If you're driving between Rome and Naples, consider taking the Via Flacca, or SS-213, along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Pull off the road south of Sperlonga and spend an hour visiting the Grotto of Tiberius and the adjacent museum. You won't be sorry.
Emperor Tiberius ruled the Roman empire from A.D. 14 to A.D. 37. He built several seaside villas during his reign, including, many historians believe, this villa-and-grotto complex near Sperlonga. Today you can visit the ruins of the villa, walk inside the grotto and see the amazing statues found in front of the grotto.
Tiberius loved the legend of Odysseus, the Greek hero who wandered for years after the end of the Trojan War. The beachfront villa included a dining room ("triclinium" in Latin) that featured a view of the natural cave. Inside the cave, colossal statues reminded guests of Odysseus' adventures, including Scylla tossing the hero's ship and Odysseus and his companions blinding the Cyclops Polyphemus.
