About
“Grand Tour of the Castelli Romani” is a nonprofit project that aims to promote the rediscovery of the Castelli Romani and its wonders, which for centuries have attracted illustrious travelers and great minds from all over the world. As the name suggests, the initiative stems from the dream of rekindling the area’s international reputation as a historical-artistic destination and thus bringing to life a contemporary version of the ancient Grand Tour.
The Castelli Romani are dotted with places to visit and to stay pleasantly. Their diverse heritage presents cultural, naturalistic and food and wine excellences that
deserve to be explored and protected.
Therefore, the project also aims to restore value to the territory through conservation and improvement actions, supporting the evolution of our territory at all levels: cultural, tourism and environmental. So that the Castelli Romani can grow through the great love of those who visit and live there today.
About
“Grand Tour of the Castelli Romani” is a nonprofit project that aims to promote the rediscovery of the Castelli Romani and its wonders, which for centuries have attracted illustrious travelers and great minds from all over the world. As the name suggests, the initiative stems from the dream of rekindling the area’s international reputation as a historical-artistic destination and thus bringing to life a contemporary version of the ancient Grand Tour.
The Castelli Romani are dotted with places to visit and to stay pleasantly. Their diverse heritage presents cultural, naturalistic and food and wine excellences that
deserve to be explored and protected.
Therefore, the project also aims to restore value to the territory through conservation and improvement actions, supporting the evolution of our territory at all levels: cultural, tourism and environmental. So that the Castelli Romani can grow through the great love of those who visit and live there today.
“Nothing can surpass the admirable ensemble of hills, meadows, lakes, waterfalls, gardens, ruins, groves and terraces, which enchant the eye as you walk through the shadows of Frascati and Albano, which appear in a new beauty when viewed from different perspectives, and captivate the observer with infinite variety.” (John Moore, 1795)
“The midday sun was dropping obliquely down the rocky slopes of the Riccia, and the masses of tall, tangled foliage, whose autumn hues were mixed with the moist green of a thousand evergreens, were permeated with it as if by rain. I cannot call it color; it was conflagration. Purple, crimson and scarlet, like the curtains of God’s tabernacle, the exultant trees plunged into the valley in a shower of light, every single leaf trembling with vivid and burning life; each one, as it turned to reflect or transmit the sunbeam, first a torch and then an emerald.” (John Ruskin, 1843)
The Castelli Romani
Gentle hills crowded with villages. Centuries-old forests the scene of ancient myths. Two mirrors of blue water. Archaeological treasures, vineyards, architectural gems, local specialties. And a breathtaking panorama that reaches the sea.
The Castelli Romani are located southeast of Rome, in the Alban Hills. A favorite residence of ancient patricians, from the 15th century onward they became the home of many Roman baronial families. Surrounding those palaces today are 14 modern towns, nestled in a wonderful 15,000-hectare regional park lying on the sleeping limbs of the Latium Volcano that is home to two lakes-Albano (or Castel Gandolfo) and Nemi. Albano Laziale, Ariccia, Castel Gandolfo, Frascati, Genzano di Roma, Grottaferrata, Lanuvio, Marino, Monte Compatri, Monte Porzio Catone, Nemi, Rocca Priora, Rocca di Papa, Velletri. Each town has its own character, history, and specialties. Together, they compose a divine symphony capable of gladdening every soul.
The Castelli Romani
Gentle hills crowded with villages. Centuries-old forests the scene of ancient myths. Two mirrors of blue water. Archaeological treasures, vineyards, architectural gems, local specialties. And a breathtaking panorama that reaches the sea.
The Castelli Romani are located southeast of Rome, in the Alban Hills. A favorite residence of ancient patricians, from the 15th century onward they became the home of many Roman baronial families. Surrounding those palaces today are 14 modern towns, nestled in a wonderful 15,000-hectare regional park lying on the sleeping limbs of the Latium Volcano that is home to two lakes-Albano (or Castel Gandolfo) and Nemi. Albano Laziale, Ariccia, Castel Gandolfo, Frascati, Genzano di Roma, Grottaferrata, Lanuvio, Marino, Monte Compatri, Monte Porzio Catone, Nemi, Rocca Priora, Rocca di Papa, Velletri. Each town has its own character, history, and specialties. Together, they compose a divine symphony capable of gladdening every soul.
“I see you, Nemi, navel among the woods on the hills. So remote that the furious claws of the wind capable Of untangling an oak tree from its roots, of bringing out from its borders the ocean and to raise it, to the point of making them Clash with the sky, the foams, reluctantly lingering Before the oval mirror of your glass lake; And, calm as if from suppressed rage, its surface covers The sight of high still abysses that nothing can shake Thus enveloped all in themselves in the way that snakes sleep. Side by side, separated just a little, shine from a valley Which to this is sister the waves of Albano; – and more distant the meanders of the Tiber, to where the wide ocean bathes the coast of Latium where the Epic War was ignited “Arma virumque “of a hero whose star, fallen, ascended To stand on an empire; – and I add that to your right hand Tullius from Rome found rest; and where down there a long frame of mountains interrupted the view, they cultivated the Sabines the countryside that was a delight to the weary poet.” (George Gordon Byron, 1900)
The Grand Tour
“To travel is to live twice: once with the eyes and once with the heart.”
(J.W. Goethe, Journey to Italy)
The journey of journeys, through the most fascinating places in continental Europe. Practiced since the 1700s, the Grand Tour formed the heart of education for young people from good families, who were sent to study the culture, politics, patterns and antiquities of European countries. The coveted final destination was Italy, with its immense cultural heritage and irrepressible artistic fervor.
The Grand Tour experience was crucial to the education of numerous writers, artists, intellectuals, and scientists, such as Goethe, de Montaigne, Winckelmann, Turner, Stendhal, Bizet, Keats, Shelley, Dickens, and Byron. Among the most fascinating phenomena in our history, it helped shape the cosmopolitan spirit on which European identity is based today.
The Grand Tour
“To travel is to live twice: once with the eyes and once with the heart.”
(J.W. Goethe, Journey to Italy)
The journey of journeys, through the most fascinating places in continental Europe. Practiced since the 1700s, the Grand Tour formed the heart of education for young people from good families, who were sent to study the culture, politics, patterns and antiquities of European countries. The coveted final destination was Italy, with its immense cultural heritage and irrepressible artistic fervor.
The Grand Tour experience was crucial to the education of numerous writers, artists, intellectuals, and scientists, such as Goethe, de Montaigne, Winckelmann, Turner, Stendhal, Bizet, Keats, Shelley, Dickens, and Byron. Among the most fascinating phenomena in our history, it helped shape the cosmopolitan spirit on which European identity is based today.
*These and other quotes are taken from the ebook The Grand Tour in the Alban Hills. From its origins to the early twentieth century edited by Maria Vittoria Giuliani [Villino Volterra, 2019], available online at.
https://www.villinovolterra.it/mini-grand-tour/
and in our Publications section.