Ninfa was a medieval town near Sermoneta abandoned by the 18th century on account of the encroachment of marshland and prevalence of malaria. In 1765 the former town hall was transformed into a barn by Francesco Caetani, Duke of Sermoneta, and Pope Pius VI started a reclamation of the marshes, though the project was abandoned. The garden at Ninfa and its surroundings languished as a neglected part of the Caetani domain until the 20th century, when the estate was renovated and the garden was transformed. Norba, an ancient town of Latium, is situated 1 mile northwest of the modern town of Norma, on the western edge of the Volscian Mountains. The town is perched above a precipitous cliff with an extensive view over the Pomptine Marshes.
