As I write this, it’s been two years and three months (who’s counting) since our great European Adventure!  We did the typical thing, Rome, Berlin, Prague… and the great “off the beaten path” surprise was our stay at the Palazzo Catalani in Soriano Nel Cimino.  (The full photo album can be visited by clicking here to see it in Facebook).

The sky was passionately red.

Getting there was an adventure in itself.   We started off at sunrise.  The sky was the deepest fiery red we had seen.  We were in a rented apartment in neighborhood of Trastavere and we pulled our luggage through the quiet streets of Rome half a mile to the train station.  The ride was about an hour long.  Once we arrived at our train stop, we started asking where the bus stop was.  The hard thing was that NO ONE spoke English and we did not speak Italian.  We took a gamble after some muddled English/Italian and stood by our bus stop.  We board a bus which stopped to pick up the rowdiest high school kids we had every encountered.  It was a bumpy, loud, and crowded.  There weren’t much seats so we had to put our luggage on our laps.  Comfy!

I can almost see the chestnut trees from here.

We were so relieved to finally get to Soriano nel Cimino.  Which is a lovely hill town overlooking valleys famous for their Porcini mushrooms.  The town was quiet… and hardly anyone was walking around.  We later found out the population was extremely small.  Most of the inhabitants were older.  Again… we realized we didn’t know where our Castle…. yes I said Castle… was.  We had booked a room in the Palazzo Catalani and didn’t know how to get to it.  After a few minutes… we figured… well… it’s a castle.. so let’s just head up as it must be in the highest point.

Road leading up to the castle.

After a few minutes of admiring the views.  A very nice gentleman came by on a red moped.  He asked us if we were staying at Palazzo Catalani to which we said yes.  He introduced himself as the GM.  He let us know he had been looking for us all afternoon (how nice) and that he was going to send the porter down for our bags….but that we would have to walk (we didn’t mind) because the porter’s car was very small (see picture below)Not enough room for us in this one.

Not enough room for us in this one.

This is the super cool scooter of the GM.

So what’s Soriano Nel Cimino like?  It’s quiet!  And after the chaotic busy streets of Rome – this was a welcome surprise.  Staying in a castle that was built in the 17th Century was delightful.  We took a walking tour and marveled at how old everything was.  How most of these structures were still standing after 300 years.   During our walk the older citizens of town would come out and say hello.  Our guide told us that there wasn’t a lot of “street traffic” and the older inhabitants were friendly and craving company since all their kids and grandkids were living in the busier cities.

During the time we were there, the month long Chestnut festivals were going on.  To celebrate this the town decorated by flying their “family flags”.  Each of the four roads belonged to a family and each gate – led to that families area of town they controlled.  It was fun to watch the parades and skits in the town center.

We ended our evenings back in our “castle”.  There were only 6 or so other couples there.  We enjoyed the evenings over great food and wine.

We could see this from our castle.

The flags symbolize the family in that section of town.

There are four main roads that lead to the town's center. And the colors of the family flag were flying that day. Each street was different.

Jus to make sure ... the families even made sure the roads clearly stated who was in control in this part of town.

Quick... take the picture.

When you stay in a castle you get an old key. And the GM gave us a bottle of wine too.

This mural tells the story of the lady who raised the alarm during an invasion... which allowed the town to rally.. .and ultimatley save it from invasion.

Very very old church.

Hmmm - trying to get out of a parking ticket doesn't work even in country hill town.

Baskets for sale in the town center during the Chestnut Festival

These gates are about 300 years old.

Quiet hallway galleries

Probably one of the coldest days for me in my life. This was at Orsini Castle. It took me about 2 hours to defrost. I had one 4 layers.

Quiet evenings back at the castle.

Magically Delicious Travel - Sharing my travel photos and stories., Staying in a Castle – Palazzo Catalani in Soriano Nel Cimino, Italy

It was a wet day in Rome.  First we stood in line at the Vatican but when the rain started pouring we decided to get out of the line.  We didn’t have our umbrellas.  We got so lost or… momentarily lost – trying to figure out the right train to take…in search of the Trevi Fountain.  As the rain fell – we dashed in and out of doorways and arches.  When the rain abated we stumbled onto the Trevi Fountain.

I threw a coin – my bracelet wanted to go with – and came off in the toss.  Oh sigh.  I’ll have to come back another trip and look for it.

Magically Delicious Travel - Sharing my travel photos and stories., Trevi Fountain – after the rain

The week after the Chestnut Festival we found ourselves in Soriano nel Cimino.  A medieval hill town about 2 hours from Rome.  It took us two trains, a bus ride, and a hike to get here.

The local farmers gathered during the weekend and showed off their wares.  Cheese.  Meat.  Wine.  Yum.

Farmer's Market - Chestnut Festival in Soriano Italy

Magically Delicious Travel - Sharing my travel photos and stories., Farmer’s Market – Post Chestnut Festival Weekend

I’m off to Rome… in a couple of weeks.  Rome… the capital of Italy with a history that spans over two and a half thousand years!

Rome.. just saying Rome.. gives me goose bumps.  Mental images bombard me.  I’ve been dreaming so many dreams.  Images of a courtyard.  I’m on the 4th floor.. the top floor…. overlooking the inner atrium.  It’s the golden hour and every thing is amber.  And there are flower boxes in the windows….. and clothelines with white shirts.  The wind is blowing.  I can smell the flowers.  Nearby I can hear the violinist playing for the tourists.  In this dream… I’m in Travastere… where we will be staying.

In another dream I’m in the Colosseum.  Constantine is in power and he’s having a parade.  A gladiator walks by.  He catches my eye… and comes over.  I can barely catch his name over the crowd.  His name starts with a J….and…Well I have an active dream imagination.

I’ve worked in travel 12 years now.   I have slaved hours and hours on my computer researching all the various things to do… and where to stay.  Wow – I didn’t know how many options there are.  I think there must be anywhere from 1600 to 2000 choices.   Who knows from the stats reported.  I’ve been on Trip Advisor to check every listing that looked appealing on Hotels.com, Booking.com, Venere.com, homesaway.com, vrbo.com…. among a few.  And trust me.  I’ve been on all the major ones.   I’ve research blogs.  I’ve been on Twitter.  I’ve touched all the options I could possibly find online.

Lucked out one day… found this article on New York Times:  http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/italy/rome/hotels.html.    I ended up using rentalinrome.com.  They have vacation apartments and homes for rent for every pocket book.  The service thus far has been spectacular.  I can’t wait to start my vacation and come back to you with my own pictures.

These ones I share with you today come compliments of http://www.flickr.com/photos/gmacorig/ Giampaolo Macorig. 

Magically Delicious Travel - Sharing my travel photos and stories., Where to stay in Rome?