Often friends will ask suggestions about places to see on their next trip to Italy. The choices are infinite and the recommendations will vary depending on the friends’ knowledge of the country, its culture and their prior trips there, if any. First timers will clearly enjoy the classic “Grand Tour.” Rome, Florence and Venice are a must and an incredible visual, cultural and culinary experience for anyone. However, for people looking for a different experience, a trip away from the big cities and towards a countryside, a relatively unknown destination, could be a great option. Let’s visit the hamlet of Farfa (fig. 1) and its centuries old Abbey situated about 70 Km. N-E of Rome and surrounded by a vast green valley (fig. 2) through which several creeks run into the Tiber River. Farfa (fig. 3) and its adjacent village was founded in the seventh century A.D. by an order of monks who gradually came to control vast surrounding territories, with Farfa ultimately growing during the medieval period into a City-State with many villages, monasteries and churches under its dominion. Following several changes during the subsequent centuries, the Benedictine Monks were ultimately given possession of the Abbey with its Monastery (fig. 4) and village (fig. 5).

Today, the Monks remain on site with the Abbey (fig. 6) being a favorite destination for religious groups as well as for tourists simply looking for quiet and silence away from the daily bustle. A simple but pleasant guest house (fig. 7) is available to the visitor, with several trattorias (fig. 8) and artisanal shops (fig. 9) throughout the hamlet offering local products as well as soaps and fragrances manufactured by the Benedictine’s laboratory based on carefully preserved recipes. Life in this village seems to have remained in a different time schedule, free of the many pressures and complications of today’s realities. And, as such, it becomes a unique experience for the fortunate visitors able to experience this even for a short time.