A Day Trip up into the Castelli Romani

We woke up with a bit more energy this morning (haha......fooling ourselves a bit).  It was another nice sunny day and the forecast was for more clouds and rain possible later in the week, so we planned accordingly.

We are getting our transit system down pretty well; a strong team approach and an agreement to not yell at each other!  We are actually good team.......my driving and Andrea's navigating with Google Maps.  While the dynamic of having a third voice in the car (Siri) is at times a bit stressful, the process really works.  We wove our way through Roman morning rush hour without a mishap.  The route was a bit complicated (hard to imagine without a phone) but we carved a path and made it first to Frascati.

Frascati is famous for its notable villas, which were built from the 16th century onwards by Popes, cardinals and Roman nobles as "status symbols" of Roman aristocracy. These country houses were designed for social activities rather than farming. The villas are substantially well preserved, or have been carefully and authentically restored following damage during World War II.
The Villa Aldobrandini is a villa in Frascati that is still the property of, and still lived in by, the Aldobrandini family, it is known as Belvedere for its charming location overlooking the valley toward the city of Rome. It has the only grand Papal garden not owned by the state.

The reality of Villa Aldobrandini is a bit surprising.  On the one hand, it is clearly the largest, most imposing, villa we have visited in Italy.  On the other hand, it is a bit worn on the edges and has a strangely romantic and sylvan quality to the grounds.......a bit overgrown with the sound of water cascading down the hillside and birds singing in the forest.  We were quite taken by the atmosphere, and the sculptures in the hillside gardens were amazing.

We finished up in Frascati just before noon and it was still to early for lunch, so we decided to head a bit south to Castel Gandolfo.  Within the town's boundaries lies the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo which served as a summer residence and vacation retreat for the pope. Although the palace is located within the borders of Castel Gandolfo, it has extraterritorial status as one of the properties of the Holy See and is not under Italian jurisdiction. We think this is where Pope Benedict XVI went after he retired.......quite a place to escape to!

The resort community includes almost the whole coastline of Lake Albano which is surrounded by many summer residences, villas, and cottages built during the 17th century. It houses the Stadio Olimpico that staged the rowing events during the Rome Olympics.

The little town center at the ridge of Mount Alban was fairly busy.  We almost "challenged" another car to a parking space that we thought we saw first, but when the passenger jumped out and positioned himself in the middle of the space, we thought better and drove on! There is a fun little beach community down at the bottom of the hill, right on the lake.  We walked a bit along the shore looking for a place to grab some coffee, but most of the shops were closed as it is Monday......a day of "closure" for many businesses.

This is where we started to realize we were in porchetta country!

cut the porchetta.......forget the gloves!

The next stop for us was Ariccia.  We had a wonderfully scenic drive to get there through vineyards and olive groves.  Particularly beautiful were the wild poppies!  Each of the towns we visited were only 10 - 15 miles apart.......and the whole region is just less than 20 miles from Rome, yet it feels like you have driven to the depths of Tuscany!

Arriccia is also located on a high promontory and has some crazy, winding streets to get to the main historic 'centro' area.  What we realized having visited these three towns is that this is truly the heart of 'pig gastronomy' and the true home of porchetta.  Arricia, in particular, has a large number of restaurants in the center, all of which serve virtually nothing but porchetta and related dishes.  We also realized that there were more people at these restaurants because Monday this week is between Sunday, and the National holiday on Tuesday, May 1st.......so it looks like folks were taking a long weekend.  It also became clear that there was no school today.

We drifted around a bit and decided on a restaurant with outdoor seating on the main piazza.  Most of the other restaurants were on the street leading into the square, so this one was a little quieter.  We had a very nice waitress (who spoke absolutely no English) that guided us through the best ways to eat porchetta.  She led me into the restaurant (about 8 feet wide) and described - should say pointed - to condiments on the serving counter that could be combined with the porchetta.  She recommended a panino (toasted bread sandwich) with porchetta, a small amount of cheese, and some marinated, sun-dried tomatoes.  Add in some wine, water and espresso & cookies........and it was one of the best meals we have had.  Andrea actually says it was in the top 5 of all time!

the view from our table.......a genuine Bernini designed facade to the main piazza........too bad that the cars are still allowed!

After this high point, we decided to call it a day and head back into Rome.  Siri sent us in a different direction, apparently avoiding traffic on the autostrada.  The path took us on some very nice back roads close to the Appian Way.  We came to the outer walls of Rome right by the Catacombs of San Sebastiano (a hypogeum cemetery in Rome) rising along Via Appia Antica, in the Ardeatino Quarter. They are one of the very few Christian burial places that have always been accessible.  We visited some of these places years ago and found it rather disturbing......so kept on driving!

Back on the Gianicolo, we made an attempt to find a grocery store that was open, as we had not shopped for anything to deal with Tuesday being a holiday.......when absolutely everything is closed.  Most of the shops were closed today on Via Carini, but we found one small market, and grabbed a few essentials......particularly fresh strawberries which are in high season right now.

By the time we were back in the apartment it was past 5:00.......just enough time to collapse for a rest and get ready for dinner at 8:00.  We decided to eat in the main dining room tonight as Monday is when new guests arrive, and they are announced by the Director.  There were some interesting new faces in the room and most of them (5) sat at our table.  We just need to remember all their names! Aside from the two of us and Joe and Cathy, there were Linda, Hope, Robin and a couple at the far end of the table that we didn't get a chance to talk to.

Anyway, Andrea and I opted for the vegetarian meal tonight, as the main course was rabbit sausage.  We thought the porchetta was enough for one day!

Sunday again and a vision of REST!

We woke up this morning to another sunny prospect.  We did notice a couple of thin, wispy clouds which were gone by 9:30!

This is a blue sky!

There were a certain amount of stiff joints and muscles resulting from yesterday's escapades, so we agreed to try to slow down a bit......although we have said this regularly since we arrived, without much success!

First step today........another load of laundry!

Eleanor gave Andrea this beautiful plant from her studio.

Then we decided to take a look at the park around Villa Sciarra, which is very close to the Academy.  It is only a 5 minute walk.  We were not sure what to expect, as some people we met here.......and others in travel articles.....rave about the grounds.  Others, however, were less enthusiastic.  In the end, I think we agreed with the latter.  The park was once quite a magnificent place.  Now, unfortunately, it is a bit overgrown and in need of maintenance.  Still, it is heavily used and there is a great playground for the children.  There were also a lot of people picnicing.......and cooling their bottles of prosecco in the many fountains in the park.  The place was enjoyed for being quiet and a step away from the traffic and noise of the city. It was also a great place for walking dogs and riding bicycles!

On the way back we could not resist stopping at Bar Gianicolo for some coffee!  It has become our favorite hang-out.  It is a really great place to sit back and watch (and listen) as people come and go.

For lunch we had agreed to get together with Joe, Cathy and Donna.  Joe is the former Dean of the Law School at the University of Cincinnati, Cathy is his wife and Donna is the Director of Chesterwood in Stockbridge, MA (the homestead of the sculptor Daniel Chester French). We went close by in Monteverde to the Ristorante Scarpone (which sounds like something out of the Godfather!)  It is actually a very nice restaurant with a large terrace for outdoor seating.  It was a bit more crowded than we anticipated, but fortunately Joe had made a reservation.  The meal was quite good, but sitting under the ivy covered trellis on a beautiful Sunday afternoon....alone.... made it a wonderful experience.  We got back from lunch around 3:45!  Just in time for a Sunday Siesta!

Carciofo alla Guidia.......amazing!

Later in the afternoon (early evening) we spent some time in the studio.  It is a wonderful way to shift gears and change our pace.  We will miss this!

For dinner we decided to make sandwiches and have a picnic over on the back lawn.  It was another amazing evening........great temperature, beautiful setting sun and a remarkable sense of quiet.  There was another small group of families with children having a cook out which helped keep a sense of reality.  We had an unexpected opportunity to talk to Addie on the phone (with Alex at Russel's in the fairy garden).  It was really special to talk with her.

could not resist the sunset reflecting on our villa!

We are now winding down and talking about what to do tomorrow.  Another sunny day is forecast, which will make 17 in a row with exceptional sunny weather!  The prediction, however, is that clouds and some rain may move in on Tuesday.  We have been so lucky!