MY SUNNY, LOVELY SUNDAY

Yes, I know, it’s Tuesday but I had no time to write in the last couple of days. I’m supposed to be on holiday since I stopped giving lessons, but , do you know teachers go on working after that? So, I’ve just found some time to write down a brief report of my delightful Sunday!

I live near Rome, among beautiful mountains and in wonderful wilderness. My town  (Subiaco, on the left,  medieval bridge)  is small and ancient and I love living here. I am always rather busy at weekends and I stay at home coping with the housework left behind in weekdays. Last Sunday I was invited to join two special friends on a trip and decided to leave everything apart: school deadlines and ironing piles, husband and sons!

Ariccia and Nemi are very picturesque small towns I had never been to, they are really close to Rome. The landscape is similar to the one I’m used to , but they are near volcanic lakes, just pretty spots of greenish blue among the mountains. I am usually so attracted by lakes and the sea! But it is odd because I’m afraid of water and can’t swim.

(Ariccia - Rome)

In the morning we visited Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia, a luxurious baroque country residence, which belonged to one of the most powerful families in Rome. It was given to the City of Ariccia on 29th December 1988 under special conditions, by Prince Agostino Chigi Albani della Rovere, and is now a museum and cultural centre, hosting various activities such as exhibits, concerts, guided tours, meetings, and the like.

Begun in the second half of the sixteenth century by the Savelli family, the palace was transformed into a lavish baroque home between 1664 and 1672 using plans by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, with the collaboration of his young student Carlo Fontana.

The most curious place  in the palace is called , “la stanza delle belle”, the room of the beauties; in it, Cardinal Flavio Chigi collected the portraits of his beauties … his lovers!There are so many on those walls, not all of them so beautiful,  but Cardinal F. C. didn’t waste much of his (free) time!

This stunning location has been used to shoot period series and movies more than once. The most remarkable of them is Luchino Visconti ’s “Il Gattopardo” ( The Leopard, 1963) starring Alain Delon, Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale.

It was not only Art and History, mind you! We ate in a typical “fraschetta” (inn) in Ariccia … we ate a lot of genuine, tasty food at a very special price. They said it was an appetizer but , good God! … it was impossible to finish all that goodness!

After lunch we moved to Nemi, a pretty ancient resort overlooking a small volcanic crater lake. We had our dessert there, a very special one, “fragoline di Nemi” (strawberries from the area) with ice- cream. A delicious tasty completion for a great trip. We sat on a terrace, admired the lake, tasted the strawberries and chatted pleasantly. We were free to share our opinions on everything we like or dislike :  books, Tv series, colleagues (we work in different places and they are not teachers like me, lucky them!) , families , next holidays, dream holidays, friends … yes … we talked a lot… am I forgetting anything …? Well, a certain Brit bloke. A tall, dark, handsome guy ... He was very often the subject of our conversation. Any guess?

(Nemi - Rome)

What a lovely Sunday! Thanks to my friends for planning it and driving me there! It was just the right way to gather some enthusiasm and energy to start the school meetings I’m having these days. They can be stressing, they are the worst part of my job: assessing and deciding who fails, who passes ... not easy matters, not stuff that I particularly like.

I only regret I forgot my camera! These pictures are taken from the Net!!!