Marina's Bloggariffic

15th of August is a special day in Italy. Italians call it the Ferragosto and it is a holiday all throughout the country. And on this day, Cart and I decided to take the day off to visit Castelli Romani.

Literally translated, Castelli Romani means Castles of Rome. Over here, there are a group of towns and the area is unique for its volcanic crater. I was excited to explore the area after the trip to Bracciano where coincidentally, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes got married. But first, Cart and I needed to fill our engines.

We stopped by this quaint little place called Trattoria Dei Cacciatori. This place was special to Cart because his family likes eating there and it was famous for its game.

The place was really crowded. We were very lucky to have an empty table. As we sat down, I looked around, there were many families having a meal together.

Having a meal in a trattoria is very interesting. Its a small family owned place where the foods served are different every day according to the season. How it works here is that the cameriere will verbally list to you what they are serving and you choose among the list. I quite like this method actually because there is no need to boggle the head with a menu. Just give me my choices and I choose one. Very simple!

We started with this pasta with funghi and romano cheese.

I will box anyone who pronounces this as funn-ghaii

Cart enjoyed his pasta very much since he’s always iffy about pasta being al dente. I like how fresh tasting the mushrooms were.

Later we had a side dish of Melanzane alla Parmigiana which I dare say is the best one that I’ve ever had. It was so soft and tasty that I gobbled it up and forgot to take a picture of it!

We ended our meal with tiramisu. The original recipe should not have alcohol in them which makes Cart wonder why there were so many restaurants that uses them in tiramisu.

In any case, one bite and I was in heaven … mmmm… it was orgasmic! I can has moar??

By the end of the meal, both Cart and I were so stuffed that we felt sleepy. And we decided to take a walk around the area. Unfortunately, being summer, it was still uncomfortably warm and I felt sticky and didn’t feel like taking a lot of pictures. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve lost my tolerance to the Singapore heat. I hope that I’d be fine when I return back to Singapore in December.

Notice that we drive on the right?

We then decided to drive through a town called Nemi which was nearby. Nemi is special because of the lake near it.

Because of the volcanic craters, Nemi is also famous for its unique strawberries. The first time I encountered it, I was curious because it was so tiny! Regardless, it was sweet and ripe and really good in my gelato!

We stopped a while by the roadside to take a look at the beautiful lake in front of us. It was really a sight to behold.

Its really gorgeous. The blue of the lake, coupled with the gentle breeze made it feel so tranquil and serene. People living around this area are so lucky!

In the distance, I could spot out a yacht going by.

My gosh, how nice it was to just go sailing and enjoy the breeze.

I also saw something in the air. Was it parachuting? Parasailing? Para-para sakura?

Regardless of what it was, it looked like a lot of fun. Gosh! I wanna do water sports! Its been such a long time. The last time that I did something like that was in Thailand with Juli and Hema some years back.

I hope that there is something like that in Italy too and hopefully, doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

In any case, as we approached the town of Nemi, it was crowded! Cart couldn’t find parking anywhere! There was no parking even some kilometers away from the town. Oh my gosh. Apparently, this was THE place to be during Ferragosto.

Reluctantly, we had to leave Nemi. Maybe we’ll be here again another day.

Recently Cart and I had a walk in a little place in Rome called Quartiere Coppede.

It is an interesting place filled with gothic looking buildings.

At first glance, I thought that the area was a palatial building judging by the style. It looked as if it was built during the dark ages, opulent and thick styled decorations all around the angular building. I could even imagine several guardsmen on horses trotting through.

Thief : The Dark Project would totally be at home here.

Surprisingly, the buildings were constructed in the 1920s which is relatively quite modern compared to many of the builds in Central Rome.

Turns out that the designer of the building, Gino Coppede, whom had an eccentric and over the top style, wanted to have something unique which certainly reflects on his last architecture.

Check out this building below, the curved entrance looks as if it was going to draw you in. It was actually a little bit spooky.

It was then that Cart told me that we were in the same location where Dario Argento filmed his horror movie, Inferno. We were in the same place where a movie was filmed. Cool!

Looking through a couple of youtube videos, it looked really B-Grade horror though. Which is not so bad for me since I actually like shows like Tales from the Crypt.

By the way, Dario Argento is an Italian film director who is well known for his influence in horror films. One of the films that he produced is Suspiria, which is voted one of the top scariest movies of all time.

Growing up, horror movies was a staple for me. There was a time when my family and friends would have a little gathering watching movies like Sundel Bolong with the queen of horror, Suzanna.

Nowadays I dont have the strength to watch horror shows anymore though ever since watching the Japanese version of the Ring and The Grudge. Because of that, I couldn’t sleep for about 3 days. Yeah, I’m weak, I know

Anyway, I’m actually feeling a little queasy right now so I’ll get back to Quartiere Coppede.

Regardless of how gothic that the area looked like, I think that its a rather charming place for a photoshoot. I can imagine a bridal photoshoot going on here already. Would be very lovely, don’t you think?

I wish I was a good photographer

And to end this post, I’ll put a picture which is completely unrelated

A very pretty sunset at Villa Borghese

August is the warmest periods in Rome. With temperatures soaring to almost 40 degrees celcius, the norm for many Romans are to head off for vacation. But at the same time there are a couple of events going about called the Estate Romana. And though it was a balmy evening last week, I really enjoyed myself exploring the passageways at Castel Sant Angelo with Cart and his friends.

Castel Sant Angelo is a fortress filled with weaponry. There is a long connecting passageway from here to Saint Peter’s Square. Cart tells me that the pope could run to it for protection from enemies the during times of emergencies such as the war.

But with Angels and Demons fresh in my head, I was on a personal quest to find the insanely hensem Camerlengo Ewan Mcgregor.

There was already a crowd building up at the entrance of Castel Sant Angelo, but after queuing up for a while, we finally headed towards the passageway. I was excited. Initially I wanted to take a video of the exploration ala tv-documentary style. But it was impossible as it was really quite dark inside. Ahem. One would have thought to install some lights inside with the budget that they had.

And yet, it was rather interesting walking through the passageway. It was quite easy to imagine oneself as royalty during the 18th century getting through the areas. Just try to ignore the throngs of other people passing through, taking pictures and whatnots

The first part of the passageway was sheltered and quite dark and the only source of illumination was from the lights outside. Do be careful when you’re here!

After a short walk, we reached the open part of the passageway. And I was a little surprised. What the movie doesn’t explain is that there are housing really close by the passageways. It was so close that I can peek through the window and see what the occupants are having for dinner. I wonder if they feel intruded with so many gawking people looking in.

Above is a picture of a house that got destroyed after the antimatter bomb exploded. And then, I quickly looked around. This must be the spot where the assassin climbs out of the passageway into the streets below.

It looked eerily similar. The sights were the same, the streets was the same … but where are you Ewan Mcgregor? And are you sure that your assassin would be able to climb out of the passageway undetected? It’s always crowded with people here.

Anyway, a bit more walking and we reached as far as we could go at the passageway. Any further, we’d be chided by that dude sitting there in the corner. But what a shame though. I’m really curious to know how it was like walking all the way to Piazza San Pietro.

We turned back and returned to Castel Sant Angelo. When we reached there, there were a number of buskers performing.

We say a number of acts, such as tapdancing ladies, a jazz singer, some comedian guy who wasnt really all that funny. And this fire eating act. This guy is probably praying that he doesnt burn his luxurious hair.

We then walked down below to see the prisons. Interestingly, the temperature got cooler as we went deeper below. It was like a natural air conditioning.

What was interesting about the prison is that the entry was so tiny that I had to bend down just to get in. This was rather puzzling to me as Europeans are rather large size. Alessandro, Cart’s friend postulated that the doors were small possibly as to make it easier to defend should there be fights happening.

I do wonder how really tall people get in and out of these.

We then reached a room where there were many jars such as these although I’m not too certain what the function of these barrels are? Are they toilets? Where the 40 thieves hid to assassinate Ali Baba? Alessandro thinks that they are used to store grains and food.

At length, we headed up to the top of Castel Sant Angelo. It was nice and breezy here and you could see heaps of monuments around. San Pietro at the distance, the Vittorio Emmanuele II in the corner, the night scenes and lights outside – looking at all the sights makes me understand why Rome is dubbed the eternal city.

And here is an angel making shish kebab.

I’m kidding!

The angel statue was conceived when Pope Gregory I saw the Archangel Michael appearing and putting the sword back into the scabbard. And it was prophesied that it was the end of the pestilence.

And that marks the end of our exploration. I had such a lovely evening roaming around the different areas in Castel Sant Angelo. But unfortunately for my feet, it was screaming out in pain from all the vigorous walking.

But it was worth it, even if I didn’t get to see Ewan Mcgregor. Where are you Obi Wan? I hope that we shall meet … one day

August marks one of the most warmest period in Italy. Cart warned me about temperatures soaring to about 40 degrees Celsius. Madness! With this comes a sort of tradition in Rome for its inhabitants to go on vacation during these times to find respite.

One of the popular destinations are the beach. Italians seem to love to tan! And you’d see loads of brown-skin Italians going by. But I still can’t get used to seeing Caucasians as dark as or even darker than I am.

It’s funny how when in the first three months, I don’t feel like going out because of the cold, nowadays I’d just hide away at home from the scorching heat. Hence, its a great time for some backdated posts! And today, lets explore Saint Peter’s Square or also known as Piazza San Pietro.

When we hosted Jerrick in March, we decided to head over to Piazza San Pietro on a Sunday afternoon. Although I’ve already been here, it still amazes me at how large and opulent the place was.

It makes me wonder, how on earth was this build constructed? Considering that when it was designed in the late 1600s, building technology was not so advanced. Just carrying the sheer amount of marble alone on a horse and carriage is a Herculean feat.

I spotted a couple of Swiss Guards outside the build to protect the Pope.

Cart tells me an interesting information about Swiss Guards – it was a requirement for them to be Swiss, Catholic and between 19 to 30 years old. But nowadays, I suppose that their function is more as a decorational tradition since the pope has another set of bodyguards. I even saw a couple of tourists trying to persuade the Swiss Guards to pose and take pictures with them. You cant do that!

Entering San Pietro requires a number of rules to be fulfilled. One of them being that the visitor must be decently dressed. Not such a problem for me since I was all bundled up in the semi winter weather.

There was also a queue that you had to get in where they will do a metal detector check and x-ray bag checks. I was unfortunately carrying a small bottle of tabasco sauce that day and the guard was looking at the screen and then me quizzedly.

Luckily for me, I passed through. Phew!

I guess it was rather fortunate for us to go to San Pietro on a Sunday since there was a mass. I’ve never seen a mass at San Pietro before.

If it was opulent outside, the inside was extremely grand to me. Everywhere you walk, there were always be something to see – be it a fresco or a decoration. One big mistake that many tourists do is that they just walk through quickly. Slow down and really take a look at these crafts. Cart tells me that San Pietro is never completed anyway, as in the build is always ever expanding.

Similar to the Santa Sabina Church that Cart and I visited in Circo Massimo, there were tombs dedicated to the popes in San Pietro. To be honest, I find it a little bit creepy.

I finally saw a working confessional booth

It probably is not such a big deal. But the only ones that I’ve seen are the ones from television. In any case, we reached the area where the mass was.

It was cordoned with a velvet rope. I wanted to go in and take a closer look but Cart doesn’t seem to be comfortable with the idea since the three of us weren’t Catholics. So we looked from afar. I couldn’t see anything.

At length, there were a couple of men in black suits cordoning us as the mass was going to do a procession. I quickly readied my camera.

Okay, it wasn’t that long, but it was still rather interesting to see. Cart tells me that the procession was according to age, youngest first and the eldest are at the back.

All in all, it was a pretty cool day. I quite enjoyed myself 🙂

Related links :

• A map of Piazza San Pietro

If you like this post, you might enjoy :

• A day in Circo Massimo
• A day in Bracciano
• Celebrating Cart’s Birthday in Garbatella
• How I see Piazza Navona