“A ROMAN SUMMER ISN’T A REAL Roman summer without a stay in Sperlonga,” says my friend Gioia, an Eternal City native. She’s been going there every August for twenty years. “It’s where we all had our first boyfriends,” she sighs.

Set high up on a seaside cliff, Sperlonga’s historic center has the ambiance of an old Greek city: a pedestrian-only labyrinth of whitewashed stone buildings connected by stairways and arched alleys. Though now it’s basically a tourist town, Sperlonga retains the quaint atmosphere of its fishing village days—pre-1957, before a road was built to reach this place. It’s always attracted liberal, creative types like the Italian writer Natalie Ginzburg who had a home here. And because it’s positioned halfway between Rome and Naples, it’s a popular spot with visitors from both cities.

Stretching out below the town are immaculately raked beaches of golden sand and the tantalizing, rolling, cobalt sea. Modern beach establishments cover the area north of Sperlonga harbor, but to the south is where you’ll find the treasures of free beaches and classic clubs, where rentals of umbrellas and chairs are about twenty euros. Gioia’s advice is to head to Lido Grotta dei Delfini. “It’s one of the quieter beaches, with beautiful wide white umbrellas, and room to spread out and enjoy everything.”

In the evenings, the Sperlonga piazzetta is a charming place to relax with a cocktail and enjoy a sunset view. And in traditional Italian beach-town fashion, outdoor movies are shown—a different one every night to entertain the whole family.

For a break from the sun, walking south along the shore takes you to the Museo Archeologico di Sperlonga—ruins of a Roman villa, cave, and museum. Here’s where the Emperor Tiberius, who reigned from A.D. 14 to A.D. 37, would come to party, before he moved permanently to Capri. The cave had an island inside it that was his banquet room, and submerged in the surrounding waters were sculptures that told stories from Homer’s Odyssey. You can see in the museum these enormous statues of such dramatic scenes as the multi-headed Scylla she-monster eating up Odysseus’s crew or the blinding of the Cyclops Polyphemus.

Museo Archeologico di Sperlonga: www.sperlonga.it

Golden Day: Get to Lido Grotta dei Delfini (www.grottadeidelfini.it, entrance fee of 20 to 30 euros includes umbrellas and beach beds). Enjoy a seafood dinner with a view at Tramonto Bistrot (Corso San Leone 21, 0771 549597). Stay in the historic center at Hotel Corallo (www.corallohotel.com), a cozy three-star.

How to get there: It’s best to drive, which takes about two hours from Rome. Or take a train from Roma Termini to the Fondi-Sperlonga stop, and then connect to Sperlonga by bus or taxi.

TIP: Best months to visit are May and October. Avoid weekends in July and August, when it’s mobbed with Italian vacationers.