Magic of a small town in Italy

[fgrsk8r1970]

We've been visiting a small town outside of Rome now twice in the last 3 years and have been blessed meeting and hanging out with the locals and experiencing the non-touristy Italy that many people will never see. I found this by accident on TA because I was searching for an apartment in Rome with WIFI. Being spoiled from my searches (and visit) in Paris I was surprised in 2010 finding that not many apt in Rome had WIFI (at least not the ones affordable to us) so when I got more specific in my search criteria it found this little place in Capena, Lazio - a 40 min drive from Rome.

We fell in love with Capena and the surrounding countryside - tried Rome for 2 hours and left. Just not for us.... so here are some of the photos of Capena - I hope you'll enjoy:

Our street and apartment in Capena... yes this is a two way street ;-)


Piazza del Popolo, 2 minutes from our apartment and where we had coffee at the little cafe/bar every morning and drinks at night (under the yellow awning)


The old Rocca - fell in love with the lanterns






Laundry day


Thankfully I was trained to drive in Germany.... on a manual.... :-) My Cowboy is still going to therapy because of the Italian drivers (j/k)


This is my personal favorite of the Rocca


I could have taken pictures all day there


Our apartment at night - right under the lantern


View from our mini balcony to the Piazza del Popolo and the Rocca

[fumobici]

Looks like a lovely little town- very typical of central Italy. I haven't explored Lazio too much in depth, usually it's a dash from Rome to Anghiari where my father lives or another place outside Lazio. I like to stop in Monte Romano or Viterbo for a meal but then push on again.

[bixaorellana]

Oh goodness -- that really is magical and you have the eye and skill to capture it. What an enchanting place!

Skater, what is the Rocca to which you refer? Also, are there many little squares, or is the Piazza del Popolo the main & only one.

Maybe you shouldn't tell people about this place. I'd want to keep it all to myself!

[nycgirl]

What a beautiful place! I can see why you would want to take tons of pictures. It looks charming from every angle, and just as pretty in the lantern-lit evening as it is in the sun-drenched daytime.

It's hard to believe these idyllic scenes are just a short drive from Rome.

[htmb]

I can see several of us sneaking off to this quiet little paradise and accidentally running into each other.

[mossie]

Have to agree with everyone above. It looks really medieval, and then one sees a satellite dish
Thanks for sharing

[Deleted]

Amazing photos. Thanks so much for sharing these with us. Stunning!

[lola]

Beautiful town.

[fgrsk8r1970]

Thank you everybody for the kind words!!
Bixa - The Piazza del Popolo is in the old quarters (old town) and the only one of it's kind in Capena. The Rocca is the old Monastery building sitting on a rock "Rocca" at the Piazza del Popolo (that's where I took the photo from) and it is now a residential area but still has this medieval charm and nooks and cranny alleys......there are other plazas but those are just modern, new spots where young people hang out.

htmb - how funny would that be? we all meet there and are like... how did you find out about this place??? UMMMM - a board called.... LOLOL.

Thanks again

Front of the Rocca - it has like 2 stories I think:


Side & Back view (with lanterns )

[tod2]

Absolutely wonderful ! Thank you so much for showing us your 'secret' little Italian town

[Deleted]

Definitely a beautiful town -- and even more beautifully photographed!

[fgrsk8r1970]

Thank you so much tod2 and K2 ;D

One morning I walked around the old town area and took pictures of all the street signs as they look so cool:
I did create a collage with it:

[anshjain97]

This town looks amazing! And what great photos!

[lugg]

What a beautiful place and your photos, as always, are wonderful.

[fgrsk8r1970]

Thank you lugg & anshjain

[Deleted]

Charming little Italian town and great photos, sk8r. The night shots are just magical.