Day Ten - The Beaches of Anzio
The Beach of Anzio
(Click to Enlarge)
Some Rocky Areas of the Coast
(Click to Enlarge)The train ride was a short hour as we snacked on an odd assortment of goodies we picked up from the market. Before we knew it, we found ourselves in the small town of Anzio.
Anzio is notable as the site of an Allied forces landing (Operation Shingle) and ensuing four-month battle (Anzio Campaign) during World War II. The Commonwealth Anzio War Cemetery and Beach Head War Cemetery are located here. This battle was featured prominantly in the film Saving Private Ryan.
Not sure where exactly to go, we walked toward the water, which was about 1/8 mile away and reached a small downtown area.
We set out to find some pasta and this took some doing. A lot of the ristorantes were closed or not exactly what we were looking for and there was a much greater language barrier in this small town. When we finally did find a place, we placed an order for pasta with rock fish and received instead just the fish. The fish was excellent though and we ordered some pasta afterward.
The Island of Ponza near Anzio
(Click to Enlarge)We walked along the beach and spotted some paddleboats. We rented a locker and a boat and took a trip out into the sea, where we swam a bit and explored the coastline.
We returned the boat and then walked down further to investigate some caves and caverns we'd seen from the sea. When we got there we found that the caves were now being used by homeless people and some other young campers. We waded around in the water until it got too deep then walked back to town.
The language barrier crept up on us again when we went for some pizza, but the woman behind the counter was very friendly about the confusion and we eventually pointed to the type we wanted. It was getting late, so we walked back up the hill to the station and rode back to Roma.
Our last night in Italia was a quiet one, with a late snack and some drinks before turning in. We'd wake early and catch the train to the airport.
It was an incredible trip. My first to Euorpe. I'm very eager to return.
Ciao!
