Lazio-Roma

And when you have really “done” all the sights, you still need days on end just to taste the atmosphere, to shop, browse through the flea-markets, e.g. the one of Trastevere, sit on many a terrace tasting an espresso, a wine or a beer, discovering little restaurants, cycle along the Via Appia, or to do a cooking course. Rome is a city to be experienced, and does not allow itself to be caught easily.

The rich, Roman past
Although Rome, with its numberless works of art and its rich history, is the number one in the region of Lazio to visit, around this city, the capital of Italy, there is much more to discover and enjoy. Lazio has quite a lot of other, interesting cities such as Viterbo, of Etruscan origin. Ostia Antica and Tivoli have very interesting Roman ruins, taking you many ages back. There also are some lakes, each with their own, special beauty, such as the Lago di Bracciano, where Tom Cruise celebrated his wedding. When you leave the city of Rome, you soon reach the district of the Castelli Romani, so called because of the many Roman castles, and the mountains of the Prenestini and Lepini with archaeological sites, historical abbeys, Medieval villages and baroque villas. The region has many famous wines. You will enjoy the fresh air and rural beauty, and the sea is not far away. Try out the local restaurants. You will not find them in any guide, but they will titillate your palate for not too much money.

And, by the way, if you are interested to celebrate your own wedding party in the spectacular Castle in Bracciano, like Tom Cruise did, you only have to ask us……

Food and fountains squirting wine
The simple restaurants, the “fraschette”, will offer you pecorino cheese, grilled porc from Ariccia, the classic bucatini dall’ amatricia (a kind of spaghetti with bacon, tomatoes, chilli peppers and pecorino cheese), home-made bread and lamb, with excellent local wines. Lazio has many yearly festivals, such as the Sagra dell’ Uva, the festival of the grapes in Marino, when the fountains squirt wine, or the festival of the Corpus Domini in Genzano, when the main street is covered with flowers in a riot of colours. In Viterbo, the Macchina de Santa Rosa, a tower of about 30 metres high, is carried yearly through the narrow streets by about 150 inhabitants.

Lazio “underground”
When you visit Viterbo, you could as well get acquainted with Tuscia, the land of the Etruscans.
This very old culture you will also find in Norchia and Castel d’ Asso and, when in Castel d’ Asso, do not forget to see the Tomb of the Queen, with a grotto and an enormous labyrinth of tunnels and corridors. Nearby the city of Tarquinia, there are about 6000 painted tombs to admire.

Aristocratic villas
It goes without saying that the Romans, so close to their capital, put their firm mark on the region but nevertheless, there are also many Medieval villages and small towns to admire, glued, as it were, on strategic points against hilltops, such as Sutri, Calcata, Labro, Farfa and Sarmoneta.

But Lazio has yet another special point of interest, where architecture, history and landscape get together in perfect harmony: the aristocratic villa’s; a great number of summer residences of the nobility and many a Pope, who fled the fierce Roman summer heat to enjoy some fresh air in the country side. Some of these villas have been rebuilt into very exclusive hotels. Do not miss the Villa Adriana in Tivoli, the Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati and then a fantastic garden, the Giardino di Ninfa – the garden of the nymphs – in Bagnaia.

Starting in Rome you can make many a beautiful trip into the rest of Lazio, but of course the other way round is also very possible. From a location in Lazio, you can easily “do” a day in Rome and enjoy the evening back in the much fresher air of the country side. The train connections are very good and absolutely not expensive. There are some large parking lots on the outskirts of Rome, in case you want to go by car and by bus or train for the last part.