Layers of Lazio: a cultural weekend on Rome’s coast
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Rome
In the height of summer, many Romans head to the Lazio coast without a backward glance. But for visitors, the centrifugal pull of the Forum, the Pantheon and the Colosseum, to name but a few of the city’s mega sites, remains too strong to resist. On a third or fourth visit, adding on a weekend near the water is a chance to discover a host of remarkable archaeological gems, from Etruscan necropoli and Roman villas to medieval castles, which you could be lucky enough to have almost to yourselves. Here is a suggested outline of what to take in on a cultural mini-break away from the Città Eterna. Each of the sites below is doable in half a day.
Necropoli della Banditaccia, Cerveteri
Via della Necropoli, 43/45, 00052 Cerveteri
Hours: 9am to 7.30pm in summer (closed on Mondays)
Entrance fee: €10 (€2 for concessions)
Cerveteri, a typical Lazio town, is built on the remains of an important Etruscan city known as Caere, which was destroyed by the Romans in the third century BC. Just a short drive from here, however, are the Necropoli della Banditaccia, the town’s ancient burial grounds, a vast 990-acre city of the dead that tells us far more about the Etruscan way of life. It’s a Unesco World Heritage site, and there is no café or shop here — just a peaceful and verdant 25-acre spot with plenty of shade that you can spend a good couple of hours strolling around. On our visit, aside from a group of American teenagers and a couple of lone sketchers, we often found ourselves alone with just blackbirds and squirrels for company.
At the entrance, a copy of the most famous artefact is proudly displayed: the Sarcophagus of the Spouses, a late-sixth-century BC terracotta tomb effigy of a young, attractive married couple smiling enigmatically (the original is in the Villa Giulia in Rome). Rather than representing a particular couple, this was, we were told by the staff, off the shelf, one of many made on an Etruscan production line.
The bucolic site consists of pathways that meander between umbrella pines, cypresses and grassy-topped burial chambers, each like a mini circular home. Carved into the bedrock with domed roofs, these remarkably well-preserved feats of early architecture are worth exploring and even, in some cases, descending into. Wealthy families would have had one of these tombs each to house their dead, whereas others might have shared or had smaller dwellings further away.
Etruscans were home-loving types, and when it came to the afterlife, they believed the dead would need the same comforts and objects that surrounded them in their daily life. Be sure not to miss the fourth-century BC Tomb of the Reliefs, discovered in 1847 and arguably the best preserved. Here, the well-to-do Matuna family created a cosy, reassuring underworld with 12 niches carved into the walls complete with stone pillows, where the dead were laid out in their shrouds. The walls are embellished with painted stucco reliefs of everything from swords and ropes to vases and pets.
Castello di Santa Severa
SS1 Via Aurelia, Km 52,600, 00058 Santa Marinella
Hours: Opening times vary throughout summer — check website
Entrance fee: €8 (€6 for concessions)
One of the gems of the Palo Laziale, or the Lazio Littoral, is Santa Severa, a castle whose site has over the millennia been appropriated by Romans, Christians, popes, pirates and even Nazis.
Standing proud next to what was once an important seventh-century BC Etruscan port, Pyrgi, which was flattened by the Romans and turned into a seaside village, the castle is named after Severa, a 17-year-old Christian martyr who was persecuted and killed by the Romans there in AD298. A church in her name was established here in the fifth century AD, constructed in part from the existing walls of an ancient Roman villa.
The structure of the medieval castle standing today was built in the 14th century; it later became a papal summer retreat, was invaded by pirates and, eventually, used as a military base by the Nazis.
Today the wider site has something for everyone: a church with 15th-century frescoes, a Saracen tower, a medieval village, 16th-century sailors’ graffiti, a museum of sea and ancient navigation . . . There is even a swimming area below the castle, where you can strip off for a dip. From the parapet of the tower you can spot the train to Rome, an occasional flash of silver between the countryside and the rolling Tolfa Hills. All of history is here.
Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, Bracciano
Via Giulio Volpi 12, 00062 Bracciano
Hours: Open Monday—Friday, 10am–6pm; Saturday—Sunday, 10am–7pm
Entrance fee: €10
Further into the depths of the Lazio countryside is Lake Bracciano, an oasis for Romans in the height of summer thanks to its cool water, seafood restaurants, relaxed ambience — and direct train from the city centre. The small, attractive town of Bracciano itself is dominated by Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, an imposing 15th-century edifice that commands amazing views from its parapets across the lake.
One of the largest and most well-preserved castles in Italy, it was constructed by the Orsini family in 1470 around an earlier medieval fortress, tussled over for centuries and sold in 1696 to the Odescalchi family, who still own the property today.
Its dreamlike sequence of 12 vast courtly rooms and staggeringly beautiful central courtyard has been the set of many films from Othello to Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Galas are regularly hosted within its walls, and it so happens to have been the setting for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’s nuptials.
Allow a good hour or so to explore. Don’t miss the busts of the 12 Caesars lining the central hall, a formidable expression of patriarchal might, or Antonio da Viterbo’s fresco depicting heroic women of history, commissioned by Felice della Rovere, the illegitimate child of a pope. Her own portrait remains to the right of the fireplace.
Local knowledge
Where to eat
Officina del Gusto Head to this modern bistro near Castello Orsini-Odescalchi for the seasonal specials: crunchy puntarelle salad with anchovy dressing, fried artichokes or lombrico Braccianese (a type of pici pasta with cacio e pepe). Follow with a scoop of peanut gelato or pistachio sorbet from nearby Picchio Gelateria Naturale. Website; Directions
Malibu Mare & Cucina In Ladispoli, a small resort town on the coast about 20 minutes by car from Santa Severa castle, this rustic beachside restaurant is ideal for a slap-up seafood lunch, with outdoor tables sinking into the typical black sand. Don’t miss the misto crudo, the raw seafood platter for two (€28 each). Website; Directions
Where to stay
La Posta Vecchia There is no more opulent base to explore the sites of Lazio than this historic hotel, a stunning seaside 17th-century villa bought by Jean Paul Getty in the 1960s. Now owned by Pellicano Hotels, it nevertheless feels more like a private home than a luxury hotel, as much of Getty’s extraordinary collection of antique furniture, historic tapestries, Roman busts and even a map by Piranesi remains in situ. Its 19 rooms are large and airy, with shutters that either open on to views over the Tyrrhenian Sea, the terrace below or landscaped Mediterranean gardens to the rear. Lap up and down the glorious oval indoor pool before the extravagant buffet breakfast, with everything from daily crostata to a sumptuous spread of local ham and cheese. After breakfast, you can pop down to admire the remarkably intact mosaics, walls and amphorae of the second-century BC Roman villa discovered when Getty was restoring the property, before heading out to one of the sites listed above. Doubles from €500. Website; Directions
Riva di Palo Resort
For those looking for a more relaxed, resort-y vibe, this seafront hotel in Ladispoli is a good base for exploring the area. After a cultural day, choose between sunbathing by the pool or lazing on a lounger on the hotel’s private beach, or strolling around the private parkland. Eat at the hotel’s Anna restaurant or stroll down the esplanade to sample one of Ladispoli’s seafood joints. Doubles from €180. Website; Directions
How to get there
This region is just half an hour from Rome Fiumicino Airport. The most convenient way to see all three sites in a day or a weekend is to hire a car.
Alternatively, for the Necropoli della Banditaccia and Castello di Santa Severa, trains from Roma Termini to Ladispoli station take about 45 minutes. You will need to organise a taxi from there.
For Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, trains from Roma Termini to Bracciano take about 1.5 hours, changing at Valle Aurelia.
Rebecca Rose was a guest of La Posta Vecchia
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