A day in Bracciano where Tomkat got married and I didnt even know it!

I was at my in law’s place when I noticed a geography book on the table. Flipping it open, I saw various map and was trying to spot Capri – A place where Cart and I visited some years ago.

Somewhere in the corner, my eyes were drawn to a large lake on the left. Not too far away from Rome.

View Larger Map

As the trip to Capri took us about 5 hours, I asked Cart how long it would take to go to Lake Bracciano. Little did I expect that Cart actually suggest that we would go there! Hence, last monday, being a holiday in Rome due to the Patrons Santi Pietro e Paolo, Cart and I went to lake Bracciano.

It took about less than an hour to reach there. And already I was amazed to see this in front of me!

A castle?! Truth be told, I didnt google or did any research about Bracciano, hence my surprise. Cart didnt seem very surprised that I was surprised though. He told me that in every region in Italy, there were sure to be a castle. For me, I was already starting to see Cave of the Golden Rose in front of me.

We took a short walk towards the castle. The housing area looked quite charming with the slopes making the staircases look uneven. I quite like the old look and feel of the area.

We stopped by this small family run restaurant to have a quick lunch where I had a nice plate of Pasta alla Pescatora which is made up of various type of seafood in tomato sauce. I quite liked it.

I’m not going to put Cart’s Pasta with Truffles cos I don’t fancy how it tastes

At length, we headed to Castle Odeschalchi which was just a few minutes away by foot. The gates were closed and we realised that we needed to have a ticket to have a guided tour inside the castle.

It was such a beautiful place. Can you imagine the kings and queens walking up and down this path? And the view of the lake was fantastic! Cart was marvelling at how the rich always knew where to pick a good spot.

Postcard and picnic perfect

It was interesting going through the castle, totally feeling the medieval vibe of the place. I liked looking at the furnitures on display that were actually used during those times. The only thing is that guests were not allowed to take pictures inside the castle which quite disappointed me. What’s wrong with taking pictures? Even the Sistine Chapel lets you take pictures inside, even if its not all of the places.

Anyirritatedhow, the guide was retelling about the history of the castle, and there was one that was extremely memorable to me.

She showed us a bedroom where Lady Isabella slept. It was said that she had many lovers. And after a night of passion, she would lead them to a room nearby and then push him down a well, full of spikes and blades.

Yikes!

And not before too long, the tour was over and we were lead out and the door promptly shut.

I wish the tour wasnt so rushed

In any case, Cart and I went back to the car and headed to the lake next. It was just a few minutes drive away. If it looked quite lovely in the map, it looks even lovelier seen in real life.

There were a number of people suntanning and taking a dip in the water. A number were boating and playing with water rides. It kind of reminded me when I was a kid when I lived in Jurong. Lakeside was full of water rides. Whatever happened to them?

Its so peaceful. Even with the amount of people there, it was very tranquil just to have the wind in my face and looking at the smooth waves on the water, which by the way, is interestingly clear!

I wonder what makes it that way and hugged Cartcart since Braccia means hug in Italian. (By the way, out of context, this is a nice site to make Abbracci cookies)

After the walk along the promenade, Cart and I decided to stop by for a gelato and that’s when I spotted this

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes got married here?! I was in the castle where Tomkat got married? Freaking heck, why didn’t the guide tell me this?!

Bleargh!