Montagna Spaccata is a cliff on the seaward side of Monte Orlando, cut by three vertical fissures that run from the summit down to the water. They are wide enough to walk into and deep enough that the sea sounds a long way below.
Built directly against the split is the Santuario della Santissima Trinita, founded by Benedictine monks in the eleventh century. Rock, sanctuary and sea arrive together, which is why the site draws walkers and pilgrims in roughly equal numbers. It sits fifteen minutes from the old town.
The legend
Local tradition holds that the rock broke at the moment of the Crucifixion, and that the three fissures opened as a sign of it.
The best-known version of the story involves a Turkish sailor who refused to believe it.
He put his hand against the stone in defiance, and the rock is said to have given way beneath it, keeping the print. Whether or not you find the print convincing, the Mano del Turco is still there, and still the first thing anyone points at.
The legend of the split mountain is worth knowing before you go, but it is not the reason the place works. Standing inside a fissure that runs from a hilltop down to the sea does most of that on its own.
What there is to see
The sanctuary is built into the split rather than beside it, so you walk through the rock to reach it. Inside are a majolica Via Crucis and a small chapel raised on a boulder that fell into the fissure in the fifteenth century and wedged there.
It has been a place of pilgrimage for a thousand years and it is still a working sanctuary, so the usual rules apply: shoulders and knees covered, and quiet inside. Opening hours are limited and change with the season, so it is worth checking the day before rather than turning up.
The Grotta del Turco is the other thing people come for: a cave open to the sea, reached by a stairway cut into the fissure. The light comes off the water and up the walls, and it changes hour by hour. Access to the lower part is not always open, so treat the viewing terrace as the destination and anything beyond it as a bonus.
The old town below is worth an hour on the way back down: narrow lanes, a run of medieval churches, and the castle standing over them. The Parco di Monte Orlando starts here too, with marked paths, a Roman mausoleum at the summit, and views over both sides of the gulf at once.
Where to eat afterwards
The walk back down leaves most people hungry, and the seafront is where you will find the better restaurants in Gaeta.
If you want a table with the water in front of it and a kitchen that works with whatever the boats bring in, Waves is the easy answer for dinner as the light goes, and just as good for a slow lunch after a morning on the steps.
Practical notes
Allow two to three hours for the climb, the sanctuary and the descent towards the cave. Early morning is the best of it: cooler on the steps, and quieter inside.
The steps are the thing to plan for. They are steep, uneven and often damp, so shoes with grip matter more than anything else you bring, and the lower stretch can be closed when the sea is rough.
Check the sanctuary's opening times the day before rather than turning up, take water in summer, and keep in mind that it is still a working church: shoulders and knees covered, phones away inside.
Book your table now, and finish the day on the seafront at Waves.
