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Touring the Roman Castle Convents
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| The silent countryside just outside Rome finds a number of hermitages and monasteries which in some cases open their doors to the public. Here is an itinerary that takes in Monte Porzio Catone and Grottaferrata, taking in the most beautiful convents for indulging in meditation that helps get back to the body's own rhythms. Without foregoing the pleasures of the food and excellent local wines. |
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AMIDST SILENT HERMITAGES AND TAVERNS OF YESTERYEAR |
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"Dolce da Monte Porzio il rimirare, di contro i monti lą della Sabina, ondeggiante di biade, come un mare, la pianura vastissima latina" ("How sweet it is to gaze, against the mountains yonder of the Sabina, the undulating crops, like a sea, upon the vast plains of Latina". Thus Luigi Pirandello wrote at the end of the nineteenth century in admiration of the hills of the Roman castles to where he had just moved a short time before. Just a step away from the capital, one can enjoy the breathtaking view of soft slopes planted with vines. On leaving behind the geometries of the Urbe, the gaze loses itself amongst the expanses of olive groves and the silent countryside that ends at the sea. From Rome one takes the Tuscolana heading for the Colli Albani only to reach one of the most popular holiday destinations (also favoured by past emperors, princes, popes and cardinals who over the years have left behind villas, palazzos and churches). Alongside the extravagant noble residences lie convents and monasteries, some of which are open to the public, even just to attend Sunday mass. This is the case of the Camaldoli hermitage at Monte Porzio Catone, the starting point on an itinerary which takes in the Roman castles and concludes at Grottaferrata. This great complex was built in 1500 along a panoramic road which leads out of the town and into the archaeological ruins of Tuscolo. Here it is possible to attend Sunday mass (at 8a.m., though it is necessary to arrive a few minutes before to request permission from the friars). Only men may attend: the friars of Camaldoli do in fact take a vow not to meet women.
The land of the Roman castles is also home to DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata- Controlled Denomination of Origin) Frascati, a light and sweet wine to be drunk with the local culinary specialities: spaghetti with cheese and pepper, ravioli stuffed with aubergines, meat with truffle and excellent cured meats and cheeses. At Monte Porzio Catone, one can call in at the I Tinnelloni restaurant (via dei Tinnelloni; tel. +39.06.9447071), where the owner prepares soups of days gone by according to traditional local recipes. |
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The itinerary continues with a visit to the monastery of the barefoot Carmelites of San Silvestro at Monte Compatri (tel. +39.06.9486048). One need only make arrangements with the prior father beforehand to take a stroll through the ancient convent, immersed in the silence and beauty of the place. One can then move onto Frascati, to the convent of the Cappuccini monks devoted to San Francesco, where it is possible to visit the Ethiopian museum (tel. +39.06.94286601). Here is a collection of testimonies and memoirs of Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia, a missionary in Africa for almost forty years.
It is also possible to make a gastronomic stop at Frascati to discover the area specialities. At the Cacciani restaurant (Via Diaz 13/15; tel. +39.06.9420378) one can try excellent pasta first courses, local cured meats and exquisite desserts such as the soft meringues served with coffee. The menu of Taberna Mamilius (Via Balilla 1; tel. +39.06.9421559), on the other hand, proposes ancient local recipes with a contemporary touch. These include seasoned toast with lard, ravioli stuffed with aubergines or pumpkin and meat with truffle and sliced cured meats accompanied by an excellent Malvasia from the Lazio region.
The route through convents draws to a close at Grottaferrata, where the San Nilo abbey (tel. +39.06.9459309) lies. The museum, cryptoporticus and cloister should not be missed. |
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 Hotel Flora
Telephone: +39.06.9416110
Address: Viale Vittorio Veneto, 8
00044 Frascati (Roma)
Website: www.hotel-flora.it
E-mail: info@hotel-flora.it
This peaceful hotel has been created within an ancient nineteenth-century residence immersed in the greenery of the Roman castles, and it has provided a reference point for welcoming tourists since the Fifties. It also has a Liberty-style annex.
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