The Castle of Santa Severa, located along the Tyrrhenian coast north of Rome, is one of the most evocative places in the Lazio region, a heritage of enormous historical, artistic and cultural value.
The monumental complex, owned by the Lazio Region, is managed by the regional company LAZIOcrea, in agreement with the Mic and the Municipality of Santa Marinella.
The Castle owes its current name to the young Christian martyr Severa who, according to tradition, met her death there in 298 AD. under the empire of Diocletian. Built on the remains of the ancient Etruscan port of Pyrgi, in over two thousand years of history, this area has lived a thousand lives: from a Roman colony, to the residence of noble Roman families, from a medieval village to a German base during the Second World War.
After years of abandonment and neglect, since 2014 the Lazio Region has wanted it to reopen in the summer and since 25 April 2017, thanks to the Artbonus programme, the Castle of Santa Severa has begun a new cultural and tourist path, with an interesting museum offer , exhibitions, events, concerts, guided tours, sporting activities and much more.
The Castle, open all year round, also hosts a hostel for young people and families with 14 rooms and 40 beds to fully experience the magic of the manor kissed by the sea.
The Castle houses a Museum which is spread over three levels in an area of 800 square meters in which some of the finds brought to light during the excavations carried out at the same time as the restoration work, carried out by the Superintendence and the volunteers of the archaeological group, are collected of the Cerite territory.
Virtual Tour
The virtual tour from the ancient Etruscan port to the sanctuary of Pyrgi is available in the room on the ground floor of the Castle Museum, with two stations equipped with viewers. The experience is included in the entrance ticket to the Museums, reservations are required at the entrance to the museum area.
During this journey, the visitor will board a Phoenician ship and go to discover the temples in the ancient area of Pyrgi. The city was one of the ports of Caere (ancient Cerveteri) and between the 6th and 4th centuries BC. it represented one of the most important commercial ports in the Mediterranean basin and possessed at least two sanctuaries of international importance: a temple from the end of the 6th century BC. dedicated to Uni/Astarte (called Temple B in the excavation area) and a temple from the first half of the 5th century BC. dedicated to Thesan/Leucotea (Temple A) in addition to the famous “gold sheets” found on 8 July 1964 during an excavation campaign directed by Massimo Pallottino near Santa Severa.
Santa Severa Castle
SS1 Via Aurelia, Km 52,600
Santa Marinella (Rome)
Lazio – Italy
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