Lavender Fields near Rome,Viterbo and Civitavecchia

Wide expanses of purple flowers, a heady perfume, bees buzzing…no, we are not in Provence, nor in faraway Tasmania, but  just a short drive from the  cruise ships docked in Civitavecchia and about an hour from Rome.

Here is a short video  of the lavender fields  I took yesterday. There was a soft breeze and lots of bees gathering  pollen. 

lavender sachets 

at the lavender shop  in Viterbo 

a window full of lavender products 

Finding the lavender  fields  is  also an exciting  experience for the  road  leading  to them is  actually  an Etruscan  “tagliata “, a narrow  passage carved out of the tufa rock  by the Etruscans.  

Here is a short video clip   of the drive along  Strada  Signorino,  leading to  the lavender fields. 

Please share this with friends who love lavender, for  the flowering  continues  until mid or end of July.  

If you are coming to see the lavender fields in the Viterbo area, I will be speaking at the Caffeina festival in Viterbo (Piazza S. Maria Nuova )  on July  2nd, at 8 p.m.  

Your comments are welcome. Just  click in the comments box  at the end of this article. You can sign in as "anonymous", but then leave your name. 

Top Ten Breathtaking Views in Central Italy

Ancored  next to  the Faraglioni, Capri 

College friends, former students, cousins and other members of my extended family have  enjoyed  coming  to visit me here in Italy over the past five decades. 

And of course I want to make them feel comfortable, showing them special places and our Italian country lifestyle.

But its not  easy to please everyone.  Etruscan necropoli dating from 8^th century BC and 13^th century  frescoed churches are not everyone’s cup of tea.

Byron's swimming place, Portovenere, Liguria

 Especially visitors who arrive from new countries find it difficult  to  grasp the passage of time and history.  

 Try to explain  to a New Zealander  or  South African why the works of art in St. Peter’s Basilica are not in chronological order, what a mosaic is or who  Michelangelo was  in  just a  few easy sentences. 

 But one thing that everyone, from any part of the world, can appreciate immediately is a great view, a gorgeous landscape.

 Here is  my selection of  breathtaking views and gorgeous landscapes to admire  in central Italy. How many have you visited? 

 Feel free to add  your nominations in a comment below.  

1.     a typical village in Liguria, Portovenere

2.      The view from Villa San Michele, Capri

Civita di Bagnoregio  photo by Giulia C. Pancani

3.      The calanchi  of Civita di Bagnoregio

4.      The lavender fields ripening near Viterbo

5.      The Rivellino hill, Tuscania   (foto C. Thompson)

Nature’s wonders  are abundant here, but I do prefer  a touch of human intervention, like the neat rows of the vineyards, a tower or  castle adorning a hilltop or a  homey, flower filled piazza  with laundry hung to dry.

6.      Flowers alongside Etruscan walls, Viterbo, Piazza San Lorenzo  

7.      Piazza del Sole, Vetralla

8.      The mountains seen from Amalfi’s Duomo

9.       Gardens  of  Villa Lante, Bagnaia

10.    Rolling hills of Tolfa, Fontana del Papa, Tolfa  (photo by Torre Newman) 
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To find out more about central Italy check out my website and books... read the reviews, one of our books might make that perfect Christmas gift for anyone who loves Italy. 

Latest News:  
Fulvio Ferri and I will be interviewed live on TV2000 (Vatican TV channel) SKY channel 142  on Monday morning, Nov. 19th   between 9:30-10:30. 
We will be answering questions about lifestyle, the olive harvest, and his recipe book "Olio e Ricordi in Cucina".  Try to tune in. 

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You are cordially invited  to my next conference "Foreign Archeologists and Artists in Etruria"  to be held at the Vetralla Library, Vetralla on Friday afternoon, Nov. 23 
 I will be speaking in English at 4 p.m and at  5 p.m. in Italian.

            Sieti  cordialmente  invitato alla Conferenza  illustrata

ARTISTI  ED ARCHEOLOGI

                  STRANIERI  IN ETRURIA

                                                                 Ponte di Blera di S. Ainsley

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