Castelli Romani: in the footsteps of Goethe and the Grand Tour

At the gates of Rome!

At a short distance from the irrepressible brio of the capital and its modernity, looking inland and to the Apennines, rolling hills and forests and villages and villas and castles accompany us through an area extraordinarily rich in history, culture, nature and food and wine excellence. A map thick with wonders that leave us speechless. Indeed, we would have endless words, if only by rereading the narratives of the Grand Tour travelers who lived, created and illustrated here, leaving us an unparalleled legacy.

Softly and slowly

The "dolce vita" lives here today, where even mobility is "dolce"! With frequent trains from Rome's Termini station, vestiges of every era, from the splendor of the Roman Empire to contemporary art, passing through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Belle Époque, open up to our gaze in just a few dozen minutes. As we move our steps along the Via Appia Antica, we can choose together whether to follow in the footsteps of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his Journey to Italy, or of other great men of letters, poets and illustrators who celebrated and made the landscape of Lazio unique: we proceed on foot, by bicycle (including electric), or by shuttle services from one location to another. We choose whether to rest in the shelter of a simple convent, in a family B&B, in a period residence, or in one of the magioni that Mario Monicelli chose to film Il Marchese del Grillo with the unforgettable Alberto Sordi.

On the trail of the wolf

There are many experiences to be had within the Castelli Romani Regional Nature Park, stretching over the Alban Hills. It was a vacation spot historically favored by the capital's aristocratic families and popes. Today, with its 9500 hectares of protected territory, it is home to numerous animal species, such as badgers, martens, peregrine falcons, porcupines and - above all - the wolf, which plays a fundamental role in this ecosystem. Shall we go?