Tag: summer

Bracciano – Centro, Castello e Lago

Our summer season of exploration continued with a day trip to Bracciano, a medieval town 30kms from Rome, overlooking a large volcanic lake.

The availability and diversity of great places to visit within an hour or two of Rome is truly astonishing. After our trip to Gondolfo, also seated atop a volcanic lake, we decided to give Bracciano a go and were definitely not disappointed.

Arriving just before noon on a sunny Saturday, we strolled the medieval alleyways in the hilltop Centro Storico. We looked for viewpoints of the lake, got lost in the historical architecture and pushed the stroller around some very narrow streets, all before sitting down to a well-earned pasta lunch.

Bellies full, we turned to Bracciano’s main terrestrial draw, the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, which provided stunning views of the panorama below and also stunningly difficult quarters for stroller movement! My cousin mentioned that Tom Cruise was once married at this castle and it’s easy to imagine either medieval or modern celebrations taking place here early into the morning hours.

Our final stop in Bracciano was at the beach! Beach hopping around Rome has been one of my treasured summer past times here and we thought it would be nice to try a freshwater dip rather than the salty and sometimes choppy coastal waters.

Again, aside from the challenging walk down and then up the hill to and from the beach, it was an absolutely lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The cool clean crispness of the lake was a welcome reprieve to the hot Italian sun and Dalia enjoyed a long leisurely swim in the serene environment.

Overall, Bracciano was another great find and so easy to access from Rome. We’ll keep it in mind for future trips with visitors or when needing a break from the salty waves of Ostia.

Beach Life – Santa Marinella

On our continuing quest to explore the easy-to-reach beaches of Rome, we ventured away from Ostia and landed on the soft, sandy crescent of Santa Marinella beach.

Just about an hour train ride from Rome Termini, Santa Marinella ranked high on many ‘best beaches’ lists that we searched and we were not disappointed. The day was blazing hot, the beach was full and lively, and water and slight breeze a real safe haven from the scorching sand.

We dined al fresco steps from where our ombrello and lettinos were. Aleksander managed to nap on both train rides and even in the shade of our seventh row beach location. And I even found time and energy to review some French grammar for an upcoming work-required exam.

It was nice to visit a place with better sand and stiller waves than Ostia. A location full of local Italians enjoying their summers. And create another lovely memory for our family in our first summer in Rome.

The Most Colourful Place on Earth – Burano

Since we had four full days in Venice, we decided to spend one of them on a nearby island. Researching travel plans has become a much more difficult task with an infant but my wife came across some positive reviews of the island of Burano, a 45 minute ferry ride from Venice, and so off we went for maybe the most colourful afternoon of our lives.

I can’t tell you many clever things about Burano or even the reason for the colourful homes but usually that has to do with sailors being able to identify their location in poor conditions. Either way, the colours of Burano have been saturated for the Instagram generation and the hundreds of colourful home-fronts did not disappoint.

We strolled, ate more wonderful seafood and, of course, took loads of pictures. We got a taste of the returning tourist crowds on our way home, waiting in line for an hour for the ferry home. But the stroller came in handy and we were plucked out of line and got to board first. Aleksander was a champion as always, letting us enjoy the day while he mostly snoozed.

If you find yourself in Venice with some spare time, hop on a ferry to Burano and enjoy this jewel of a find.