Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Frascati - a quick day trip from Rome

My friend T and I decided to check out Frascati. It's only a half hour train ride from Termini.

Trains leave from Track 15 (double check) which is a funky track hidden between tracks 14 and 16. Do not forget to validate your ticket. Tickets are 1.80 euros each way.

The area is known for its white wine and its porchetta. T said hers (from Leda, the Queen of Porchetta) was so good she would take the train just to buy some more from the vendor and then return to Rome.

During the summer Frascati is a popular destination for Romans escaping the heat and traffic of Rome.

Once you arrive, you walk up a long flight of stairs to reach the main piazza. The views are incredible.

The porchetta vendors are located in Piazza del Mercato. There's also a fruit stand, a bakery (with very yummy pastries), a chocolate shop and other places to eat. Things do close down for lunch...like the pastry shop.

Interesting church.


Overlooking Rome.


My friend taking a photo.


Villa Aldobrandini.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Frascati, I stayed in a wonderful villa there whilst visiting Rome a few years back when I lived in Northern Italy.

erin said...

sounds like a lovely side trip! I like learning about all the places around Rome you mention

Anonymous said...

That is Villa Aldobrandini :-) It's a baroque masterpiece: it's in every italian book of history art.

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Frascati is a nice day trip from Rome and the porchetta is great in that area. Too bad the bakery was closed - that one on the corner overlooking the church has delicious pastries. By the way, that villa is villa Aldobrandini and you can visit the gardens.

J.Doe said...

I agree with gibber.
very pretty.

glamah16 said...

You know I ws looking into this region when CS and I visit this Fall. I wanted a day trip from Rome to wine region. Ahhhh Porchetta!

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your trip. The photos are wonderful! Adding Frascati to the list for my next visit to Rome.

Anonymous said...

Next time visit Grottaferrata, CastelGandolfo, Nemi and Ariccia too :-) Avoid Marino and Albano: they are dirty and chaotic :-(

Anonymous said...

Did you see any of the ceramic three-breasted ladies that are on display in Frascati?
There is a folklore about how in Frascati, the woman folk had two breasts for the milk and one for wine.
I swear, I'm not making that up!

Ms. Violetta

Moi said...

Dang, you had to write about porchetta knowing that I am locked in this closet. I love Leda, she is the Queen. And I too saw the 3 breasted girl cookie-- wine coming from the 3rd to feed the children-- but just couldn't buy one.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

gibber - yes it is. I'd like to go back this summer.

anon - I wish we had to time to explore some of the villas and gardens.

erin - it was. Hope to take some more day trips this year.

anon - grazie. In my guidebook there was another name. grrrr

ccl - we went to another bakery when it re-opened after lunch. I think it was a different one. I don't remember it overlooking a church. It was yummy.

j. doe - si...I agree too.

glamah16 - people raved about Leda's porchetta.

simone - It's a nice place to go to get away from the city. Easy and cheap.

anon - thanks for the tips. Several of the places were on my list.

ms. violetta - we didn't see ceramics but baked goods with the three breasted women. We had no idea what it meant. Thanks for the info.

moi - I'm sorry. We'll go out there one day when you're free. When I first saw the cookies with the three breasted women, I had to say WTF? to my friend. ha

Anonymous said...

Recent Anon - I use Wordpress now. This platform used Blogger.

Good luck, nyc/cr