68
italy
A
lazio
castelli·romani
nother reason to visit Nemi is the stunning countryside and the villages of the Castelli Romani region. Named after a 200-year period of rural fortification by noble Romans fleeing the city —while the French crown ‘captured’ the papacy and relocated it to Avignon— fearing further losses as their power waned, this beautiful region has an abundance of woods, meadows, mountains and lakes for outdoors enthusiasts. The ‘Castelli Romani’ are 17 hilltop towns, surrounded by the fertile valleys of volcanic Lazio, particularly noted for its strawberry production. As Rome reasserted its power and the noblesse returned to the Eternal City, they left behind villas, palaces, parks and gardens, as well as churches and sanctuaries. They also left behind many festivals and rituals still celebrated centuries later.
castelli·romani
