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UPPER LAZIO: AMIDST LAKES<br />
AND OLIVE GROVES<br />
This tiny plot of green land holds the sweetest<br />
surprises for lovers of nature and<br />
art. The Sabina region, only 50 kilometres<br />
from Rome, has always been the kingdom<br />
of olives. Discover the Olive Road by car,<br />
stopping at farms to taste and buy, and at<br />
agritourism sites to sample local cuisine,<br />
a feast of tagliatelle and homemade maltagliati<br />
(stradadelloliodellasabina.com).<br />
In the same area, take a fascinating tour<br />
among lakes and ancient mansions. One<br />
of the most picturesque stretches runs from<br />
Lago del Salto to Castello di Poggio Poponesco,<br />
or the village of Castel di Tora,<br />
connected by a thin strip of land and facing<br />
onto Lake Turano. The best starting place<br />
to discover all this is Rieti, the ancient<br />
capital of the Sabines. It’s lovely to stroll<br />
through the lanes of the historic centre<br />
and gaze up at the 13th-century Bishops’<br />
Palace, with its grandiose double-aisled<br />
portico. Then there’s the Cathedral, where<br />
St. Francis is believed to have paused in<br />
prayer. Another hotbed of art and culture<br />
is Viterbo, the capital of its province, located<br />
at the foot of the Cimini Mountains<br />
between Lake Vico and Lake Bolsena. It’s<br />
called the “city of popes” because of the<br />
mid-13th-century Papal Palace, which towers<br />
like a fortress atop the San Lorenzo<br />
Hill, and the Cathedral of St. Lawrence, the<br />
coronation site of seven popes. Upper Lazio<br />
also has the sea, at Civitavecchia, with<br />
a port founded by the Emperor Trajan as a<br />
centre of trade among ancient peoples. It is<br />
still the region’s major port, and the most<br />
important hub for connections to Sardinia.<br />
In summer, the coast livens up between<br />
Santa Severa and Santa Marinella, lined<br />
with many summer homes in Art Nouveau<br />
style. These villages are favourite holiday<br />
haunts for Romans, who come at weekends<br />
to enjoy the sunny beaches, dine on fish in<br />
seaside restaurants and play water sports.<br />
Thanks to the morphology of the sea bed<br />
and the position of the coast, this is also a<br />
great place to surf.<br />
Santa Marinella<br />
Il castello di Santa Severa che si affaccia sul Tirreno<br />
Rieti, vista del Duomo<br />
Terme
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