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."
