San Paolo fuori le Mura and other Italy Off The Beaten Path Tips

This was not on our original itinerary as we were supposed to go to Ostia Antica but rain prevailed and so fellow VTer Sara suggested this church which turned out to be one of our highlights of Rome.
In a city of 900 churches this would be one of the best.
This basilica is a reconstruction of the great 4th century one that was almost totally destroyed by fire in 1823.
The cloister, which dates from 1241, was only partly damaged and is considered one of the most beautiful in Rome.
The church's triumphal arch is adorned with heavily restored 5th century mosaics but the most noticeable item is unquestionably the Paschal Candlestick by Nicolo di Angelo and Pertro Vassalletto dating from the 12th century.
The most outstanding work is the fine marble canopy over the high altar by Arnolfo di Cambio dating from 1285.
Portraits of all the popes can be seen on high in the rear of the church with the incumbent especially lit.
The magnificent rows of Corinthian columns are a powerful feature as you wander around the rear section and cloisters also.

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Other Contact: via Otiense 186

Did I like the Dolomites? I missed Venice for the Dolomites! I missed Lake Como for the Dolomites! I missed Bergamo for the Dolomites! Did I regret it? Not even for a fraction of one second. Everything they say about these mountains is true and then some. Frankly, you can have the boorish crowds and the jammed piazzas of the "must-see" destinations. Give me the uncrowded slopes and stunning vistas these ranges have to offer. Before I left Australia I said I was leaving the best till last and my opinion hasn't changed one iota.
We did a day trip from La Villa to Cortina and then back through Arabba. To say the scenery was fantastic would be a gross understatement.
This shot was taken somewhere near Arabba.

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On our last full day in Italy we had to take a detour as the passes were not expected to be open and we couldn't afford to waste time or take a risk without chains so we exited on the Passo Gardena - San Lorenzo road through gorgeous winter-type scenery such as this shot taken near San Leonardo.
Even though it was April it had dumped nearly half a metre the previous day and night.

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Somehow Gubbio seems to have escaped the tourist hordes, which is not to say that you won't find any there, more that they are not there in abundance.
So it was when I arrived there on market day yet was able to walk elsewhere and find very few people.
I had trouble locating the Fontana dei Matti (Fountain of the Mad) as there was hardly anyone to ask and the guide book doesn't list it as such but calls it the Bargello Fountain.
As it turns out I had passed it once already. Compared to just about any other fountain in Italy it really doesn't rate, save for the legend that says if you walk around it three times you will go mad.
Since I had already spent a few hours driving the streets of Palermo, Catania and Syracuse a week earlier I felt I was already well qualified.

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Now, if I had written Gubbio as a heading it probably would have gotten little attention yet this mediaeval rival to Asissi is just as notable and, due to its position where it's not really on a main road, you can relax and stroll around without fear of being swamped.
Historically, this town has had more ups and downs than a yo-yo. More than a dozen conquerors from Etruscan times came and went, including Romans, Lombards, Goths and Byzantines (all the usual suspects!), before the free-for-all contests (four of them) against Perugia between 1151 and 1259.
Nobles, Napoleon and nationhood were the main reasons for conflict in recent centuries until 14th September 1860 when the Italian troops of General Cadorna hoisted the national flag on the tower of Palazzo Popolo.
What about the Christmas tree I hear you ask? Well, set on the hillside above the town is the amazing sight of hundreds of lights in the shape of a classic Xmas tree. Between December 7th and January 10th you can see this bright shining spectacle for yourself.
Other attractions are the Weavers' Gallery, Palace of the Consuls, Ducal Palace, Church of St. Peter (look for the fantastic animal sculptures) and the Church of Santa Maria Nuova. The best known however is nearly at the top of Monte Ingino, the Basilica of St. Ubaldo, which you can reach by an open-car cableway or go up via the Porta S. Ubaldo.
Just outside the town on the lower side are the remains of the Roman theatre and the nearby Mausoleum of the Forty Martyrs who were slaughtered as a reprisal by the Germans on June 22nd, 1944.

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The only reason we were in Greve is that our accommodation was 3 kms up the road. It turned out to be a nice town, well kept with a touch of civic pride and a reasonably prosperous look about it. Seeing there was a large wine manufacturing place on the outskirts and it was in the middle of Chianti that was hardly surprising.
This is a town rebuilt after its fortifications were razed by Castruccio Castracini, Duke of Lucca, in 1325.
The main square is actually a main triangle and its feature seemed to be this statue. Though it certainly kept Rosemarie's interest I was not similarly afflicted.

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In this area there are hot springs that have been utilized since Roman times when they were set up for retiring soldiers. More were discovered and opened in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
In the early 19th century the town reached its zenith when it was one of the first in Europe to boast a casino (1837).
Today it has lost its vibrance but, just down the road at Borgo a Mozzano, there is a saddleback bridge over the Serchio River, probably ordered built in the 11th century by the Countess Matilda, that has a drawcard legend.
Its seems that the builder was having extreme difficulty constructing the main arch, so he implored the Devil to help him. The Devil did so but the payment was the soul of the first to cross the bridge. The astute builder sent a pig across and the Devil was obliged to settle for the soul of a beast and he then disappeared into the Fiumi Serchio.
It was a tricky business from a religious point of view because a span artificially links what is naturally divided so it required a sacrifice or special ceremony. Thus there is a small shrine that preserves a S. Maddalena statue.
The bridge was restored in the 14th century, during Castruccio Castracani's lordship and is virtually intact today except for the spoiling effect of the new roadway on one side.

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Other Contact: north west Tuscany

The paper museum in Amalfi was something I'd never heard of but, being my usual curious self and having an abiding faith that all museums have at least one thing interesting, I paid up and went on this fascinating tour of an ancient paper mill, handed over to the State in 1969 by Comm. Nicola Milano who had the foresight to recognize his factory's historical value. Somewhat sadly, he passed away a couple of weeks before I viewed his old premises that date back to the 13th or 14th centuries.
Unbeknowns to me, paper used to be made of battered linen, cotton and hemp, derived from literally thrashing the pulp out of old garments before putting them in a large vat
of water.
A fine wire screen was then carefully put in the tank, collecting a certain amount of pulp which was then put between woollen felt sheets and, layer upon layer, stacked beneath a wooden-screw press that squeezed some of the water out before they were sent to the drying rooms.
The sheets were then treated with a solution of gelatin and smoothed by hand after accurate quality selection.
This was not a place you would want to work. Lung diseases (from fine fibres), plague (from old clothes) and the fact that 60% suffered industrial deafness whilst working with fabric that was bleached with urine and disinfected with lime. In a word, "yuk!".
The amazing thing is that, apart from the workers, it's all still there.

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Other Contact: Follow the signs from the piazza

Unexpected, that's the word that fits this place. Even when you have seen pictures of the place they don't prepare you for this bizarre creation.
Vicino Orsini (1522-1580), Duke of Bomarzo when the garden was implemented in 1552, wanted something breaking any architectural and artistic rule as a memorial to his late wife.
Taken from Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso" on a plan by architect Pirro Ligorio (who later worked on St. Peters) the sculptures are an extraordinary sight.
This cute little piece shows Ercole about to rip Caco apart in a scene from the Battle of the Giants.
Parco dei Mostri is definitely a "must-see" for the discerning tourist.

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Its correct name is the Parco Dei Mostri or Monster Park though it was originally the "Villa of Marvels". Orsini's villa is long since abandoned and collapsed, only the amazing garden remains.
At the entrance to this colossal head of Proteo-Glauco was the wood carving, "Abandon all thought ye who enter here". The jaws of Hell were never better displayed!
The gardens have an air of slight decay about them which only serves to add to the atmosphere and, I suspect, unless it's peak tourist time you'll have the place pretty much to yourself.
It is situated a bit over an hour north of Rome beneath the town of Bomarzo and there are plenty of signs to direct you to the Sacro Bostro. (I actually found this without getting lost!)

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