Weekend in Latina

Lively open-air market held twice weekly in the main square. Stalls sell fresh produce, clothes, and household goods.

Tip: Go early, around 8am, for the best fruit and vegetables. Try the local mozzarella from a stall called 'Caseificio' – they're usually the busiest.

Indoor market hall selling fresh local produce, cheese, cured meats, and seafood. Lively in the morning, quieter by 1pm.

Tip: Buy a bag of fried artichokes from the stall at the back entrance. Cash only for most stalls.

Plain 1930s cathedral with a tall bell tower and a simple interior. Part of the city's Fascist-era architectural plan.

Tip: Check if the crypt is open – it contains a small museum on the foundation of Latina. Photo permits are free but ask at the office.

Modernist cathedral from 1932 built in pale travertine, with a tall bell tower and a simple, luminous interior. The campanile is visible from most of the city.

Tip: The crypt is free and has a small exhibition on the original Roman settlement that predates the cathedral.

Small museum in the town hall complex showing the history of the Pontine Marshes reclamation. Exhibits include old tools, photos, and scale models.

Tip: Free entry but ask the guard to unlock the upstairs room for the best diorama. Allow 40 minutes.

Small local museum in Palazzo della Cultura showing archaeological finds from the area, some Roman artefacts, and temporary exhibitions.

Tip: Go on a weekday morning to avoid school groups. The staff often let you browse the locked storage room if you ask nicely.

Small ethnographic museum in a former school, displaying tools and photos of the land reclamation that created modern Latina.

Tip: The curator is often there and will tell you stories if you show interest. Look for the 1930s propaganda posters in the back room.

Unfinished monument started in the 1930s, originally intended as a fascist-themed park. Now a strange concrete ruin with wide staircases and views over the city.

Tip: Go at sunset for good light and fewer people. The site is unfenced so no set hours.

Museum in a former tobacco factory showing the history of land reclamation in the Pontine Marshes, with farm tools, maps and photographs.

Tip: Go on the first Sunday of the month for the free guided tour at 11am — they open the archive room normally locked.

Main square with the cathedral and a large fountain. Surrounded by porticoes with cheap cafes and benches. Good for people-watching.

Tip: The cathedral is free to enter but closes at noon and reopens at 4pm. Best coffee is at Bar Centrale on the north side.