Rome to Tuscany : rediscovering the Via Clodia

Sandro Vanucci leads the group past the Colosseum-

-and the Roman Forum 

Today hundreds of  horsemen, bikers and trekkers  left Rome  for a 230 km. voyage  of rediscovery: they  are traveling  along  the  ancient Roman road, Via Clodia, north from Rome, through the Lazio countryside. 

Via Clodia route  from Rome to Grosseto 

traffic under my windows on May 8th 

  

Cavalieri  del 8 Maggio celebrate Vetralla's  Wedding of the Trees   

lunch stop  at Lake Martignano 

Arrival in the Tuscan provincial town of  Grosseto  is expected on Sunday, May 18^th, as the climax of   “Passione Maremma-Food and Wine Shire”  festival   where over 100 producers will celebrate the area’s fine food products, wine and handicrafts.  

Maremma cowboys, butteri,  herd wild horses 

For 2,000 years the Via Clodia  was a major road connecting  the towns of Etruria. Then,with the defeat of the Etruscans by the Romans it was abandoned in favor of the Via  Cassia and Via Aurelia.

1581 map of ancient Etruria 

Since  the Middle Ages  Lazio and Tuscan coastal areas were considered  uninhabitable , a land of punishment and exile. 





 Until  about  60 years ago the area between Montalto  di Castro and  Grosseto  were  under the shadow of  malaria  and the area was known  as  “Maremma Amara”.

wild boar thrive in Maremma

Things have certainly changed in the past half century, for now  the coast  and hinterland are sought after holiday destinations, blessed with  pristine beaches, nature reserves, hill towns and genuine food and wine. 

 bruschette  to  begin a feast in Maremma

Maremma wines 

Along their route the horsemen  will visit archeological  sites such as Norchia in  the town of Vetralla, Tuscania, Vulci  and  Pitigliano  and live as travelers did in the past centuries. 

Etruscan necropolis of Norchia, in Vetralla 

For a full schedule see the event's website   Passione Maremma.

For  expert  information  on  Maremma  in English,  I can highly  recommend  my colleagues  Elisa and Donna  who live there:

-guest blog  by Elisa Scarton Detti 

-  Donna Stiles  website
See also  this story about  the Wedding of the Trees. 

Vintage Clothing in Italy

Have you too  noticed  a boom in vintage  clothing  among  your  young fashion conscious  friends ?

Some say it is due to the  “crisi”  but I think that it is also caused by the fact that   well made  clothing  is now hard to find at decent prices. Most shops carry only clothes made in Pakistan, China or Turkey and top Italian brand name clothing is  priced over the top for most budgets.

  In Rome’s  Monti and Campo dei Fiori areas  vintage shops are as common as  pizza al taglio shops and Florence  has  several along the Arno river.  Instead of Rome’s  infamous  Porta Portese flea market, check out the  dedicated   open air markets for vintage clothing  held on weekends in Rome and other cities. 

http://www.romeing.it/mercato-monti-borghetto-flaminio/

One of  the best... Borghetto Flaminio.

Max Mara  cashmere spring coat

Things change rapidly in this field so  I'm counting on my readers based in Rome, Milan, Florence and other  Italian cities to  chime in with addresses of  their  favorite shops for vintage  bargains.

cute 2 and 3 piece outfits for 20-30 euro

Update  October  12, 2014 
Unfortunately  the  vintage  shop   tucked   between the mechanic and a discount  supermarket here has closed, but  there are other possibilities for finding vintage  in our town. 

Check out the shoes and boots (size  37/ US 6)  that are available at 20/30 euro. There are also a pair of brand new Church  loafers and  pumps by Rossetti .   Soon they will be on ebay, but until then you can stop by  (here in Vetralla) and  get lst dibs. 

suede boots 

A classic woman's  jacket can be had for less than 50euro and  there are men's lodens and sheepskin coats from Rome's exclusive Davide Cenci shop that  will keep you warm for many winters  at less than 100 euro. 

brand new Church loafers

stylish Italian shoes-never worn 

mink   and suede jacket 

Furs  are not worn much in Italy's warmer winters but if you live in a colder clime here are some that can  be had for  less than 300 euro. 

Feel free to contact  me if you want to stop by and browse. Leave a comments or tell us about your favorite vintage shops and the bargains you have found. 

Best Mid-summer Festivals in Tuscia

fields of sunflowers  near  Agriturismo Il Poggio, Vetralla

 The towns and villages in the Tuscia Viterbese just north of Rome are   perfect  for  laid back  vacations since  the area abounds with  luxuriant hills and forests and  there are cool  volcanic lakes and sandy  beaches close at hand. 

ceramics of Mara Santoni, Bolsena 

No matter where you are vacationing  in the Viterbo province a  plethora of festivals featuring artisans, free concerts,  food based  sagras and festivals with  music and dancing can be found within  the radius of  15-20 kilometres . 

 exported to Paris and  China  

It is impossible to mention all of them  so here are a few of my personal favorites discovered  over the  past  20 years. Please let us know which is  your  favorite  festival  by leaving  a comment below.

artisans' fair, Bolsena 

A complete list  can be found on the  Province’s website  while  indepth historical and travel articles in English can be found on my website (updated weekly) and in  our  books  which can be purchased directly or at  local bookshops. 

open air dining, Bolsena 

The long awaited   publication about the area in Italian  will be published  in November… per I miei lettori italiani,  a novembre  sarà  pubblicato  il mio libro  in italiano sulla zona .

basket maker, Bolsena 

terracotta  from CastelViscardo 

....even ostrich eggs 

Bolsena played host to an artisans and books fair  a few weeks ago where  a wide range of   local products were exhibited and sold including  pottery, olive oil,  terracotta floor tiles  and even ostrich eggs .  

Civitella Cesi's  fettuccine al tartufo 

Last weekend the tiny hamlet of  Civitella Cesi hosted  thousands of  diners who were served  fettuccini and other dishes flavored with truffles. 

Next Saturday (August 24)   the  town of  Vallerano  will be brightened for La Notte delleCandele   when  50,000 candles will glow and music and shows  will be performed  in  15 different piazzas around town.  

historic center  of Vallerano lights up 

Fireworks  expert Emidio told us that the  best (and most expensive) fireworks display  is that held in Vallerano  for the  festival of  San Vittore,   but those  put on by many of the  other towns in the province are also  pretty spectacular.

Another special festival has been brought to my attention by a reader in Orte: its  a good one, not to be missed...

 green  canopy of trees in  Villa Comunale, Vetralla  

Feel  like just  relaxing?  Don't miss out  on  local band concerts which are held in most towns as part of the Ferragosto festivities. 

 practicing  with the band

Vetralla's excellent band, founded over 100 years ago,  will be performing again  in Montefiascone  on  Tuesday, August 20th.

Villa Comunale was once the  private park of sculptor Pietro Canonica 

 When  its  very hot and humid, do as the local families do and take an evening stroll (passeggiata)  in the town park.

original  19th century  water fountain 

 Here in Vetralla it’s the Villa Comunale where people of all ages  come to stroll and enjoy  the cool evening breezes .   What is your favorite  public park?

lonely swan, Vetralla's Villa Comunale 

Cool Italian and Russian gardens and pools

keeping cool in Pza. S. Egidio ,Vetralla

 The summer heat wave is again upon us... and since we are no longer  youngsters we have had to say "no" to the many invitations and  happenings  this weekend.

When its this hot we get up early (6 a.m.) like the local farmers do then by  10:30 a.m. its time to  stay indoors, behind the wooden shutters (persiane) which along with the  ancient, thick walls keep  the heat out.  

no need for air conditioning 

  A plus  during these hot days is that there are finally  lots of parking spaces, for the town is almost deserted.  Most people head for a  one of the nearby  lakes (Lake Vico, Bolsena  or  Bracciano)  or   perhaps the grassy lawns at this ancient Roman swimming hole.   

This  circular  pool is actually  a frigidarium   dating  from Roman times at  Le Pozze  di San Sisto half way between  Viterbo  and  Vetralla. Its  icy  waters are  balanced  by an  adjacent  hot  pool  caldarium  and another   luke warm  one.   

For    tourists and visitors  here are some  more of  the  coolest places  around: 

• If you  are a cruiser   docking  at  Civitavecchia you  could   trade  a hot, exhausting  day in Rome  for  a visit  to Tarquinia  where the  Etruscan tombs  and   quiet churches  such as  S. Maria in Castello provide  welcome respite.  For  a  glance of  this magnificent church  see  Dietmeyer's website.

fountain in front of Tarquinia's city hall

fountain of  the Moors, Villa Lante, Bagnaia 

River  god  fountain, Villa Lante, Bagnaia
(photo  by John Ferro Sims) 

• Garden lovers  will love   the historic gardens of Villa Lante  where  the  trickle of  fountains  and  mossy pools  give  welcome  relief from the heat. 

grotto , Villa Lante 

water gurgles  down the rope fountain, Villa Lante

 In  the hill town of  Soriano nel Cimino another   fountain comes  complete with a   waterfall. Perfect  for  a cool walk  is  the   Faggetta, the mountain top  forest located   above  Soriano.

Papacqua   waterfall, Soriano nel Cimino

 Here are a few of the  romantic, cool spots I have enjoyed  discovering  in these past  years while lecturing aboard cruise ships.  

• in Montenegro the fiord   (Bocche  di Cattaro) leading  up to  the  port of  Kotor. 

•  The gardens of Peterhof,  outside the city  of  St. Petersburg , Russia are another perfect  place to catch some coolness. 

  

  Grand Cascade and canal to  the gulf of Finland, Peterhof, St. Petersburg, Russia

  The majestic fountains and gardens  overwhelm visitors
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Peterhof fountain, St. Petersburg , Russia 

  
  

  

  the Pyramid fountain, Peterhof gardens, St. Petersburg, Russia

• Oia on the  Greek  island  of Santorini is famed for its  whitewashed  houses  and blue domed churches 

The  same  turquoise color  can be found here  in Vetralla in a   romantic  pool  inside  a grotto. 

a private pool half in, half out of  a grotto 

wash house of Palazzo Piatti, Vicolo del Sole