A Visit to Castelli Romani

The Villas perched on the Rim of Lake Nemi

Today we visited the area of Castelli Romani with the lakeside towns of Castel Grandolfo and Nemi. Castel Grandolfo is considered by some as one of the most scenic places in Italy and is the site of an ancient volcanic crater that is now Lake Albano.

But what makes it very significant is the famous people who have called this their home, including the succession of Popes using it as their summer home and Emporer Flavius Domitian (81-96 AD) who built his villa here on the rim of the lake. Interestingly Domitian was the first Roman Emperor to demand worship as a god. Most likely it was during his reign that the Apostle John was imprisoned on the isle of Patmos. The rim of the crater is laced with the ancient Villas of the Rich and Famous of the 17th Century. We drive around the lake admiring the view, villas and plethora of restaurants and hotels.

Our rumbling tummies tell us that it is time for lunch and we choose to have lunch in the town of Ariccia just on the outskirts of the Castelli Romani Region. This town is named after Diana Aricina, the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis, the goddess of hunting and the woods. Her pagan cult following started here in Castelli Romani possibly reaching back as far as the Itruscians in 800-500 BC. Worship of her was dominate in these woods and Nemi Lake which was also called Diana’s Mirror. This is the same goddess that Paul referred to when he created quite a stir in Ephesus when he said that Artemis was a god made of human hands. He almost became a victim of mob violence until a city recorder spoke up to calm the crowd. (Acts 19)

We decided to have lunch at one of the many Osterias in this town serving the local cuisine of porchetta, pork that is slowly roasted with herbs and wild fennel. We chose Osteria Masteo Titta, although all of the Osterias (an Osteria is an inexpensive restuarant serving local cuisine) lining this little street looked like they served equally delicious food. Typical of Americans we arrived too early at 12:30 and are the first ones in the restaurant. Later around 1:30 the locals arrive. We choose a table outside under the Bridge of Ariccia, a sweeping viaduct (brick structure serving as a bridge created out of a series of arches, in this case part of the Appian Way) Our little table is adorned in a brown tablecloth with a brown plaid topper, we settle in as our waitress brings us sparkling water. We order a prix fix menu and soon our wine is brought out in carafes followed by a basket of rustic bread. We have ordered an antipasta platter with buffalo mozzarella, tomato Bruscetta, a few spoonfuls of beans that look a lot like pintos with slices of celery and carrots. We also have a few slices of prosciutto, a few slices of porchetta and grilled eggplant.

Prima Piatti (first plate) is generally always pasta

Next comes our Prima Piatta (first plate which is always pasta) I have ordered pasta with boar ragu and it arrives with wide homemade noodles and rich chunks of boar simmered in the tomato based sauce. Jeff has ordered the Carbonara which is typical of the cuisine of Rome. Ariccia is considered a commune of Rome so it is fitting we try the local food! Carbonara is fettuccine with eggs, pancetta (like bacon but not smoked) and in this case the added delight of fresh truffles. We are in wild porcini (mushroom) season so we have been enjoying this delicious little funghi in many of our pasta choices lately. Both pasta dishes were delicious and we should have just started and stopped with that, but no, next up is the grilled mix plate of sausage and lamb skewers. We can tell we are definitely in a place that values the pig, how many forms of it have we eaten in just this meal? We end with a cup of espresso and a hard ring shaped cookie made with wine called a ciambele and emerge out on the street once again ready to explore or next stop, Lake Nemi.

Lake Nemi is another ancient volcanic crater lake next to Castel Grandolfo but its claim to fame is the adorable little strawberry town of Nemi. Lake Nemi is known for large and lavish luxury barges or ships that Roman Emperor Caligula built for use on the lake during his reign from 37-41 AD. One ship was a shrine dedicated to worship of the pagan cult of Diana, and it was designed to be towed, and the other was a pleasure boat complete with buildings on it like a modern day cruise ship.

Caligula's Ships that were sunk in Lake Nemi — Caligula’s Ships that were sunk in Lake Nemi

After Caligula’s overthrow, the boats were sunk into the lake where they stayed for over a thousand years until they were discovered during the Renaissance (1446 AD) when attempts were made to salvage parts of the boats that lay at the bottom of the lake 60 feet below the surface. They used hooks to rip up planks, this caused significant damage and most items salvaged were never seen again. Other attempts were made to retrieve the ships by Fusconi in 1827, who tried to build a platform and raise the ship up with cables. He determined he needed stronger cables and left the platform at the edge of the lake but when he returned with the stronger cables he found that the villagers had used his platform to build wine barrels. Ahhhh the ingenuity of Italians. Finally in 1927 Mussolini decreed that the lake be partially drained and the water from the lake was pumped out to surrounding farm land. In the years that followed 40 million cubic meters of water was drained from the lake exposing the two sunken ships.

The Mussolini Era Ships found after draining Lake Nemi

Even though the ships had been stripped of treasure before they were sunk, they still found many valuable artifacts from these ships. Imagine being able to study ships protected in the watery deep from the time of Jesus and the apostles. Imagine the knowledge they gained of ancient ship building, the anchors, the bulwarks and the hull. The ships were floating palaces complete with mosaic floors, bronze statues and marble throughout.

But with Caligulas ships safely tucked in a museum at the shore of the lake, what you notice when you first walk the cobbled streets of Nemi and cross into the Medieval Arches are little strawberries no bigger then the nail on your pinkie finger. Tiny fragrant strawberries that grow in the microclimate of the the hillside of the crater. Warm air is trapped in the crater and winds are buffered providing a perfect climate for these little strawberries to flourish. You will find strawberry jam, gelato, beer, tarts and anything else strawberry that you can imagine.

The promenade around the edge of the crater is dotted with little white iron tables and chairs glistening in the sunlight adorned with strawberry festooned tablecloths. Giant painted strawberries hang from the ancient castle walls adding a cheery motif to the dark Medieval look of the walls.

The cheery iron cafe tables and chairs along lake Nemi

There are trails that circle the rim of the crater lake and near sunset the little town comes alive with teenagers flirting with each other after school and little boys racing around on their bicycles. Parents are coming home from work and talking with each other in the plaza. This is no lifeless Medieval town but bustling with life pouring out from the balconies. Many of these homes have been passed down for generations with the current generations working in Rome and driving home in their Alfa Romeo’s. They stroll along with their sweaters slung casually over their shoulders and the women in their jeans and high heals. Every Italian town seems to be this way from 4:00 pm on, the children come home from school full of energy to burn off running and playing in the town square and the old people sitting on a bench sharing the days news. The men gathering around a store front having an espresso or prosseco at a cafe and the teenagers buying pizza. The restaurants won’t start bustling for dinner until 8:00 pm and we will hear their dinner dishes clanking until well after 10:00. Ahhh, life in an Italian town….