Rocca di Papa

The Castelli Romani refers to the hills which surround Rome where hundreds of years ago, many of the capital's richer patron's built beautiful "country houses" (the "castellos"-literally castles) and where still today, Romans can go to admire the panoramic view and breath a little fresh air during the hot summers. The area baptised Castelli Romani includes the regional Park of the Castelli Romani and a dozen towns. The most important are: Rocca di Papa, Frascati, Marino, Grottaferrata, Castel Gandolfo, Nemi, Monte Porzio. Once, a castle stood on each hilltop, but in the Renaissance these were replaced with magnificent palaces for cardinals and noblemen.

The geological formation is of volcanic origin. Two lakes, fed by underground springs, lie in what were once craters: Lake Albano and Lake Nemi. The fertile soil of the hillside has for centuries been used for vines, producing the "Vino dei Castelli": Frascati, Marino, Colli Lanuvini and other DOC varieties.

The Castelli are easy enough to reach by public transport: the area is well connected by three railway lines (to Frascati, Albano, Velletri and Marino respectively) and by the excellent Cotral buses, which leave from the Anagnina bus station at the end of metro line A. The problem with the Cotral buses is that no official schedule is published, though times are posted on a board near the ticket office at the Anagnina interchange. The buses depart from numbered bays (known as marciapiedi) on the upper level; at each bay is a board with times of return buses from the farthest point of each line.

Most of the famous Renaissance villas are closed to the public, unfortunately, but there is still plenty to see in the area of the Castelli. Grottaferrata has a fortified abbey enclosing a medieval church; Albano boasts a small museum and Roman remains including an amphitheater and a cistern which is still in use after nearly 2000 years; each of the towns has its own sights and the entire area is fascinating to explore.

The greater part of the territory of Rocca di Papa belongs to the Regional Park of the Castelli