Viale Vittorio Veneto, 8
00044 Frascati (ROME)
Tel. [+39] 06.9416110
Fax [+39] 06.9416546
E-mail: info@hotel-flora.it
VAT N° 01691851008

Hotel Flora - Guided visits

Castelli Romani Tourist Route

This tour offers an occasion to deeply understand the natural and artistic beauties at the door of the city of Rome. The roman castles area offers a vast choice of artistic, culinary and natural attractions: thanks to the fertile hills, with plenty grape fields and particularly the Frascati type from which the famous Frascati wine, famous in the whole world.

The local customs still exist: in the narrow roads of the historic centre you can see the typical "Fraschette" wine canteens, where you can both drink and buy wine to take with you and as well small stands where you can eat "porchetta" meat dish, typical cakes, honey and home made oil. Mainly a culinary tour that the hotel suggests is not only in Frascati but also in the cities of Marino, Castel Gandolfo, Albano, Ariccia, Genzano, Nemi and Rocca di Papa.

Marino:

Driving along the road starting form Piazza Marconi in Frascati, on the right of Villa Aldobrandini, after about 7km, you can reach Marino. The town is on a peperino rock and it is famous for its festival of the grape "sagra dell'uva", in which occasion, from the fountains of the main square, wine runs instead of water. Through the road at the city centre you can visit the middle age cylinders, the church Chiesa di San Barnaba, the fountain of the four Mori, built in memory of the Lepanto battle, Palace Colonna, and the gothic church of Santa Lucia.

Castel Gandolfo:

If you take the state road 216 after about 3km, you can reach Castel Gandolfo, built maybe on Albalonga. Its name is from a family from Genova, who lived there and it is famous as it became the papal summer residence The papal palace entrance is on the main square of the town, and near are Villa Cybo and Villa Barberini, properties of the Vatican, and on whose gardens are the ruins of the Villa of emperor Domiziano. From here, if you come down the hill, you can get to the belvedere of the lake. In the square, you can visit the church Chiesa di San Tommaso da Villanova and the fountain in front, both designed by Bernini.

Albano:

By leaving so called "Castello", and driving about 2km of the gallery underneath, so called "galleria di sotto" for its trees that over the centuries have plaited their branches forming like a gallery along the papal villa avenue, you reach Albano, one of the most visited castles due to its position and wine. You can visit here the Communal Villa and its views, the church Chiesa di San Pietro with its picturesque Roman bell tower, the ruins of the amphitheatre of Settimio Severo, the grave of the Orazi and Curiazi, the ancient church Chiesa di Santa Maria della Rotonda, the Cistern, still in perfect working order after 17 centuries and the Civic Museum.

Ariccia:

Driving along the main road, you can exit Albano and get to Ariccia; a town of Latin origin, known for its water pipe, so called bridge of Ariccia that is the entrance. Here, you can visit Palace Chigi, restored by Bernini, and made famous from the movie "Il Gattopardo". Attributed to Bernini are the church and the two fountains in the main square. Not to miss is a visit to one of the many "fraschetta", wine canteen, where you can eat some local porchetta and drink with a very good quality wine from the hills.

Genzano di Roma:

Driving a short distance, you can reach Genzano, on the slope of a volcanic crater that gave origin to lake of Nemi, you can get there by the panoramic road about 2km long. From the main square of Genzano, the fountain that reminds us of the Colonna in power, you can see a wonderful panorama. Custom of Genzano is the festival "Infiorata" on the 29th June, in occasion of the Corpus Domini; during this day, the road that goes up to the church Chiesa di Santa Maria della Cima, is covered by a very colourful carpet of flowers. Not to miss is a visit to Palace Sforza Cesarini, the ancient castle.

Nemi:

Coming out from Genzano, going up and down the hills, crossing the forests, you get to the greens of Nemi, flat field where the famous little strawberries are grown, and used in the festival "sagra" in May. From here on the left, take Via Nemorense and after the gallery, you can get to Nemi, city of flowers and of the Museum of the boats on the shores of the lake, where the ruins of the two boats of Caligola are kept. Nemi is on its lake, whose water reflects the green of the vegetation around the area. Going up the road Via dei Laghi, turn on the right to reach Rocca di Papa.

Rocca di Papa:

The town on the slope of Monte Cavo, has a characteristic highest area, the quarters Bavaresi. The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Tufo that you can see before getting to the town, remembers the suggestive legend of a rock coming down and stopped by the invocation to the Mary, by a peasant who was going to be hit. An easy promenade can get you to Campi d'Annibale, 760 metres high. At 949 you can reach the extremity of Monte Cavo, from where you can admire beautiful views to the sea and the mountains of Tolfa at Terminillo, to the mounts Simbruini and Lepini.

From Rocca di Papa you can drive down to Frascati.