Day 2 was another fun day, full of surprises and adventure!

For starters, since I was close by (at least when you looked at a map, it seemed that way), I thought I would try and find the Torre Flavia, an ancient Roman tower that is situated on the beach, in Ladispoli.  On the map, it certainly seemed within walking distance, so I thought, “Why not?”  I headed towards the beach, thinking that would be the easiest way to find the tower.

As it turns out, the only way to access the area, on which the tower stands, is to walk inland a bit, even though one can spot it from practically any point on the beach.  Once I had done that, I found a lane reserved for bikers and pedestrians, which ran along Via Roma.  I followed that out of town.  Before I knew it, I was surrounded by camp grounds on the seaside, and horses in fields, on the other.  It was lovely!

At one point, the designated bike path ends.  Across the street, there was a small sign, in front of a path, leading to the beach, through what is basically a bird sanctuary.  This is the path you take, to get to the tower!

Within minutes, you are walking along marshlands full of rare, migratory birds.  It was so peaceful!

At the end of the trail, on the other side of a small stream that runs out to the sea, there is the tower, in all of its crumbling glory!

That done, I decided to backtrack, and follow the designated lane back towards the city, to see where it led, in the other direction.

To my surprise, the designated lane led to the end of the street on which I was staying, Via Claudia.  So, I walked the length of the street, past my apartment, back into the heart of the city.  I crossed over a bridge, which led to a shopping center.

Nearby, in a huge parking lot, I found an outdoor market taking place.  This market had everything, from food, such as vegetables and fruit, cheeses, meats, to clothing, household goods, yarn, and even lighting fixtures.  This was a budget shopper’s paradise!

After making my way through the market, I decided to head over to the other side of the city, known as Marina di Palo, as I had heard that there were some ruins located there.  As I made my way down to the waterfront, I couldn’t help but notice the ornamental details on some of the houses here.  They were quite whimsical and fun!

I walked along the coast, with its, as of yet, unopened bathing establishments and bars, over a lovely bridge, after which I found myself walking along some of the most beautiful beach land in the area.

Right on the boardwalk, protected by a railing, there was what was left of Villa Romana, an ancient Roman villa.  Back in the ancient Roman time, this area was the place for the Roman aristocrats to vacation.  Many of the ancient city’s emperors and generals partied here.  And this was proof of it, out in the open, for all to enjoy!

It wasn’t long before I found the second ruin, this one situated at the very end of the seaside walkway.

The third ruin, the remains of an ancient Roman cistern, is located on private property, but I found it, nevertheless.  Because of an ancient ruin being found there, the property owners are not allowed to build on the land, so the property is simply fenced off, and there is a sign explaining what it was, and how it functioned.  My mission was accomplished!  I had found all three!

Lunch was a piece of focaccia-like pizza, topped with broccoli and sausage.  I then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring more of the city center!

I am a huge fan of Italian films, so you can only imagine how delighted and surprised I was, when I stumbled upon Sala Rossellini, a film center dedicated to Roberto Rossellini, who spent his childhood vacationing in that very building, with his family.

Drinks before dinner were once again had at Bar Nazionale, but for dinner, I went to a place by the name of La Tripolina.  I was a little surprised to find out that they did not carry any local wine.  When I asked for a bottle of locally-produced white wine, I was told that the closest that they could give me was wine from Tuscany.  Lazio produces some fine white wine.  That said, the wine that they suggested was very good.  For dinner, I had a mixed seafood salad, which was a nice combination of different seafood tossed with carrots, olives, watercress, fennel, and a few other ingredients, followed by grilled scampi, and a side order of fried artichokes.  Dessert was a sort of almond mousse, on top of a chocolate wafer laced with caramel.

By the time dinner was finished, it was pouring outside.  I asked the waiter to call me a taxi.  To my surprise, the driver that showed up was none other than my friend, Eleonora.  I had one more full day and night in Ladispoli to go, but since she was there, driving me back to the apartment once again, we finalized our plans for her to drive me up to Cerveteri.

 

Next up:  More from Ladispoli, including the Villa of Pompeo!

 

Note:  This blog is written in English and Spanish, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any other translations which may appear.  If you have enjoyed this post, please, check out our archives for more posts from Ladispoli, as well as other Italian destinations.  Grazie!