Famous coastal town of the province of Rome, located on the border with of the Maremma area, the territories of Santa Marinella were home of several settlements since the Neolithic period, as evidenced by archaeological finds. In particular, in the Tabula Peutingeriana, the today Santa Marinella, is indicated with the name of "Statio ad Punicum" (indicating the intense trade relations with the Carthaginians), and is located between Pyrgi (modern Santa Severa) and Castrum Novum (location now known with the name of Torre Chiaruccia). The district of Pyrgi was a thriving commercial port since the VII century B.C., in which Greeks, Phoenicians and Carthaginians used to trade. In the outskirts of the centre stood an ancient Sanctuary with temples entitled to Eileithyia-Leukothea, to Apollo and to the Etruscan divinity Uni (known by the Phoenician as Astarte), altars and shrines of other minor divinities, such as: Cavatha and Suri. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the coasts of Lazio were continually flagellated by Saracen invasions. To remedy this, Pope Pius V ,in 1567, ordered the construction of a series of defensive watchtowers along the coast between Terracina and Civitavecchia.

Sites of Interest:
- the Odescalchi Castle, which overlooks the marina of Santa Marinella. Built on the ruins of the villa of Ulpiano and the ancient Punicum. It was erected in the XV century, and incorporates a pre-existing central cylindrical watchtower. It was the property of the Lords of Vico, the Anguillara, the Orsini, the Ospedale of Santo Spirito in Sassia and finally, since 1887, to the Odescalchi, the current owners.
- the Castle of Santa Severa, built on the ruins of the ancient Etruscan settlement of Pyrgi and the remains of an ancient Roman fortress, whose traces are still visible in the base of the castle. In medieval times it belonged to several wealthy noble families, until it was ceded to the Ospedale of Santo Spirito Family. Since the 80s of the XX century, it is owned by the municipality of Santa Marinella;
- the remains of Roman bridges along the ancient Via Aurelia;
- the remains of a Roman seaside villa, on a promontory overlooking the sea, along the Via Aurelia;
- the remains of a Roman villa that belonged to the jurist Ulpiano, discovered during an excavation that began in the XIX century and during recent years which have been brought to light numerous statues, now on display in some of the major museums around the World;
- the remains of Roman maritime colony of Castrum Novum;
- the remains of an Etruscan settlement on a hill called La Castellina;
- the Roman artificial lake built for fish farming (I century B.C.) and Etruscan sanctuary (530 B.C.) on Punta della Vipera;
- several Villas in Art Nouveau style, built at the turn of the century, such as: Villa Emanuele, Villa Bettina and Villa Cerrano);
- the Civic Museum, located in the district of the Castle of Santa Severa;
- the beautiful beaches.