two plus €9-13 each additional peron) a little outside the town One apartment used to be pigsty and the other was a stable and a terrace looking out over the countryside that is lovely to sit on in the summer The place still has a few farm animals (pigs chickens and a small flock of sheep) but these days they are kept as pets In the morning the first thing the kids do is go and collect eggs from the chickens visit the farm cats and so on – it is a great way for children from the city to learn more about animals We often go for a run in the mornings and there are several lakes nearby to swim in – our favourites are Grosser Lychensee which is walking distance from the farmhouse and we can cycle to Wurlsee and Rutenberger See A bit further away is a very good Japanese-style restaurant called Tenzo Gasthof run by people who quit Berlin for life in the countryside cycling is definitely the best way for us to enjoy the region but others explore it by canoe or houseboat – the lakes in the area are all linked and you can sail around for weeks at a time.Interview by Kit Macdonald Looking for a holiday with a difference? Browse Guardian Holidays to see a range of fantastic trips Mantova contains a "city within a city" -- the 34,000-square-meter home of a powerful Renaissance family Ventotene is a small isle close to Rome and a former jail center for lustful Roman noble women and later anti-Fascists '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" il Parco del Circeo è nato per tutelare non una singola specie ma un ricco insieme di biomi (associazioni di piante ed animali coesistenti determinata ed influenzata da fattori ambientali) caratteristici con una conseguente estrema ricchezza di specie oggi definita come biodiversità Progetto cofinanziato con contributi LEADER Plus - PSL "Terre Pontine e Ciociare": turn on your GPS and head to some of these Perched on a hilltop rising out of a green chasm Located within a natural park cut by a pristine river lush vegetation creeps over the cave dwellings once inhabited by prehistoric people The hamlet is a labyrinth of moss-covered cobbled alleys leading to tunnels and wall openings overlooking the canyon Trekking routes departing from the village unwind through the wilderness where pagan sacrifices were once performed The crest-top village of San Felice has pastel-coloured stone dwellings and elegant boutiques Palmarola IsleGetty ImagesPalmarola IsleIt’s the jewel of the Pontine archipelago, reachable with fishermen’s boats from its sister island Ponza wifi and electricity – just pristine nature and fluorescent-blue waters swarming with baby barracudas The isle is uninhabited except for a cosy beach tavern open only during summer and fishermen’s grottos cut inside the ragged cliffs purple sponge sea caves and natural rock arches Lake MartignanoGetty ImagesLake MartignanoIf you’re a pet fan and don’t mind swimming next to a Terranova or Rottweiler the tiny Martignano Lake near Viterbo is a must-stop exotic scenery with palm and cactus trees lining dark pebble stone shores Connected to the main road by a dusty rural track it’s isolated and quiet – great for a detox day – but also comes with a fine lake-front fish tavern Even though you’ll need to drive to Umbria, this exciting place is close to Rome and makes a great day trip. In the village of Narni, a secret garden descends right into spooky underground prisons where the wicked Holy Inquisition used to torture ‘heretics’ during the Renaissance. Guided tours are inside prisoner cells covered in convicts’ graffiti written in blood and weird alchemic symbols. There’s even a torture room with the skeleton of a burnt witch. Home » Arqueo-Cuba project: archeology and environmental sustainability 2022 in the Municipality of San Felice Circeo the first mission in Italy in the ambit of the Arqueo-Cuba Project: archeology and environmental sustainability for a territorial cooperation to fight climate change inspections and visits to institutes and places of culture in Lazio; a training programme coordinated by the Directorate General for Education which is addressed to the Cuban delegation with a view to mutual exchange and enrichment Arqueo-Cuba is a project by international cooperation and training on issues related to cultural heritage and sustainability for the fight against climate change the project intends to offer an all-encompassing and inclusive approach to the question of sustainable urban development in Cuba in its broadest sense of material and immaterial in the search for environmental protection strategies The project is funded byItalian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) following the call for the "Promotion of Territorial Partnerships and territorial implementation of the 2030 Agenda" launched in July 2021 and lasting 36 months protection and enhancement of cultural heritage are the themes of the training program of the first mission in Italy of the Arqueo-Cuba project In collaboration with Italian partners and public and private cultural institutes and places in Lazio the mission includes a rich program of meetings 11 July – institutional greetings, presentation of the project, the training program and the partners; focus and debate on the role of education by the Centre for Educational Services (SED) at the Municipality of San Felice Circeo July 12 - Heritage and sustainable development by theEntity of Circeo National Park with the director Nicola Marrone, the Tecnostudi Environment Company and thePangea Onlus Institute 13 July – Focus on archaeological restoration and the protection and enhancement of underwater archeology by Superintendency of Archaeology, fine arts and landscape for the provinces of Frosinone and Latina together with the Port Authority of San Felice Circeo and the Maritime District Office of Terracina 14 July – visit to the Circeo National Park and in-depth study of the naturalistic and botanical aspects by Giovanni Salerno 15 July – visit to Ninfa and the historic gardens by Roffredo Caetani Foundation July 18 – visits to Archaeological Park of Cerveteri and Tarquinia with a focus on digital tools for the use of archaeological heritage and others Territorial Museum of Lake Bolsena July 19 - Focus on "Underwater archeology: from protection to enhancement" with a visit to submerged site of the Gran Dipper in the lake of Bolsena by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria 20 July – activity by School of Cultural Heritage and Activities Foundation and of the Directorate General for Education Research and Cultural Institutes at the institutional offices and a visit to the botanical garden July 21 – visit ofCentral Institute for Restoration (ICR) with in-depth analysis of laboratory activities and archaeological finds and Central Institute for Graphics (ICG) with a visit to the control room of the Trevi Fountain 22 July – activity organized by the Sapienza University: Museum complex and Botanical Garden of Rome 23 July – visit to the Area archaeological site of Ostia Antica e portus, Isola Sacra necropolis, Ostiense museum and Fiumicino Ship Museum by Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica Arqueo-Cuba Program – Italy Mission 1 Detail of the program (July 11-15) Detail of the program (July 18-23) The mission in Italy follows the fact-finding and organizational mission that took place in Cuba in April 2022 which included: Further information on the project is also available on the page: https://dger.beniculturali.it/attivita-internazionali/progetto-arqueocuba/ Follow the mission on fb: https://www.facebook.com/dger.web Service II – Cultural Institutes secretary Published personal data can be reused only under the conditions stipulated by the EU directive 2003/98/CE and by the Legislative Decree 36/2006 While Ilary Blasi is on holiday with her daughter Isabel in Croatia the cameras of Chi's photographers catch Francesco Totti while the mice are dancing" says a famous proverb and in fact after the departure of Ilary Blasi for Croatia where she is spending the holidays with her daughter Isabel Francesco Totti he took the opportunity to come out and meet (at night) with Naomi Bocchi was pinched by photographers of About while he was on his way to the house that the 34-year-old blonde rented in San Felice Circeo for years a good retreat for Totti and his family which today were also published on the print version of the magazine gets out of a friend's car around 22.30 pm and enters the residential complex where the villa rented by Naomi Bocchi The spot where the car was parked is the same where the young woman had parked hers a few days earlier it is not known when the former captain of Roma will announce his engagement with the flower designer: the practices of divorce from Ilary Blasi they have not yet started but a legal battle full of twists is already expected given the huge assets to be shared A post shared by Ilary Blasi (@ilaryblasi) Dancing with the Stars 2022: no vax actor in the cast, that's who he is Totti and Ilary Blasi: the daughter Chanel blurts out on social media Chiara Ferragni and Fedez and the extreme video: what happened, her mother also intervenes we earn a commission from qualifying purchases through ticketing links This commission does not entail any additional price for the user.