Gaeta has everything, beautiful beaches, a long history and a magnificent setting on a triangular promontory jutting out into the sea. Its curved waterfront and harbour look out over a large bay, with the medieval district of Sant’Erasmo clustered on the slopes behind, dominated by a large fortress. The most important monuments are found in medieval Gaeta, including the 14th century Church dell’Annunziata and the Cathedral of SS. Erasmo and Marciano, the patrons of the city. The Cathedral’s 13th century bell tower is a true masterpiece, topped with an octagonal tower of Islamic inspiration. The ancient Church of San Giovanni a Mare by the port has a sloping floor, allowing high tide to drain away. The remains of the castle are composed of two distinct complexes, the Angevin (13th century) and the Aragonese (around 1440). From the top of a flight of steps the Church of San Francesco, Gaeta’s most conspicuous, dominates the whole borgo and the sea below with its neo-Gothic façade. On the top of the promontory, the cliffs present a great vertical fissure, called Montagna Spaccata (split mountain) said to have occurred at the moment of the Crucifixion of Christ. The Sanctuary of the Montagna Spaccata and the Church of the Trinity were built here to commemorate the event. To the left is the splendid Cave of the Turk, lair of a Turkish pirate captain who left his handprint in the rock wall.