We took a trip about an hour north to Gaeta, where we heard there is a fantastic Christmas lights display.  We started out in a medieval town called Maranola, where we found historical landmarks in a quiet village where, thankfully, with the help of a man who spoke only a version of Italian that we couldn’t understand, we found a tiny shop with sandwiches to satisfy our hungry tummies.  Then we headed to the top of the Aurunci mountains, our new favorite hiking spot.  The mountains were covered in low clouds, and it was really fun to walk through the clouds together.  Next we visited Santuario della Montagna Spaccata and Grotta del Turco in Gaeta.  Then we played on the beautiful, sandy beach and watched the sun go down on the sea horizon.  After the sunlight was gone, the Christmas lights turned on.  We saw lights all over town (only a couple of them are photographed below, but they were all over town!), and then discovered a little Christmas market (and ice rink!) where we got thick, delicious hot chocolate.  To finish the day we went to a rotisserie for yummy roasted chicken and potatoes.  What a great day!