Gaeta
Gaeta (ɡaˈeːta; Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: Gaieta) is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The town has played a conspicuous part in military history; its walls date to Roman times and were extended and strengthened in the 15th century, especially throughout the history of the Kingdom of Naples (later the Two Sicilies). Present-day Gaeta is a fishing and oil seaport, and a renowned tourist resort. NATO maintains a naval base of operations at Gaeta. Caietae Portus The ancient Caieta, situated on the slopes of the Torre di Orlando, a promontory overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It was inhabited by the Oscan-speaking Italic tribe of the Aurunci at least by the 10th-9th century BC. Only in 345 BC did the territory of Gaeta come under Rome's influence. In the Republican era Caieta became one of the earliest locations of villae maritimae, seaside villas and luxurious retreats for the Roman elite owned, for example, by Scipio Africanus (236-183 BC) and Gaius Laelius. Caieta was linked to the capital of the Empire by the Via Appia and its extension the Via Flacca, through a link road. In the Roman imperial age Caieta, famous for its lovely and temperate climate, like the neighbouring Formia and Sperlonga, continued a popular resort for many important and rich characters of Rome. Emperor Antoninus Pius restored the port, given its great strategic relevance. Among its antiquities is the mausoleum of Lucius Munatius Plancus. The mausoleum of Lucius Sempronius Atratinus is also an impressive monument, which was inside a large clearing within his vast villa located on Monte Orlando overlooking the Gulf of Gaeta. He was buried there after his death in 7 AD. The great sepulchral monument was built at the end of the 1st century BC. Atratinus was suffect Consul in 40 and 34 BC, propraetor in Greece in 39 BC, and first admiral of Mark Antony's fleet from 38-34 BC. He was appointed proconsul of Africa by Augustus in 21 BC, where he obtained a triumph.