Here we are again, after a long and high-calorie Christmas break, trying to resume the threads of our discourse on accessible tourism. To do this, we go just outside the borders of Campania, crossing the Garigliano river on the SS 7 Appia which marks the border with Lazio. The destination of this excursion is the historical-archaeological park of Minturnae, which is located in the municipal area of Minturno (LT), in Marina di Minturno - Foce del Garigliano, a short distance from the mouth, on the right bank of the river. The park currently includes the archaeological area of Minturnae (corresponding to part of the Roman colony deduced in 296 BC) and the Royal Ferdinando Bourbon Bridge. These and other news are taken from the website of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage http://archeologialazio.beniculturali.it/it/173/minturno. So let's start taking a look at the Royal Ferdinando Bourbon Bridge, which was designed by Eng. Luigi Giura and inaugurated in 1832. It is the first overhead catenary bridge in Italy, so light on the river that it was defined by Byron as “the bridge of the fairies”. Restored by ANAS in concert with the Superintendence for Architectural Heritage of Caserta following the deterioration it suffered from the destruction during the war of Liberation, it was entrusted in December 2007 for use by the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Lazio
So, before starting the visit to the archaeological area, we follow the dirt road (feasible by car) that runs along the right bank of the river to the sea:
We retrace the road that runs along the river in the opposite direction and enter the parking lot (with spaces reserved for the disabled) of the archaeological park of Minturnae. The highlights of the park, easily accessible for us, are undoubtedly the Museum and the Theater. The Museum of Minturnae is set up in the ambulatories of the Roman theater, where statues, inscriptions, architectural decorations, coins from the Roman city and the territory are exhibited. The theater was built in the Republican age; survived centuries of turbulent historical events, heavily damaged in 1943-44 due to its proximity to the Gustav line, it was gradually restored in the second half of the century, with the aim of returning it to use as a building for shows. The Museum was inaugurated in 1984, in the places where the finds excavated in the years 1931-1933 had been hospitalized during the last years of the war. Here are some pictures of the finds and the theater:
The rest of the archaeological area of Minturnae is not so easy to travel in a wheelchair, so we limit ourselves to offering you some images of the Macellum, the ancient market:
At the end of the visit to Minturnae, to refresh ourselves we recommend taking the car back and reaching Formia, where there is an excellent fish restaurant, which meets our accessibility requirements: Chinappi (*): Via Anfiteatro 8, Formia 0771 790002 www.chinappiformia.it (*) symbol indicating the presence of toilets equipped for the physically disabled Finding yourself in Formia, if you are not yet satisfied with archeology, pay a visit to the Archaeological Museum of Formia (http://www.archeologialazio.beniculturali.it/it/170/formia), a small site but full of suggestive finds:
