The limestone promontory that defines San Felice Circeo, rising to 541 metres from the flat Pontine Plain in a dramatic rocky mass covered in holm oak. In mythology, this is the island of Aeaea — the home of the sorceress Circe who turned Odysseus's men into pigs and kept the hero here for a year. The geography has shifted over millennia (the promontory was once a true island), but the association is old and the landscape earns the legend.
The summit trail from the village takes two to three hours return through the national park, climbing steeply through dense forest to a ridge walk with views over the Pontine Islands and the coastal lagoons. The path is marked but can be slippery in wet weather. The Grotta Guattari, near the base of the promontory, is a UNESCO-listed cave and one of the most important Neanderthal sites in the world — arrange visits in advance through the national park.