A panoramic view from Castel San Pietro
Castel San Pietro Romano is one of the many Castelli Romani ("Castles of Rome") that surround Zagarolo: it's a tiny hill town with 835 inhabitants. It's only a 20-minute drive from Zagarolo, and I've already been to visit it twice. During the week, the town is virtually empty, but it's a popular destination for a weekend jaunt. Starting from ancient Roman times, the Castelli Romani was an area frequented by the noblemen of Rome for its fresher climate during the summer. The area of the Castelli sits on an ancient, fertile volcanic area which has allowed a flourishing agriculture, from ancient times continuing into present day.
A view of the hills of Rome from Castel San Pietro
Its charming Old Town, as well as having interesting streets and squares, features a number of vantage points from which you can see beautiful views of the valley and the foothills of the city of Rome. Another noteworthy feature of this small village are the ancient cyclopean walls of pre-Roman origin, present in one part of the old town.
Il Castello
Street scene
Interesting alley.
Portico to the Castello
Here's a charming little video, which offers more scenes of the town. It's in Italian: basically they talk about the myth that Saint Peter came to preach in the town, and how the town was made famous as the setting for several movies starring Vittorio de Sica and Gina Lollobrigida.
Castel San Pietro Romano
fMy friends Lidia and Carlo came to spend the day with me, so I took them to Castel San Pietro, which they'd never seen before, though they've lived only 18 miles away for most of their lives. It was fun to their tour guide, for a change.
It was the perfect day, still cool, but sunny. If you'd like to know more about this charming village, I've written previously about it here:
When we got back to the house, I fixed gnudi again, and they pronounced my efforts Buonissimi! Squisiti! (= YUMMY) High praise coming from a great Roman cook and two Romans who are used to eating good food. After their comments, I feel more confident about my attempts to cook Italian for Italians.
