Pictures: Lyle Such
Words: Thu Buu
Camera: Canon 5d MkIV
We loved staying right in the old city center. Out of our kitchen window, we could spy on the local pizza joint and people watch as the locals go about their daily business, like the two old men who sit on the stoop of the billiard place and nod at me each time we leave or enter the apartment. The small grocery store, the butcher and bakery are all just below the window on the other side of the apartment. Only after two days here, we felt like a part of the neighborhood.
Soriano is a much bigger town than Civita di Bagnoregio with an impressive old city center crowned by the Orsini Castle. Ownership of the castle has changed hands many times in its history. Once it was the renowned vacation residence of popes and nobles. Sometime around the 1850s, it was converted into a prison and stayed that way for over a century.
Currently, Orsini Castle is a museum with an exhibition of extensive old musical devices owned, operated and maintained by one dedicated old man. We could tell this collection was his passion. He showed us around the room, demonstrating how to work all sorts of different devices from the oldest phonograph to the more modern jukebox. It was all very interesting.
Soriano is surrounded by farmlands and chestnut forests. We took a short evening walk through the woods and wound up farther than intended.
The prize for our extended ramble was a brilliant red sunset. The smell of burning wood permeated the air as twilight approached. Many families in the Italian countryside still cook their meals over a wood-burning grill. We enjoyed our short sojourn to Soriano and are sure we would have to come back when the apartment is completely renovated. We wish Lien and Tyler the best on this endeavor.
On our way back to Rome, we stopped by a small artist colony in Calcata. This town used to be abandoneded until artists began moving in, restoring it, and turning it into an eclectic, fun place that’s gaining popularity with the tourist industry. We stopped for a quick snack and a bathroom break.
