Civita Castellana Ricardo Lockette Women Jersey travel Paul Richardson Jersey guide

Civita Castellana was settled during the Iron Age by the Falisci, Bruce Irvin Jersey who called it Falerii. They were not Etruscans, but a distinct group, said to have been of Greek origin. They were culturally different from the Etruscans, but often their neighbors, allies and trading partners. Civita Castellana/Faleria was already important 3000 years ago, and was protected from invaders by its high position and surrounding stream and cliffs. The Romans defeated the Falisci in 396 BC and in again in 241 BC after a revolt by the locals who were then required to build a new, less defensible, city about 5 km away. This two was known as Falerii Novi (see Get Out).The original city was repopulated in the early Middle Ages because it offered greater protection, and it adopted the new name of Civita Castellana that was first mentioned in 994 AD. It features alphabetically arranged chapters on most of the towns in the province and it is a beautifully researched and written volume based upon experience and a love for this area. At the back of the book is an amazingly useful matrix rating each of the towns for sites of all periods worth visiting, as well as many other factors. Civita rates second only to Viterbo in their rankings of visit worthiness. This book was published in the UK in 1990, and a year later in Italian. The Italian version is very difficult to find. Be mindful of the fact that the scope of this guide is historical/factual. It cannot pretend to be a great guide for painters. Kennet hardly rhapsodizes about views of the landscape. The best source for information for places and views to paint is in the paintings themselves that were executed in this area.[edit] Get inCivita Castellana is located about 60 kilometers north of Rome. By car from Rome's ring road, the GRA, take the SS2bis (known as the Cassia bis or the Cassia Veientana) until Gabelletta/UMILTA' and then the SS311 in the direction of Nepi. Civita Castellana can also be reached by the Italian state railway from Tuburtina/Trastevere stations (not Stazione Termini) to Civita Castellana/Magliano Sabina. Locally this station is known as Borghetto for the frazione of Civita in which it is located. The local bus company, Vitertur, operates a service for commuters to the center of Civita. Tickets can be bought in either of the bars at that station for the sum of one euro. If the train is very late, you will have missed the bus. Ask fellow arriving passengers if they are driving to CC! They are often quite happy to give you a lift into town!The MetRoma service from Piazzale Flaminio/Piazza del Popolo in Rome is limited to peak commuter travel hours and takes about 90 minutes to reach CC. The last half hour is stunningly beautiful but the trip overall is longer than it should be if the track were doubled or if the line had not been made to take the scenic route around Monte Soratte over 100 years ago. The local bus company, COTRAL, connects Saxa Rubra station to CC via the towns north of Rome along the Via Flaminia. Daily tickets cost 9 return (biglietto giornaliero) and can be used on the state railway, Cotral bus and the Metroma service (as well as all over in Rome if originating from CC). Arrive early and try to get on the car furthest from the train station. Single tickets for this train are a between 3 and 4 euros and can be bought at Piazzale Flaminio station.There is a train that connects CC to Fiumicino airport directly without changing in Rome. It is a commuter train and crowded in peak hours, but you will always get a seat from the airport. The schedule is somewhat limited, and the train terminates in ORTE, two stops beyond CC. Cost of this ticket is 11 euros each way, tickets can be also be bought at the newspaper stand in the airport train station so don't waste time lining up at the ticket office if it is crowded. Be sure the destination indicted is ORTE, and not Fara Sabina an intermediate terminus of this service which will strand you in the middle of the Sabine Hills still very far from CC. Set an alarm you will be tired after your trip and dozing off on that train is likely to result in missing your stop. Signs for stations are very difficult to read from inside the train and seldom announced. CC/Magliano Sabina is the stop right after COLLEVECCHIO!Be careful not to take the Leonardo Express service from the train station at the airport by accident. It is faster, and more expensive, and only goes as far as Rome's main station, Stazione Termini. It is normally departing from the track (there are only two at this airport) on the right hand side, while the Orte train normally departs from the track on the left. Check carefully before alighting.[edit] Get aroundGetting around is best accomplished on foot (for daily needs), or by car.METROMA services Civita with the Roma Viterbo trainline, which takes 90 minutes from Civita to Piazzale Flaminio/Piaaza del Popolo. A scenic, but slow route used by students and folks who work in Rome.Here is a link to an undated schedule: [2]Note that service is somewhat reduced in summer due to fewer students needing the train. Also note that festivo service is strictly Sunday and holidays. Day tickets from Civita Castellana are 9 euros, but this includes back and forth to Rome, as well as all buses, subways and trams around Rome. This daily ticket cannot be used to get all the way to Fiumicino airport.[edit][add listing] SeeThe Cathedral of S. Maria Maggiore, (Il Duomo). This is a very attractive building. There is considerable Cosmatesque work (geometrical floor mosaics) both inside and out. Uniquely, this duomo has a Cosmatesque facade (signed and dated in gold mosaic tiles, dated 1210) as well as Cosmatesque floor mosaic work. These patterns were created in the Middle Ages from thin slices cut from colored marble and columns left in the ancient ruins. The name derives from a Roman family, the Cosmati, who did this sort of work. Similar Cosmati floors can be found in Rome, Anagni and Spoleto. The high altar is fashioned from a sarcophagus of the 3rd or 4th century. The ancient crypt is fascinating and well worth visiting. Sadly the interior was redone in the 1740s but retains many of its antique marble columns. The organ is the same one on which the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played. Outside, the effect of the beautiful portico, dating back to 1210, is somewhat spoiled by the modern fence that protects it. To see what the original interior would have looked like, visit the Basilica at nearby Castel Sant'Elia.The fortress (Forte Sangallo). This fortress was built by Pope Alexander VI and completed by Julius II with the erection of the octagonal keep. It's an excellent example of military architecture and is still very well preserved. In the early 19th Century it served as the main prison for northern Lazio and became known as the Papal Bastille as it confined many Italian patriots. It now houses the local Etruscan Museum (though most of the Faliscan and Etruscan finds from the area enrich the collection of the Villa Giulia in Rome. Open daily, except Monday, it can be toured free of charge after signing the visitors book.[edit][add listing] Do[edit][add listing] BuyGreat local ceramics at the shop of Vincenzo Dobbolino (aka Mastro Cencio). His store is an Alladin's cave of skilled reproductions of classical wares Etruscan, Greek, Faliscan, medieval, as well as his modern, original pieces. The shop is impossible to miss if coming from the main free parking lots as the result of a newly executed facade that looks like a giant version of a red figure vase. Vincenzo is also knowledgeable about local topography, history, flora, fauna and hiking trails. He will lead you on a tour for a modest fee (to cover his expenses and time) and has a sunny and pleasant disposition. A true artisan and a gentleman.Fausto Mancini: a talented local ceramicist and painter with a shop at the corner of the main piazza (Matteotti) and Via Garibaldi. Classical shapes and historically accurate glazes and colors.Mignolo', Via Vincenzo Ferretti, 101 (just off the main road leading from main piazza towards the hospital/Via Flaminia), 0761 513465. Wonderful bustling osteria always noisy, no written menu, great meat, giant portions of pasta, helps to know the owner to get the bill which he still figures in LIRE! Parking lot, though a small one, right outside, closed Thursday and Sunday evening. Eat the maiale in guanciale spiedini and HALF a portion of rigatoni alla Mignolo'. They can have a heavy hand with the salt, and some people find their food heavy. Closed Wednesday and Sunday evening. Summer 2013 closing August 11th 31st. Good and reliable place to eat. Excellent fried veggies, good pastas, excellent ROLLS with fennel seeds. When empty it can seem echoey and a little sad, but when busy it's bright, high ceilinged and all made in house using fresh local ingredients. medium. Wonderful hand made ravioli, strozzapreti, cannelloni etc. Their best dishes are the timballi with various fillings: traditional red Cortez Kennedy Seahawks Jersey sauce and cheese, funghi porcini, asparagus, and the superb artichoke lasagna. They will fill your own oven proof containers with creamy divine helpings that can then simply be reheated for 20 minutes. Also try their crepes layered with red sauce. You will be tempted to lie and say you made it all yourself, or just say "I bought it with my own 2 hands" like I do. Keep a couple in the freezer for unexpected guests.2013: summer closure JULY 15TH 24TH very reasonable.