The Search for the Forbidden Castle

“There isn’t much to see here… just a castle and a few old churches”



While I was on my search to be alone, I ran into Dad, John and Jenny and they had just come from the restaurant we went to on the first night we were in Gaeta where they had lunch. Since we were spending the day here, Dad asked the English speaking waitress what there was to do here. She said nothing really compared to some great place like New York City. There was a castle though… and a few old churches just up the road.


I suppose there is a very different view of what is considered cool when you come from here or America. What we have found out in talking to locals and Dad and Chris have mentioned this too, is that Europeans love New York City. They consider it the epitome of America. If you are going to America visit New York. I’m not sure why… my guess is the modern big city living. You look around here and everything is old. Apartments are not built in high rise buildings… they are built into old castles and buildings. It’s a very different world. If it’s around you all the time I guess it gets old and overlooked. I mean if I lived down the street from 4 amazing Catholic churches and my apartment was located in a castle I guess I wouldn’t think much of it either. It’s just how people walking the streets of New York or riding the subway on a daily basis lose the novelty. Or people who spend every day at Disney still get excited and appreciate it, but it loses the wow factor.

They really do love New York.  This was some graffiti that was stamped on the side of an alley way in Nettuno.

I decided to try and find the castle and churches with Dad and company and we found it. We saw it coming in actually and it was so imposing and scary at night… there is a reason for that. It’s not glorified at all and it was an incredible climb to the entrance… because it was a military structure that was strictly off limits. Gaeta is a big military town apparently. On our way in last night, we passed a giant, fast, ship with a machine gun attached to the front. It made us look twice and wince not real sure where we were or if we were in off limits territory. The castle itself if an army base of some sort with no entry for the public. So after climbing up the steep roads to get to an “entrance” we weren’t actually allowed inside. It was a good work out though… in flip flops… and a great view. We were able to see everything we amazingly dodged when we came in last night. There is a whole mussel farm that we completely missed and that could’ve been a real disaster. Between that and the giant ships that may or may not have been in the water with us, it was interesting to see it in the daylight. The thing was… it is still imposing and it still looks like a difficult port to get into.

This was the military castle that we climbed to and couldn’t enter.  Nobody is getting in there without permission… period.

It was a good walk up to the castle and when everyone else wanted to go in search of the church I passed and walked down to find the café I’m writing all of this at. Tarantella Café. I am listening to American and Italian hip hop music and looking into a piazza while a group of Italian girls are sitting and talking at the table behind me. Again the Italians have this whole take a break in the middle of the day thing right.

Santuario SS.MA Annunziata was located on the walk to the castle.  From the outside it was a beautiful church, we couldn’t go in because the doors were closed when we passed by on the way to the castle.

On my walk back to the boat, the doors were open and I was able to peek in.  There was a wedding ceremony going on and from what I could see the church was gorgeous on the inside as well.  People were coming and going during the ceremony and you could most likely hear the traffic outside too.

Tonight I think we are going to make dinner on the boat and then probably go on a gelato search. Early to rise tomorrow morning assuming the weather isn’t terrible we are going to set out for Procida.