Terracina to Itri
We woke up to a beautiful morning and headed off towards Sperlonga.
But not before the manager (a keen cyclist) had insisted on giving us a high carbohydrate feast which took a long time and three cappuccinos to force down – we wobbled away replete. Sperlonga is an old coastal town with numerous Roman monuments and justly regards itself as another Amalfi. (We misheard this and thought she’d said that word they don’t mention and is associated with Cosy Nostrils, and wondered whether we should give the place a wide berth)
Temple Giove Anxur above Terracina
Rock face above Terracina with Roman houses about halfway up - How??
The reason we wanted to go there was to see what remains of Tiberius’ villa which is just outside of the town. We were casting around as one does in the centre of town and asked some policemen where the ruins were and also the route for Gaeta. Both in that direction they told us, but added (in direct contrast to the police in Terracina) that it was not safe to take a bicycle along that road, there are 4kms of tunnels and solid heavy traffic. The alternative was to Itri which is a small town ten miles inland and up what would appear on the map as vertical slopes. Then you can turn back to the coast and arrive at Gaeta. 2 sides of a triangle and we only had time to do one, plus we weren’t certain that we had the stamina to get over the hills anyway.
In a bar on a piazza at the top of Sperlonga the waitress, the owner and a German girl also having a cup coffee told us that it was steep but not far and that there was plenty of accommodation in Itri, and then seeing the looks on our faces went the extra mile for us and called a hotel to make sure it was open, confirmed a price, and warned them that we might be showing up. They also made some delicious rustic bread, Parma ham and smoked cheese sandwiches for us which we took to sustain ourselves on the journey.
As it turned out the climb was massive but you can say one thing for Roman road builders, they knew how to keep the gradient as shallow as possible. For the first time in weeks the world was utterly silent – this being a little used route. The only sound we thought coming from the bells on a herd of goats but actually they were horses grazing on the mountainside with bells around their necks.
In a bar on a piazza at the top of Sperlonga the waitress, the owner and a German girl also having a cup coffee told us that it was steep but not far and that there was plenty of accommodation in Itri, and then seeing the looks on our faces went the extra mile for us and called a hotel to make sure it was open, confirmed a price, and warned them that we might be showing up. They also made some delicious rustic bread, Parma ham and smoked cheese sandwiches for us which we took to sustain ourselves on the journey.
As it turned out the climb was massive but you can say one thing for Roman road builders, they knew how to keep the gradient as shallow as possible. For the first time in weeks the world was utterly silent – this being a little used route. The only sound we thought coming from the bells on a herd of goats but actually they were horses grazing on the mountainside with bells around their necks.
The line from left to right is the road we took to Itri.
If you think that looks flat - it is an optical illusion!
Having climbed over the hill we then had a massive downhill run, there are three bends evident in this photo, I got up to 32mph and scared myself so much I had to get off and lie down!
We had our baguettes looking up at this, the horses were to the right.
But, back in Sperlonga - The bad news was that Tiberius’ villa was now several hundred feet below us and there was absolutely no way we were giving up an inch of our hard won height advantage just to have a look at a pile of old stones!
Tiberius' Villa is beneath the first hill in the distance
Looking down on the villa.
We stayed in a lovely new hotel in the middle of nowhere surrounded by olive groves and steep hills and valleys 2 miles outside Itri. As usual we were the only 2 staying. We went for a walk amongst the olives but retired pretty quickly as every local was out for the last weekend of the shooting season. The noise was overwhelming and every little bird that moved was fired at! Alec couldn’t get over how much ammo they all carry and how much each little bird must cost!
After an initial difference of opinion over how much we would be paying - the price had mysteriously risen 10 euros above that agreed with the girl on the phone. They backed down fairly quickly when we stuck to our guns in our best Italian (Vivi did Italian O level at NFL when she was 15) and looked after us really well. We are beginning to feel a bit fed up having to pay the ‘tourist premium’ everywhere we go. By law they are meant to display prices for all meals in restaurants but the last 3 we have been to don’t have menus and just tell you what is available. It is always delicious. Last night we firmly said that we only wanted a main course but lo and behold the chef/owner produced a ‘surprise’ starter. It was a huge spicy sausage on top of a bed of broccoli, which we had to follow with the steak from the cows that wandered the Itrian hills, which we had ordered. They were having a family party and everyone was having a whale of a time except the Grandmother who was given the job of stoking the fire in a corner. She had her slippers almost in the furnace and sat looking glum fiddling with her rosary beads. All the children and the daughters in law kept as much distance as possible between her and them and were usually sheltering behind a husband as well.
After an initial difference of opinion over how much we would be paying - the price had mysteriously risen 10 euros above that agreed with the girl on the phone. They backed down fairly quickly when we stuck to our guns in our best Italian (Vivi did Italian O level at NFL when she was 15) and looked after us really well. We are beginning to feel a bit fed up having to pay the ‘tourist premium’ everywhere we go. By law they are meant to display prices for all meals in restaurants but the last 3 we have been to don’t have menus and just tell you what is available. It is always delicious. Last night we firmly said that we only wanted a main course but lo and behold the chef/owner produced a ‘surprise’ starter. It was a huge spicy sausage on top of a bed of broccoli, which we had to follow with the steak from the cows that wandered the Itrian hills, which we had ordered. They were having a family party and everyone was having a whale of a time except the Grandmother who was given the job of stoking the fire in a corner. She had her slippers almost in the furnace and sat looking glum fiddling with her rosary beads. All the children and the daughters in law kept as much distance as possible between her and them and were usually sheltering behind a husband as well.
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