Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
early Roman days they've provided a green refuge from the city and still today Romans
flock to the area on hot summer weekends. The best known towns are Castel Gandolfo,
where the pope has his summer residence, and Frascati, famous for its delicate white
wine.
Frascati
An easy bus or train ride from Rome, Frascati makes for a refreshing day trip, with hazy
views over Rome and delicious food and wine.
Information on the town and its local
cantinas
(wine cellars) is available in the
tourist
office
( 06 9401 5378; Piazza Marconi; 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 10am-8pm Sat & Sun)
on the main
piazza. In the same building, the
Museo Tuscolano
( 06 941 71 95; admission €7; 10am-6pm
Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun)
displays a collection of artfully lit republican and imperial arte-
facts, and interesting models of Tuscolo villas.
Looming over town is
Villa Aldobrandini
, a haughty 16th-century villa designed by Gi-
acomo della Porta and built by Carlo Maderno. It's closed to the public, but you can visit
the hillside
gardens
(Via Cardinal Massai 18; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri)
.
But more than the views or gardens, the real reason most people visit Frascati is to eat
and drink. The town's best restaurant is
Cacciani
( 06 942 03 78; Via Armando Diaz 13; meals
€50; Tue-Sat)
, with fine food and a graceful terrace. For a more down-to-earth bite, pick
up a
panino con porchetta
(sandwich filled with herb-roasted pork) from a stand on
Piazza
del Mercato
, or head to a traditional
cantina
(cellar-cum-trattoria) for
porchetta
, cured
meats, olives and cheese accompanied by jugs of local white wine.
Grottaferrata
The elegant town of Grottaferrata is worth a quick stop for its fortified abbey, the
Monas-
tero Esarchico di Santa Maria di Grottaferrata
(Abbazia Greca di San Nilo; 06 945 93 09;
www.abbaziagreca.it
;
Viale San Nilo; 7am-12.30pm & 3.30pm-1hr before sunset)
. Founded in 1004
and subsequently enlarged in the 13th and 15th centuries, this is the last remaining ex-
ample of the Byzantine-Greek abbeys that once dotted medieval Italy.
