LA FAMIGLIA
I would be remiss to not include the family day of our journey. I am still including tips and links to places we visited, but this post will be a bit more personal. So the day finally arrived that we met relatives and traveled to the town where my husband’s grandfather grew up. So quick back story: My husband’s grandfather moved to America when he was 16 years old, he left behind all the rest of his family, including brothers and sisters, nieces, and nephews and his parents. While in America, he built a life for himself and sent money home to his family often. Unbeknownst to him, his town went from being part of the Rieti region to the Lazio region, and all correspondence was lost somewhere in between, along with the money he sent. Fast-forward 20 years later, he got word that all his family thought he had died since they never heard from him. He decided to travel back to Italy where his town closed down for the day to celebrate his return. Today was the day that we were able to go with relatives and visit that little town of Poggio Nativo.
We started the morning early and headed to Rome Termini to pick up our rental car. There are a TON of Hertz locations, but this was easiest for us, about a 10 minute Uber ride from our Airbnb. I reserved the car about a month before from Hertz International (https://www.hertz.it/p/noleggio-auto/italia/roma/roma-stazione-termini-via-giolitti-16).
PASTRIES IN ROME
We met up with cousins Benedetta and Maria Luisa at an unbelievable pastry shop in Rome, Bar Pisticceria- Il Giglio (https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d4502069-Reviews-Bar_Pasticceria_Il_Giglio-Rome_Lazio.html). It was a small little place and the line was out the door. We chatted over pastries, and cappuccinos, which were all very good. They had us try the most famous Roman pastry, Maritozzi, which is essentially a brioche bun with whipped cream. They were unbelievable and by far my favorite pastry throughout our entire trip. Highly recommend! The cafe itself really did not look like anything special, just your run of the mill spot to grab coffee and pastries, but it was great. No indoor seating but little tables along the sidewalk, which were perfect to sit and chat.
ON THE ROAD
We then set off to follow them out of Rome, up through the hills about 45 minutes away to the little town of Poggio Nativo (https://www.rietinature.it/en/comune/poggio-nativo/). Driving in the city of Rome was definitely a nailbiter, but thankfully we were following the cousins, so didn’t really need to worry about navigating. As we drove out of the city and deep into the countryside, the little towns perched on hills were absolutely amazing to look at. It was one little town after another. One in a valley, the next on a mountaintop. If at all possible, I would recommend renting a car for the day and following a route to a small town. Even though we traveled by train throughout Southern Italy, we did not see anything like we did on our journey to the small, quaint towns off the beaten path.
POGGIO NATIVO
Poggio Nativo, essentially has two parts. “Old Poggio Nativo” is the part of the town set around a medieval castle dating back to the 10th century! It is surrounded by a large wall with many small walkways, steps and alcoves throughout. Only very tiny cars can navigate around this village, most need to walk to their homes. Once we got to the town, we parked just inside the wall in a small parking area. One of the best things for us is we were able to hear all about the history of Poggio Nativo from our cousins as we explored the little streets and alleyways.
We were told that many years ago the town closed down at a certain time and if you weren’t inside by then, you were shit out of luck! Unfortunately, the town has dwindled to not many residents due to the lack of jobs and industry in the area. During our hour and a half walk through the town, I believe we only saw two people. However, we did see about 100 cats. Apparently, cats are protected under Italian law, and you will pretty much go to jail if you so much as look at them cross eyed, just another reason for cats to continue to be a little assholes!
The town was perfect for pictures of authentic Italy. And what I mean by that is those little towns with few tourists that truly belong to those who live there. The town was littered with century-old buildings, unbelievable doors and spectacular views. Every door was different from the next and extremely old. The church of Santissima Annunziata is located within these walls and draws in people from the outskirts of old town. We wandered for a bit and eventually made it to my husband’s grandfather’s childhood home, where a great nephew now resides. We took pictures and spoke to the relative now living there (well not really talked, listened to the family converse).
When we left, we drove about 1/8 of a mile down the street and stopped at one of my father-in-law‘s first cousin’s house. It was so heartwarming that her and her husband both immediately remembered him from his visits. So many years had gone by since they had last seen Harry but they clearly did not forget him. We visited for a bit, then headed to the cemetery where family was buried. Weird to say it, but it was a beautiful little place perched on a hill, very peaceful. And not so fun fact: Apparently individuals can only be intombed for 100 years and after that time the bodies are either given to the family or discarded somewhere… and no one‘s really sure where … eek!
LUNCH AT MARIA FONTANA
From Poggio Nativo to Poggio Moiano. Another little town, about a 10 minute drive to where other family lives. We first went to Ristorante Maria Fontana, a great little spot mostly visited by locals, but tourists at times make their way there. The owners are friends of the family and we were treated as such! This restaurant was definitely different than those we had visited thus far on our trip. Benedetta was given a slip of paper and she just checked off a bunch of stuff, and then out came the plates of food. It was by far the most authentic of all food we had on our travels so far… individual antipasti with meats and cheeses, a mystery appetizer (definitely heart or lungs of something), then three pastas!! Fettuccine, ravioli and angel hair, which was the thinnest I have ever had and was told that it is made by the owner’s mother who is the only person in the region that knows how to do it so thin! We had to stop them before the main courses came out, we were just so full and did not want to be rude and not eat, but we were sure to save room for dessert! Cookies, Biscotti, “backwards” Tiramisu and Pistachio cake… per usual, I always forget to take pics before eating!
POGGIO MOIANO
Our final leg of the trip was to visit the farm of some cousins in Poggio Moiano. To keep it short, it was amazing. At Domenico’s home we were served more food, looked at old pictures, took pictures like we knew each other forever, ate figs picked right off the trees as we walked down to the farm area escorted by their dog Hercules, chatted through the translation services of Benedetta, met their pig “Prosciutto” named for obvious reasons, enjoyed homemade wine- and grappa (but unfortunately declined the offer of taking some), strolled through olive groves, enjoyed homemade Soppressatta and cheeses, toured the cellar where homemade oil and wine are made and stored, shared laughs because some moments don’t need a translator and left with an 11 pound canister of Domenico’s own homemade olive oil. It was a day none of us will ever forget!
We journeyed back to Rome around 8ish. The drive back was a little hairy, especially with a navigator (a.k.a. my daughter) who couldn’t follow the Waze. We lost the family on the highway, but thankfully made it back relatively unscathed.
TRASTEVERE
Our later evening was spent exploring Trastevere, which was about a 20 minute walk from our Airbnb. I was ready to dance around the piazza in Trastevere screaming the song “sara perche ti amo” just like I saw all over TikTok. Unfortunately, someone must have taken the night off, so no singing and dancing was to be had. But we did stroll along the Tiber River to the ‘Night Market” where there were lots of pop-up shops, places to eat and carnival games. Even though we were exhausted, it was a perfect end to our day and a beautiful site to see. I do wish we had a little more time to explore this part of Rome, but just the perfect excuse to come back!
My Italian Adventures 