Lazio Explorer

My ABCs of Travel

2012-02-03T23:21:00.000Z

I'm not too bothered with lists, especially those that try to distill a lifetime of travelling into 26 answers. However, as Francesca, of 'A Saucepan and a Suitcase' food and travel blog fame has directly asked me (and bugged me!), here, for one time only, is my list, distilled into 26 (ish) answers. Here's my ABC of Travel... A: Age you went on your first international trip: I guess I must...

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Orvieto - a trip in Umbria

2012-01-15T17:55:00.001Z

Orvieto is a hilltop city in the Province of Terni, in Umbria, about 1.5-2hrs north of Rome (about 100km). This is all well and good, but it's in Umbria, not Lazio, so why is it here, on Lazioexplorer? Well, Orvieto is just outside Lazio, it's even within a day trip of Rome (although it would be a long day), and, as you'll read, there's plenty to see and do there to make it worth the...

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Presepi - Nativity scenes in Lazio

2012-01-03T15:00:00.000Z

As I tweeted a few days ago, there isn't much to do around New Year in Italy. Most shops close (apart from the big franchises) and everyone stays at home to spend time playing tombola with their extended families. So what can you do if you want to get out of the house for a few hours? Well, there is something to do that combines a sense of tradition, festive cheer, religion and of the owner...

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Italy in Books - 2011 Review

2011-12-20T22:57:00.000Z

Well, I almost made it. I almost read one book about Italy per month, for a year. Almost. But not quite. I haven't done a December book review. By the way, if you want to check out the December reviews on the Book after Book website, from those clever folk who have better time-management skills than me, click here. I've enjoyed the challenge, although sometimes it's been tough reading one...

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Italy in Books - A Death in Tuscany by Michele Giuttari

2011-11-29T19:03:00.001Z

One of the most rewarding aspects of writing a blog is forming relationships with fellow bloggers and tweeters with similar interests. Thanks to one of these relationships, with LindyLouMac, I have the pleasure of reviewing a book I wouldn't normally choose to read, a crime thriller. This review is my November entry for the 'Italy in Books' challenge. Click this link for the other November...

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Beaches around Rome

2011-11-27T12:08:00.001Z

Rome is famed for its history, drama, food and culture. But what if it's too much? What if you're all "historyed" out, you've done the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the foro romano, the Vatican...? What if you need a break from all the scooters, noise and dirt? Maybe it's time to head to the beach. Rome isn't famous for it's nearby beaches, however there are one or two that are well worth a visit....

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Chestnuts, wine, and Palazzo Farnese... a great day out this Saturday

2011-11-10T12:09:00.000Z

Regular readers will already know, I love Caprarola, the small comune near Viterbo, in northern Lazio. I don't need any excuse to go there. To see beautiful Palazzo Farnese, combined with a trip to lago di Vico, or simply to walk the streets and go to my favorite agriturismo. That's why I was so happy when I found out about the Castagne e Vino event in Caprarola this coming Saturday....

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Italy in Books - A season with Verona, by Tim Parks

2011-10-30T21:12:00.000Z

I couldn't manage it - The Italy in Books 2011 Reading Challenge that is, without a Tim Parks book. For many Italophilic readers, he will have been the entry point to Italy. But which book to choose? An Italian Education? Europa? Well, given this reader is a 'he' and interested in calcio, there can be only one. A Season with Verona - Travels around Italy in search of Illusion, National Character...

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Caprarola - Festa della Castagna

2011-10-20T20:15:00.001+01:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, now is the time for chestnuts in Italy. Earlier this month, there was a Sagra della Castagna in Soriano nel cimino, and now, until the end of October, there is another in the beautiful comune of Caprarola, around 73k (45 miles) north of Rome.The festival in Caprarola started last Saturday, and continues till the 6th November. The full schedule (in Italian), is...

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Italy in Books - Christ stopped at Eboli by Carlo Levi

2011-09-28T22:42:00.001+01:00

Christ stopped at Eboli by Carlo Levi was first published in 1945 and is a first-hand account of the author's exile in the towns of Basilicata during 1935-1936. I'm not sure why I chose it really. I guess one reason is curiosity. I've never been further south than Sorrento in Italy, and from speaking to my Nonna-in-law, I know Italy in 1935 was a very different place. I guess then, I wanted to...

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Chestnut festivals in Lazio - Sagre della Castagne

2011-09-25T23:55:00.001+01:00

It's harvest time in Lazio. That means only one thing in the province of Viterbo... Sagre delle Castagne! These festivals feature everything chestnut-y (Castanea sativa) and are thrown all over Northern Lazio. One of the largest is in Soriano nel Cimino, about 11km east of Viterbo, north of Lago di Vico. As with most sagre, it features a medieval parade and open air restaurants. What sets it...

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Fabulous Fondi

2011-09-13T16:50:00.001+01:00

Everyone knows that the best explorers don't do everything alone. They ask for help and advice along the way, not just from fellow travelers but also from the locals. An area I don't know so well is just south of Rome, the province of Latina. Here, guest blogger Rick Sotis gives us a personal tour of Fondi, a small town in the province of Latina, where he and his wife have a small holiday...

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Sagra della Porchetta!

2011-09-01T10:12:00.000+01:00

Every so often, something comes along that makes you thankful you're in Italy. Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, if you like pork, that something may involve the town of Ariccia, just south of Rome, right about now. For four days, from the 1st of September, Ariccia is home to a Sagra della Porchetta (festival of porchetta). The town of Ariccia, about 27km south-east of Rome, is one of the...

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Italy in Books - A Time in Rome by Elizabeth Bowen

2011-08-31T22:15:00.000+01:00

I'll be honest, I'd never heard of this book when I picked it up. I was in the local library, thinking about the Italy in Books reading challenge, looking for something different, when this book jumped out. I read it without any preconceptions or expectations. Was my impulsiveness rewarded or betrayed? Here's my review of A Time in Rome, by Elizabeth Bowen...It's not a guide book, nor is it a...

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La Macchina di Santa Rosa in Viterbo

2011-08-25T00:34:00.003+01:00

Saint Rose, or Santa Rosa, born in the Northern Lazio city of Viterbo in 1235, didn't have a lot of luck. She died at the end of her teens, although not before having set in motion her canonization over 200 years later, due to her holiness and miraculous powers. Unfortunately, even the sands of time have been unkind to Santa Rosa, as many of the records of her acts have since been lost,...

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The BIRG pass - your gateway to Lazio (and Rome)

2011-08-21T13:56:00.010+01:00

Imagine it, you've landed in Lazio, and you've got a few days to explore. You don't want the hassle of hiring a car, and you want the benefit of fully immersing yourself in Roman culture, through taking public transport. Perhaps you're staying outside of Rome and fancy getting the train in. Which ticket do I buy? The BIRG, or Biglietto Integrato Regionale Giornaliero, is an 'Integrated...

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Roman Holiday

2011-08-12T12:11:00.001+01:00

No, not the film with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, but August in Rome. Romans, as with many Italians, escape the suffocating summer heat of the city and head for the hills, or more commonly, the beach. Ferragosto, the 15th August, a midsummer Roman holiday, originally the Feast of the Assumption, marks the height of this summer exodus. The Catholic church celebrates this day as the...

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Italy in Books - The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

2011-07-31T22:23:00.005+01:00

I've wanted to read this book for a long time. You know how it goes, when a book and an author transcend their medium and become part of the cultural fabric of not just one country, but many countries throughout the world, You want to see what all the fuss is about. Is it a good book? Is it worth it? Did it turn me into a cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous chancer? Read on to find out... The...

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Monte Soratte - la montagna piu` bella dal mondo!

2011-07-18T23:37:00.000+01:00

My parents-in-law live in a hilltop paradise. I've already written a bit about it. Perched on the shoulder of Monte Soratte, Sant'Oreste is a great place to visit, full of festas, sagres, medieval streets and hidden-away bars and pizzerias. However, I'm not here to write about that. I want to write about the mountain itself, a narrow, isolated limestone ridge, peaking at 691m high, with a length...

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Italy in Books - See Naples and Die by Penelope Green

2011-06-26T16:06:00.001+01:00

Set in Naples, See Naples and Die is the story of Australian journalist Penelope Green's adventures as she moves from Rome to her new home, in search of a new life and the one thing missing - gainful employment. What follows is a description of culture shock and true friendship as she adapts to living in the noisy heart of Naples. She befriends her landlord, tries (and fails) to impress the...

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Flower displays/infiorate for corpus domini

2011-06-10T00:42:00.003+01:00

Corpus Domini, also known as Corpus Christi, is a Catholic feast day. It honors the Eucharist, and as such it does not commemorate a particular event in Jesus's life. It often ccurs on a Sunday but this year falls on the 23rd June. Infiorata in Casamari Why is this of interest? Well... many places in Lazio celebrate the days around this festival with infiorata, or flower displays. At some...

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Italy in Books - Rubicon by Tom Holland

2011-05-29T20:00:00.000+01:00

It's that time of the month again... I've left it late as usual and now, late in the evening on the 29th May, I'm finally squeezing in time to write the book review for my 'Italy in Books' May entry. I'm really happy to find the time to do this though, as my chosen book this month is really one to savor. This month, I've gone for something about the Romans. In fact, I've gone for a book that...

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A weekend away - Sorrento

2011-05-18T22:22:00.002+01:00

Over Easter, we took advantage of Trenitalia. I know, it sounds bad. The offers were too good to resist. We took an intercity notte down from Rome for only 10 euros each, and arrived, fresh faced in Napoli centrale station three hours later (while on the Frecciarossa it takes 1hr 10 mins). Missing an opportunity for one of those intense incredible espresso's one finds in Naples, we headed...

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Giro d'Italia - coming to a village near you!

2011-05-08T19:50:00.002+01:00

Italy's version of the tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, started yesterday with a ~20km team time trial through Turin. It's impressive stuff. The full 3,524km route is composed of 21 stages, taking in 17 of the 20 regions of Italy. During the three weeks of racing there are 40 major mountain climbs and seven mountain finishes (such as on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily) before a grand...

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Driving in Italy - an ode to my SatNav

2011-05-02T20:25:00.001+01:00

This short post is an ode to my SatNav, a Nuvi Garmin called Guido. Driving in Italy can be testing at the best of times, more often that not though, it's not the other drivers that are the problem but the road signs. Apparently, more than one road leads to Rome It sounds silly, but if you're planning to drive in Italy (and it is the best way to see the country outside of the main cities)...

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