Frascati

Frascati is one of the Castelli Romani, historic hill towns southeast of Rome. It is a small relaxed town perfect for a getaway from the metropolis, world famous for its white wine which has won an array of awards. Frascati has a slower pace of life, cleaner air, and a far more casual feel than the nearby capital.

Understand
In 1943, Frascati, the seat of the German Field Marshal Kesselring, was heavily bombed by American B17s. Around half of its buildings were destroyed by a total of 1300 bombs. Many people died in that air strike and in a second air strike on January 22, 1944, the day of the battle of Anzio. The city was liberated from German occupation on June 4, 1944.

Although you probably won't notice it from a casual visit, Frascati is an important scientific center. It hosts Italy's National Institute for Nuclear Physics, the European Space Agency's Centre for Earth Observation, and the Spaceguard Foundation, which aims to protect the world from collision with objects in space.

Get in
Frascati is 21 km from Rome, easily accessible by public transport or in your own car.


 * It is very convenient to the Ciampino airport which is used by a number of the budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet.
 * Trains run from Roma Termini approximately every hour. They take about 30 minutes and cost around €2. Check the Trenitalia website for further details. This was one of the first railway lines built in Italy.
 * Buses run daily from Rome. Check the Cotral website for details.
 * If Driving from Rome, take Via Tuscolana from just South East of the centre of Rome and follow it all the way to Frascati. Couldn't be easier.

See
Frascati is famous for its villas, in particular Villa Aldobrandini, which dominates the town. These villas were built in the 16th century by the Roman aristocracy as status symbols and for social activities. Most have been restored since being damaged in World War II but the cost of maintaining such buildings these days is horrendous.



Do

 * Take part in the passegiata in the evening: wandering up and down the main street, preferably with a gelato, checking out everyone else doing the same, or in the daytime, you can visit a winery.

Eat
Porchetta is a speciality of the region: whole spit roast pork. Many places around the town will have most of a pig sitting in a cabinet, usually served by carving a few slices and placing them between pieces of rustic white bread. Perhaps nothing could be a better match for a glass of Frascati.

Drink
Frascati is famous for its white wine, and the best (many have won awards in the past few years) are bottled DOC and DOCG Superior versions. Excellent quality/price ratio There is a big difference in quality between the best producers and some of the others. The largest producer is Fontana Candida and its Superiore Santa Teresa, Castel De Paolis, Casale Mattia, Poggio Le Volpi and San Marco. Antiche Terre Tuscolane cooperative produces relatively small volumes of very good wine. Principe Pallavcini is top notch (Superior DOCG is calle Poggio Verde), but for a complete list check out the consortium's website (they are the oldest consortium in Europe).

A feature of Frascati is its Cantine, essentially places where you can buy and drink wine (slightly inferior on tap), and can bring your own food. During summer nights the Cantine put their tables outside on the paved roads and it seems like the whole town sits on these benches drinking, talking and laughing beneath the stars. On such nights it's easy to see why they choose to live in this small but vibrant town.


 * Taglienti white wine.
 * Taglienti white wine.

Sleep

 * Hotel Panorama, it is the one with the best view on Rome.
 * Hotel Panorama, it is the one with the best view on Rome.
 * Hotel Panorama, it is the one with the best view on Rome.
 * Hotel Panorama, it is the one with the best view on Rome.

Go next
Frascati lies on the eastern edge of the Castelli Romani, a generic name for the area to the south of Rome, Notable cities in the area are Castel Gandolfo where the Pope has his summer residence and Marino.