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In Greek mythology, Aiaia, or
Aeaea, was the home of the goddess Circe.
Though the somewhat inconsistent geography of the Odyssey is more mythic
than literal, Aiaia was later identified by classical Roman writers with mount
Circeo on Cape Circaeum on
the western coast of Italy - circa 100 km south of Rome - which may have looked like an island due to the marshes and sea surrounding its base but it is, in fact, a
small peninsula. It was already a peninsula in the days of Dionysius of Halicarnassus, according to his work.
However, it may have been still an island in the days of Circe, with a long "lido" or sandy
peninsula that gradually became attached to the mainland, by a common geological development. The cave of Circe the sorceress
still exists here, it is called "Grotta della Maga Circe."
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