After a day and half in Rome I felt like escaping
the frenzy and the noise of the Eternal City and
I was pondering a little excursion into the country.
I had a look at my guidebook to see what nearby
towns might have a ring to them, and my eyes started
to rest on one town: Frascati. I simply liked the
sound of this place and since I was just minutes
away from the Roma Termini train station, I went
there around 9 am to see how I would be able to
get to Frascati.
When I got into the Termini train station, I was
quite quickly able to find the area where the train
tickets were sold. There were five wickets, but
guess what, only one was actually staffed, and by
quite a surly employee at that. I lined up behind
what seemed like ten people, and a stylish man in
his 30s in a fashionable suit and dark glasses looked
like he was constantly trying to cut into the line
in front of me.
A glimpse at the Roma Termini railway station
A few people ahead of me was an African couple
with two children who were trying to book some ferry
passes from Rome to Barcelona. It took the customer
service representative about 10 minutes to deal
with that couple while the stylish guy behind me
was muttering, quite audibly, various expletives
and derogatory remarks about the couple. I have
had plenty of pleasant encounters in Rome, but this
wasn’t one of them.
Interior of an Italian commuter train
Finally, about 10 minutes prior to the train’s
departure, I got my ticket which was only a couple
of Euros either way. Among the myriad of platforms
I found mine for the departure to Frascati and off
I went on my short excursion to Frascati, a town
that is famous for its white wine. 30 minutes later
I arrived at the train station in the lower part
of town and walked up the hill to get into the center
of Frascati.
The train arrives in Frascati
The town actually has an interesting history: during
Ancient Roman time the area was already settled
and the village itself was probably founded around
the 7th century AD. From the 16th century onwards,
various popes, church officials and Roman aristocrats
built opulent villas on Frascati’s hillside.
These villas, in particular Villa Aldobrandini,
are still some of the most popular tourist attractions
in Frascati.
The streets of Frascati
In 1943, during the Second World War, Frascati
was bombed heavily because it was the headquarters
of a German field marshall. About half the buildings
in town were destroyed and many people died. There
was another important air strike in January of 1944
and the town was fnally liberated from Nazi German
occupation in June of 1944. The rubble of the destroyed
buildings was actually used as fill for a soccer
stadium.
The Cathedral of Saint Peter
I started my walk around this pleasant hillside
town and observed the locals going about their business.
The Cathedral of Saint Peter (Cattedrale di San
Pietro) is located in the heart of the city and
was completed in 1598. On one of the main squares
I purchased a local delicacy: a porchetta sandwich
with delicious slow roasted pork. I sat down underneath
a canopy of trees until it began to rain. Fortunately
the bad weather passed quickly and I was able to
continue my explorations.
My porchetta sandwich hit the spot
Then the strap on my camera broke and a friendly
and patient local tried to explain to me where to
get a replacement. When he saw my confusion, he
took me by the hand and escorted me to a the local
indoor shopping center and dropped me off at a camera
store. I definitely appreciated this nice gesture.
Porchetta is a big tradition in Frascati
On the grand Piazza Roma I sat down with an ice
cream and watched how about 30 local teenagers were
involved in a water balloon fight, hiding behind
the various buildings, statues and monuments for
just the right moment to unload their wet cargo
on their friends. I made sure I was far outside
their target zone, but enjoyed watching their boisterous
battle.
A big water balloon fight erupts in Frascati
On the hilltop the imposing Villa Aldobrandini,
also known as Villa Belvedere, was overlooking the
town from its privileged position. Built between
1598 and 1602, this is one of the most important
sights in Frascati and ownership was split between
prominent families and the Papacy.
The impressive Villa Aldobrandini
I had enjoyed my outing into the country, but
by about 12:30 I had to get back to Rome because
I was going on another bicycle tour: the Panoramic
Tour of Rome.
