Formia

Renowned tourist destination since ancient times, Formia (from the Latin Hormiae, "harbor") is located in the heart of the Gulf of Gaeta, and assumed importance especially starting from 312 BC, when the Romans decided to pass through the city the way Appia. Because of the beauty of its landscape, it was chosen as a retreat by characters of the caliber of Gaius Clinio Mecenate and Marco Tullio Cicero (who was killed in Formia in the winter of 43 BC by the assassins of Marco Antonio).

The city experienced a phase of depopulation and decline with the end of the Western Roman Empire: the inhabitants, harassed by the barbarian invasions and by the war, gave birth to two new residential nuclei, that of Mola di Gaeta and Castellone.

It became a municipality in 1862, and in January 1944 Formia was devastated by bombing. This painful episode led to the destruction of a large part of the historical and artistic heritage of the city, which however is still considerable.

From the point of view of craftsmanship , the city boasts a whole series of productions: terracotta, ceramics, iron and so on.

Regarding the gastronomy, there is a choice: between the typical dishes include the fact spaghetti with sparnocchie, the tiesto Formiano, the stuffed squid, the cod with olives and tomato, the spaghetti with the octopus, the spaghetti formiana, the  vaccarielli, the crushed olives and wild fennel, the soup of cabbage and pork and ciavarrotto.