The route of the Castelli Romani wine road offers a unique opportunity to understand how deeply rooted the culture of wine and the cultivation of grapevines are in the history of this hilly and volcanic territory near Rome. The “road,” in fact, admirably combines views of lush green nature with the ancient remains of civilizations that even before the birth of Rome settled in these lands. Here you find Renaissance and Baroque villas together with long stretches of vines, religious sites, churches and convents. Not far away, restaurants that offer the famous “Castellana” cuisine and many producers who open the doors of their wine cellars to make their work better known to passing guests. The precious combination of this proposal is found in the fine welcome ensured by the local inhabitants.
A beautiful journey for discovering places rich in history and unique food and wine traditions. We start from Frascati, where we find the wine par excellence of the Castelli Romani and its very close relative, Cannellino, a sweet wine produced from withered grapes, very renowned even though produced in small quantities.
The second stage of the journey along the Castelli Romani wine road takes us to Montecompatri, Colonna and Rocca Priora, a beautiful tour through the enchanting historic centres of these towns all located not far from Rome.
A not-to-be-missed stop is certainly Velletri, whose vine and wine culture goes back to the great Etruscan tradition, as handed down to us by the works of the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder. This is a rich zone with a well-maintained nature.
Not far from Velletri we find Genzano, one of the most famous towns in the area, where, among other things, a highly-appreciated bread baked in wood-burning ovens is produced, that rivals the equally good bread of the nearby Lariano. The local wine has always had a prestigious reputation, even in ancient times, when the production was so deeply rooted and important that most of the cart drivers transporting wine from the Castelli to Rome came from Genzano. Not far away, the city of Lanuvio merits a visit for the beautiful view it offers of the area’s vineyards.
The production zone of the Colli Albani DOC wine takes in Ariccia and Castel Gandolfo, as well as the town of Albano Laziale. With a great advantage due to the fertile volcanic soil created by the volcano whose crater today holds the beautiful Lake Albano, this territory has produced wine from ancient times, before the birth of the city of Rome. It is a wine that happily accompanies the renowned “Castellana” cuisine that here boasts a tradition of great interest that presents, with the “Porchetta di Ariccia,” the absolute protagonist of the dining table. Precisely because of this tradition of eating well, natural and organic productions are also gaining ground in these areas.
Ariccia, boasting a splendid view towards the coast, with its Palazzo Chigi appears elegant and imposing to visitors arriving from Rome, who can admire Bernini’s interventions on the beautiful construction.
A bit further on, Castel Gandolfo, which was chosen as the summer residence of the papal courts in the seventeenth century, after Maderno had built the papal palace whose interiors display interventions of great artistic value.
Ecco Marino! So goes the famous adagio of a popular song that announces festivals and drinks from the city’s fountains that generously “give wine.” The beautiful medieval towns of Nemi and Rocca di Papa are reference points for the production of a wine fostered by a generous nature. This is especially demonstrated by the strawberries grown on the slopes descending towards the lake of Nemi and to which the city dedicates a very popular festival appreciated by people of different origins and sensibilities.