Christina's Cucina

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Home » Non Sequitur » Driving in Lazio: Frascati, Cervaro, Sora and Gaeta

Driving in Lazio: Frascati, Cervaro, Sora and Gaeta

July 30th, 2016 | 22 Comments

Gelato in Gaeta, Italy
gelato in Gaeta

Driving in Lazio is something I think everyone should do, or go with someone who is comfortable driving in Italy. Of course, there so much to see in Rome that you could stay for months and still not see a majority of what the Eternal City has to offer.

However, I feel that if you only visit large cities in any country, you are missing out on another completely different aspect of those countries. While I wouldn’t advise driving in Rome unless you are a daredevil, I would highly recommend renting a car and driving out of the city.

Disclosure: my car rental was sponsored by Auto Europe and travel insurance by Travelex, both brands I have used and loved in the past. All opinions are always my own.

My family lives about an hour south of Rome, so I am more familiar with the Lazio area and will highlight some of my favorite places to give you an idea of what there is to see, and hopefully entice you to visit, too!

Sant Angelo in Theodice, Italy
A town near my mother’s village. The Abbey of Monte Cassino can be seen on the hilltop in the background.

We took a bus from the Termini Station in Rome to Ciampino airport (only 4 euros) and picked up our rental car there as we were flying from Ciampino in a few days. This would make our trip back to the airport and the drop off our rental car very convenient.

The drive out of Ciampino Airport is much easier than finding one’s way into it. We headed for Frascati as I wasn’t able to visit Villa Aldobrandini last September. We also planned to have some lunch there.

Frascati

Villa Aldobrandini sits on a hill overlooking the town of Frascati. The first structure was built in the mid-15oos, and at one point was apparently gifted by a pope to his nephew. I’m unclear if the family still owns the villa (sadly, the fountains and much of the building are in disrepair) or if it is owned by the state. However, it is still definitely worth a visit.

Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, Italy

We walked up the hill to the entrance after leaving our car in Frascati’s central parking lot. There’s no fee to tour the grounds and gardens, but there’s no entry permitted into the building. Here’s some of what you can expect to see.

Villa Aldobrandini, Frascati, Italy

Villa Aldobrandini, Frascati, Italy

Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati
photo courtesy of Denisa Wartinbee

Villa Aldobrandini, Frascati, Italy

Can you imagine what this garden looks like when all these hydrangeas are in bloom?

Villa Aldobrandini, Frascati, Italy

Reading about the history and background of the villa is fascinating, so if you do visit, I recommend that you do a little googling first.

We found a wonderful little “alimentari” (a little deli and shop for groceries) and picked up a picnic lunch. They had some spicy pork jerky that Mum and I went crazy for! You can see Mum enjoyed hers!

Lunch in Frascati, Italy

That night we stayed with family in my mother’s village.

Cervaro Cassino sign.
Cervaro

The Comune of Cervaro is quite small and nestled in the foothills of a mountain only about a 15 minute drive from the village. After doing a few errands, cappuccinos were in order. Believe it or not, this cappuccino cost 90 cents ($1), and it was fabulous (Starbucks, eat your heart out).

Cervaro, Italy

Cervaro is also where my Nonni and many other family members are buried. If you’ve never seen a typical Italian cemetery, you might be surprised. They’re a bit overwhelming, with so many tombs, statues, flowers, etc., in such close quarters.

Cervaro Cemetery, Italy

From the cemetery, there is a beautiful view of the area where my family lives, along with Monte Trocchio. These are the typical small towns you can visit whilst driving in Lazio.

Monte Trocchio in Lazio.

We spent the rest of the day with my aunts and cousins, doing what? Mostly eating!

Sora

The next day was market day in Sora, so we jumped in the car and got there early in order to meet my aunt and uncle for a coffee before doing some shopping. It was bucketing down as we drove into town and we wondered if there would even be a market that day.

Rainy day in Sora, Italy

This is what the market day looked like last time we went–what a difference!

Market day in Sora, Italy

We never did manage to meet our relatives due to a miscommunication, but we did run into Loreto from Casa Lawrence (remember he taught me how to make Cacio e Pepe Pasta?) He was there selling his cheese!

Loreto from La Caciosteria

Many of the vendors were packing up because the rain didn’t seem to want to let up. Look at these gorgeous artichokes-they’re “pre-washed”!

Artichokes at the Sora market

At least the doughnut and ciambelle vendor didn’t leave, thank goodness! And the clouds did begin to clear. Yes, that’s me feeding my face with an Italian doughnut.

Doughnuts and ciambelle in Sora, Italy
doughnut photo courtesy of Denisa Wartinbee                                                                    ciambella

Oh and we just couldn’t pass up tasting this incredible potato and cheese pizza!

Pizza with potatoes and cheese

Here’s the beautiful cheese Loreto was selling!

Loreto's Pecorino di Picinisco

And this is why the cheese tastes so good!

Sheep grazing in a field in Italy
Gaeta

The next morning I checked the weather forecast and it looked good, so we decided to drive to the coast, which is only about 30 miles away. Driving in Lazio is really pretty low-key, especially outside of large cities. We prepared ourselves a picnic, including some amazing homemade sausages that Zia Iolanda had made. These are one of the reasons I could never be vegetarian!

Dry cured Italian SausagesThis time we had a beautiful spot next to the sea with sweeping views of Gaeta and beyond.

View of the sea in Gaeta, Italy

Seaside picnic in Gaeta

Gaeta is immersed in mythological history and has an incredibly rich past.

Gaeta, Italy

One of the highlights of visiting Gaeta is La Montagna Spaccata (split or broken mountain). It’s worth visiting simply for the panoramic views.

View of Sperlonga from Gaeta, Italy driving in Lazio

View from Montagna Spaccata

There’s a church at the top of the mountain, and after going through an entryway, there are steps down into the crack where the mountain is split.

Montagna Spaccata in Gaeta

Turk's Grotto in Montagna Spaccata

When I went many years ago, I was able to go to the very bottom of the grotto, but now it is closed off, most likely for safety, so this is as far as one can go.

Montagna Spaccata view

One last stop at the beach in Sperlonga before we headed back to my mother’s village. This is one of my favorite beaches! You can read more about the hilltop town of Sperlonga from my last visit HERE.

Driving in Lazio, Sperlonga, Italy

We were lucky as we missed the rain that had fallen inland.

Driving in Lazio back to the village in ItalyAnd even more fortunate that we were able to see a rainbow. Driving in Lazio isn’t difficult and offers the opportunity to see so much more than trains or buses avail.

Rainbow in Villa Latina, Italy driving in Lazio

We spent one last night with family and the next day, we were off to SCOTLAND!

Continued here -> St Andrews, Scotland and Aunt Virginia’s Recipe for Bacon and Onion Stuffed Mushrooms

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Disclosure: my car rental was sponsored by Auto Europe and travel insurance by Travelex, both brands I have used and loved in the past. All opinions are always my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations.

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Country, ITALY, My Rants & Recommendations, Non Sequitur, Uncategorized · Auto Europe, car rental, Frascati, Gaeta, Italy, Lazio, Sora, Sperlonga, sponsored, Travel, Travelex Insurance, Villa Aldobrandini

Reader Interactions

22 Responses

  1. Elio says:
    December 15, 2019 at 12:10 pm

    Hi Christina,

    Great Blog! Just came across your writing whilst I was doing some research on the area my parents came from -Cervaro. I’ve driven to the area 15 years ago but only spent a day there. I was in a hurry to see Rome and Tuscany having never been there previously. Now that my folks have passed on, I intend to travel there this coming summer and spend more time there. Memories from my parents were mostly of the battle of Monte Cassino and how if affected them. They immigrated to Canada in 1951 and I was born in Canada but the Italian way of living and expressions were ever so present in my family growing up. Thanks for this gentle reminder. I intend to buy property in Italy this year but still not sure where I will settle. Hopefully by the sea somewhere.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      December 15, 2019 at 2:33 pm

      Ciao Elio! How lovely! I do hope you’re able to explore this area in more depth as it’s just an amazing part of Italy. Are you in Toronto by any chance? We have family there, too. Thank you for the note and I’m glad you like my site. Good luck with your venture and hope you find a perfect spot in Italy. :) CC

      Reply
  2. Neapolitan Style Pizza at Mozza in Glasgow (Leave Room for a Birramisu)! - Christina's Cucina says:
    August 20, 2018 at 7:21 am

    […] Neapolitan style pizza! They import all of their ingredients from Italy, including olives from Gaeta! Riccardo welcomed us and got us […]

    Reply
  3. An Italian Festa (Festival), The Frascati Area near Rome and a Lesson on How NOT to Drive to Ciampino Airport - Christina's Cucina says:
    August 4, 2017 at 12:26 pm

    […] part of town, was a huge villa, high on a hill, overlooking the lower lying areas, towards Rome. Villa Aldobrandini is a family home, but the gardens are free to visit. After reading a little about Frascati, I […]

    Reply
  4. Aida Mollenkamp says:
    October 31, 2016 at 12:29 pm

    ooooh, i’ve always wanted to check out this part of Italy. Thanks for the inside look!

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      November 1, 2016 at 8:38 pm

      You really should go, it’s gorgeous!

      Reply
      • Anthony says:
        January 18, 2017 at 5:09 am

        Hi Christina,
        I go every 3 years. My parents were from Cervaro.
        I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Amazing place to soak up culture and history !!! Anthony

        Reply
        • Christina says:
          January 20, 2017 at 2:48 pm

          Oh my goodness! I wonder if you know my family in Toronto (Martuccis)

          Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. Neapolitan Style Pizza at Mozza in Glasgow (Leave Room for a Birramisu)! - Christina's Cucina says:
    August 20, 2018 at 7:21 am

    […] Neapolitan style pizza! They import all of their ingredients from Italy, including olives from Gaeta! Riccardo welcomed us and got us […]

    Reply
  2. An Italian Festa (Festival), The Frascati Area near Rome and a Lesson on How NOT to Drive to Ciampino Airport - Christina's Cucina says:
    August 4, 2017 at 12:26 pm

    […] part of town, was a huge villa, high on a hill, overlooking the lower lying areas, towards Rome. Villa Aldobrandini is a family home, but the gardens are free to visit. After reading a little about Frascati, I […]

    Reply

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Meet Christina

A Scottish Italian cook living in Los Angeles, Christina is usually cooking, baking or (cr)eating something scrumptious. When she isn't in the kitchen, she loves to travel, near and far, as long as good food is involved. Christina is on a mission to save authentic Italian dishes from extinction, and is constantly promoting Scottish (and British) food as some of the best cuisine the world has to offer—one steak pie and sticky toffee pudding at a time.



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