Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
SUBIACO
Set amidst wooded hills in Lazio's remote eastern reaches, Subiaco is one of the region's hidden gems.
Nero had a villa here but it was St Benedict who put the town on the map when he spent three years
meditating in a local cave. This grotto is now incorporated into the
Monastero di San Benedetto
(
0774 8 50 39;
www.benedettini-subiaco.org
; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm ) , a spectacularly sited
hilltop monastery that boasts a series of rich 13th- to 15th-century frescoes.
At the foot of the same hill is a second monastery, the
Monastero di Santa Scolastica
( 0774 8
55 69;
www.benedettini-subiaco.org
; 9.30am-12.15pm & 3.30-6.15pm) , which offers accommod-
ation (per person B&B €37) and fixed-price restaurant meals for €19 and €27.
To get to Subiaco from Rome, there's a Cotral bus (1¼ hours, every 15 to 30 minutes Monday to
Friday, less frequently at weekends) from Ponte Mammolo metro station. The bus stops a little way
from the Monastero di Santa Scolastica, to which it's a scenic, if demanding, 3km uphill walk. Buy a
three-zone BIRG ticket (€8) to cover your return journey.
TOP OF CHAPTER
South Coast
Lazio's southern coast boasts the region's best beaches and tracts of beautiful, unspoilt
countryside around Monte Circeo, a rocky promontory that rises to a height of 541m as it
juts into the sea.
Sabaudia
About 90km south of Rome, the modern, rather uninspiring town of Sabaudia makes a
sand dunes, rocky coastline, forest and wetlands.
The park's
visitor centre
( 07 7351 1385; Via Carlo Alberto 188-190; visitor centre dawn-
dusk, information office 9am-1pm & 2.30-5pm)
can provide details on activities available in the
area including hiking, fishing, birdwatching, walking and cycling. For further information
and accommodation lists, ask at Sabaudia's
tourist office
(
0773 51 50 46;
www.prolocosabaudia.it
;
Piazza del Comune 18;
9.15am-12.30pm & 4-7.45pm Mon-Sat,
9.05am-12.45pm Sun)
.
