What stands between a mountain and the sea?
Depending on the distance between a mountain and the sea, a lot. All that is required to manipulate what occupies this space is a little imagination. Sperlonga is home to two very different examples of how the space between, or lack thereof, can still be manipulated to create unique places of paradise. The old town itself sits atop a point that abruptly drops down to the sea, yet the whitewashed homes seem as rooted in the terraced topography of the craggy point as much as the cacti and agave plants scattered throughout. A little ways to the south, along the same stretch of beach, the remains of Tiberus’ grotto remain tucked into a cave that feeds directly out into the sea. Rather than sit above the mountain, the emperor chose to dine along the exact interface where stone meets sea. Its as if the ancient Roman ruler understood man’s vulnerability to nature, and intended to keep this place only for himself, a personal monument to nature’s power, knowing it would some day be recaptured by the sea.
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