Picco di Circe, from Torre Paola to San Felice
From the mouth of Lake Paola you climb straight up through the holm oaks and follow the ridge of the Circeo promontory to the Picco di Circe, with the sea below on both sides and the Pontine Islands on the horizon, then descend to San Felice.
- Difficulty
- EE Expert hikers
- Length
- 6.5 km
- Elevation gain
- +510 m / −460 m
- Time
- 4–5 hours (one way)
- Route
- Point to point
- Altitude
- 75–475 m
- Season
- Spring Autumn Winter
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The story
According to tradition, this is the promontory of the sorceress Circe, who in the Odyssey turned Ulysses' companions into swine. On the summit and above San Felice are the remains of the polygonal walls of an ancient acropolis. The promontory is part of the Circeo National Park, one of the oldest in Italy, established in 1934.
Why go
Because it is a real mountain trail high above the sea, an hour and a half from Rome.
Practical information
- Start
- Torre Paola (Sabaudia)
- Finish
- San Felice Circeo
- Best time
- October–May
- Parking
- Car park near Torre Paola (paid in summer).
- By public transport
- Buses from Latina and Terracina to Sabaudia and San Felice; few services between the two towns, so a taxi is a better option.
- Water
- None along the trail: carry at least two litres.
- Shade
- Holm oak woods on the first climb, then a sunny ridge.
- Huts and refreshments
- None.
- With children
- No: steep, with exposed rocky sections.
Weather at the start
The forecast for the next 7 days at this spot: sky, temperatures, rain and wind.
Forecast by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), from the models of national weather services. Your browser downloads it directly from Open-Meteo, and only when you ask. In the mountains and at sea the weather changes quickly: check the official forecast as well before you set off.
What to see on the route and nearby
More hikes in Lazio
- 2★ Monte Gelato Falls in the Treja ValleyE 6.4 km · +80 m · 2–2.5 hours · out and back
- 3Monte Orlando, GaetaT 2.9 km · +240 m · 1.5–2 hours · point to point
Routes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via Waymarked Trails and BRouter; elevations from a digital terrain model. Times and elevation gains are indicative: waymarks on the ground and closure orders always take precedence.