Tivoli

On Friday, we went on a small day trip to Tivoli, a "hidden gem" just outside Roma. Mark found this article on the 10 Amazing Places to See Near Rome, and this one made the cut. We bought our train tickets for 2,60 euros each way. I am officially a proud member of the Trenitalia company with my own loyalty code and all. The website was so confusing to figure out, I think I deserve it! We'll see if they actually send my card in the mail. 

We rolled out of bed, made it successfully on to the H bus to Termini station, and waited for the boys to show up. After a not so surprising delay, we boarded the train and headed out.

Part way through we discovered that Tivoli was not in fact the destination of the train, but simply a stop along the way. Mark spotted the sign for the station about an hour later, however, so we woke up Alec and Alayna and got off. There was a bar to grab a cappuccino and brioche, but no bathrooms, which was unfortunate for us all.

First on our list to see was Villa Gregoriana with a beautiful and famous waterfall. We had seen it from the train but were so excited to hike to it and get a closer look. We arrived at the gates, however, to a sign informing us that the villa was closed the months of January and February. Awesome.

Moving on, we wound around a road until we saw the waterfall from up top, though it would have been beautiful to explore the villa. 

We also found a sign pointing us in the direction of some churches we thought we'd check out. Instead of making it into any little chapels, we found ourselves climbing up a road which promptly turned into a hiking trail. This was my favorite part of the day! The day was absolutely perfect - sunny, warm, and clear. Sitting at the top we could overlook Italian country side. We think we could spot St. Peter's basilica rising up out of Rome out in the distance among the hills and houses. I seriously could have packed a lunch and book and sat up there all day. I also seriously considered asking the rock climbers ascending to the peak if I could have a try...

Up at the top of the hill we also met Jeff, an American man who recently retired and is spending three months travelling Italy on his own. He was an interesting man who has seen and done some cool things here. I admire him for his adventure, but can't help thinking he'd be sort of lonely. I suppose it takes a certain kind of person and the right frame of mind.

We climbed back down and headed in for some lunch. This happened when we stopped to take in the view.

We stumbled upon this little pizzeria/patisseria and this lovely lady we befriended. Her English was ten times better than our Italian! She taught us two words - "destra" and "sinistra" mean "right" and "left". It's actually come in handy already. She was so sweet and curious about where we were from, and was touched that we thought her native town of Tivoli was gorgeous.

She gave us directions to Villa d'Este and off we went. It was definitely worth the 8 euros to get in! [Though we could have gotten half off if we were European students, not American :( ] 

We spent a little time in the villa going and found a room that used to be a secret entrance to the garden. I wish it still was because the little kid inside of me still gets so excited at the idea of hidden passages! This was the fountain in the room and off to the left was a blocked in archway. 

We also saw the room dedicated to Hercules, since he apparently is the victor of Tivoli. Outside in the gardens, however, was truly spectacular. We spent a good deal of the afternoon wandering through the fountains, hedges, and mosaics in the sprawling expanse of land. It was incredible!

[One of my favorite pictures of the day :) ]

After the villa we headed to get a cannoli, which they filled for us in the pastry shop! It was delish, but I think I've had pastries I like here even more. I'll just have to head back to my favorite patisseria here in Roma for some castagnoles :) I did get a cappuccino that definitely made up for it, though.

Villa Adriana is a park with a big fountain near the bar we sat at, so we walked along it for another gorgeous view out over Italy. As the sun set, we came back to see it again, and it was even more amazing.

Here it is in the daylight with Gianna's hair blowing in the wind.

And we hung out for a while. I was sitting in the grass enjoying absorbing it all and these boys came over to inform us that apparently people puke over the rail at night. That kind of ruined it a little so I moved up to sit on the fence...

And the sun began to set.

I had my first actual successful conversation with an Italian waitress to discover that the church nearby was open to visit. I even managed to get directions. It was next to the school yard where the adorable kids were playing soccer and some sort of dodge ball together. They're so cute and listening to their little voices talk in Italian is so strange and adorable to me!

We saw a castle that we wanted to go investigate, but after walking all the way around it and up to the gates, we realized it's someone's residence. Oops.

We couldn't make it to Hadrian's Villa as apparently you have to take a bus, so we stopped for Nutella crepes instead! It was the cutest place - a lit up stand where the man made your crepe hot off the press and spread Nutella on it from a 5kg jar. Please look at how much Nutella this thing can hold.

The place we wanted to go for dinner didn't open til 7:30, which is still early for Italian dinner! We hung out in the pub to kill some time. Our waitress also spoke English, informed us that she loved Americans, and brought us cheese made by her father, olives, and "crisps" [aka chips]. The cheese was delicious - soft and creamy, with a bit of a kick to it! I also discovered that I'm learning to like olives, which I think is a good thing as they are a pretty staple food here.

Finally, we headed to Sabilla, one of the oldest restaurants in the world! Up top was a hotel that I'm sure is busy during tourist season, but it was pretty quiet last night. We had visited early in the day to check it out and take these pictures. It was incredible how the restaurant and hotel was literally built around these ruins.

[That's the restaurant and the ruins in the reflection of this window!]

The food was divine, as well! We started out with vino della casa, of course, and bruschetta, bread, and olive oil. We splurged for "Sabilla's appetizer" with prosciutto, mozzarella, polenta, sesame chicken, artichoke, ricotta, and more. We all had a little taste of everything and it all melted in your mouth. Definitely worth every penny [or "euro cent"]! My meal was technically a "pasta course" of squid and buffalo mozzarella stuffed ravioli. YUM. I tried Cody's gnocchi with rabbit ragout, too, which I think I liked even more! I've definitely eaten lots of new things here. It makes it so much more fun to go out, be brave, and try something. I've found that I like it 90% of the time. If people here eat it, I figure it's not going to kill me.

Sadly, we had to head out for our [delayed] train home. I was so dead my day seriously ended as soon as I walked in my door and made it to my bed.

It was the best day I've had since I arrived here. We experienced the perfect mix of town and nature, food and fun, a great group of people, and a day of discoveries. Tivoli will be a favorite forever :)