Formia

Formia is a town in the province of Latina, in Lazio, overlooking the Gulf of Gaeta on the Tyrrhenian Sea, between the coast and the last foothills of the Aurunci Mountains, which within its territory reach 1,368 metres at Monte Altino. It has around 36,700 inhabitants according to ISTAT (2026). Of Auruncan origin, it enters history in 338 BC, and in Roman times it was a favoured holiday spot, with villas such as that of Cicero, who was murdered nearby in 43 BC; the so-called Tomb of Cicero, a 24-metre mausoleum beside the ancient Appian Way, is its best-known monument. The present town was formed in 1820 by merging the villages of Mola and Castellone and took the name Formia in 1862; its territory includes the Gianola and Monte di Scauri regional park.

Formia is a landmark of Italian sport thanks to CONI's 'Bruno Zauli' Olympic Training Centre, founded as the National Athletics School and opened in 1955, where athletes such as Pietro Mennea and Giuseppe Gibilisco trained. Since 2008 it has also been an IAAF world pole vault centre, and its facilities host national team training camps and the Italian Tennis Federation's national women's technical centre. Clubs based in the town include the football side A.S.D. Città di Formia and Amatori Rugby Formia, founded in 2005, and the Washington Parisio stadium is its main ground.

Formia takes part in the European Week of Sport 2026 through ACES Activa, with activities open to the public published on the platform. This involvement links a long tradition of elite performance with the promotion of physical activity among its residents.