Large comfortable apartment in Fondi

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Goodbye to the "Mothership"

It breaks my heart to tell you that this beautiful apartment has been sold and is no longer mine, however it has wonderful living here and I have spent many happy days and great parties , I am sure that the guests who stayed here will agree with me, that it was pure pleasure and I wish the new owners the best of luck and hope they enjoy it and that they don't put aluminum windows and ruin the natural pure spacious beauty of this lovely home !!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Large apartment ideal for big families

Main Dining Room

Main bedroom

2nd Double bedroom

Reading and entrace room

Main Living room

Information
Fondi Sperlonga is halfway between Rome and Naples , you will find yourself plunged into "old Italy" with beautiful coastlines nearby , The main castle square if full of bars and it is fun to drink with friends and watch the locals strutt about.
Sundays there is a wonderful old clothes market, where fantastic bargains can be found ! The food is fantastic and the mozzarella is to die for!. It is surrounded by soft gentle hills that tempt you to explore and to get wonderfully lost.
I would advice a car to visit the local surrounding hill towns, and the beautiful beaches but if you want to visit Rome or Naples, take the train, (one hour,15 mins each way) , it is cheap and cheerful and much more relaxing !

LOCAL BEACHES !

If you are without a car, the best thing to do is go to the Maxi Sidis Supermarket and wait for the bus, it will take you to Sperlonga, which is really beautiful and you can choose the beaches that the bus takes you to, There are lots of hotels on this part and it is very good if you are traveling with small children because there is a fresh water pool which is ice cold water at the end of the beach and lots of water springs that pop out of the sand and suck your feet in, most children find this very amusing and different .

However if you walk towards the jutting castle and follow the road towards the port you will find a beautiful cove with lots of free beaches to sit on, the best part of this beach is the most famous part where all the "beautiful" people go to, It is called Rocco's and it really is quite expensive, but the restaurant is good and you can just have a snack in the bar, It also has a free beach next to it if you don't want to pay Rocco's prices. I do not usually want to go to Rocco because I moan about being dumped in the 6th row in the back, but all my friends want to go because it is the place to see and to be seen !!!!

If you are without a car and want a change, take the bus to Santa Annatasia, it is a really cheap and cheerful beach, (good for wind surfing and and kite surfing ), it is a windy beach , but children really like it and has a camping site nearby and in the evening the bar in the square has evening parties (good for teenagers who like to be on their own) Make sure you check out at what time the bus leaves to get back to Fondi as it is not as frequent as Sperlonga.

CHEAP AND CHEERFUL

If you have a car, try out the casual beach of Capratica, it is a very cheap beach and you can take your beach chairs and umbrellas and just place yourself down , there is a sign for Capratica on the road for Sperlonga before you reach the main beach road . The prices to park are much cheaper than Sperlonga and the bar at the entrance has also a good selection of music and a very cheerful place to have a gin and tonic with normal prices! This is a good beach to go to, if you get up late and just want to have a swim without getting charged for beach chairs and suchlike !

The Beach that I enjoy the most is a beach called La Chimera, it is just after the little tunnel that you pass through on the coast road, just pass the Grotto di Tibero , turn towards the right just after the tunnel and turn down a hair raising hill, you will see a sign for "Il Fortino" but if you carry on down towards the end of road you will come to La Chimera , there is a lady called Raffiela , who will look after you and you can leave the car and can order your food in the bar/restaurant which is very pleasant, it has also got grass sections if you do not like sand, you are right in front of the sea and the cove is very beautiful and not so crowded .

A little tip

Avoid the beaches on Sundays , during the high season can be pure hell, the beaches packed and lots of people in the bars , parking is a nightmare, It can be the most enjoyable time to visit the cities with the train and have the place to yourself , but don't take the car otherwise you will be stuck in the weekend traffic !

GOOD RESTAURANTS

My favourites are N'Dino, it is expensive but excellent, if you go, ask for the little lake shrimps (divine)

For a romantic experience go to the Pizza Judea in the old Jewish quarters of Fondi , make sure you book and ask for an outside table right in front , not round the corner as it is a bit dark Tel. 0771513087

For cheap pizza go to Due Maurizi, it is cheap and cheerful and very popular for young people.

If you want to eat in but do not want to cook, they have marvelous roasted chicken to take away and serve with roast potatoes , it is situated at the end of the castle square , heading towards the yellow church, then turn left and carry on till you smell the chickens roasting! The place is called "POLLO DORO, Via Tonioli 25, Tel 3347304024

A lovely garden restaurant, is Frantoia, it serves pizza and lots of other food , has a great location and the prices are not too expensive .

Another good restaurant is called Catullo, it is near the Fondi children's school , behind the maxi sidis supermarket , the owner chats a lot, but the food is good and unusual.

One of my favourites is what we call, the truckers Cafè , it is where all the Lorry drivers go to eat and it is on the way Sperlonga but not the station road, (you will need a car) The restaurant is called Da Mario , Via Diversio Acquachiara , Tel 0771 502790. They do lovely pork chops and wonderful chips and it is especially good for children and cheap prices !

How to get to Fondi,

By Train
To get to Fondi, take a train from Stazione Termini to Fondi-Sperlonga station. This is on the main Roma-Napoli line: take a slower train such as a Diretto to save money. From Fondi station, buses run into Fondi itself and also to Sperlonga (check which one you're getting on). The fare is about €1; you pay the driver. The buses usually arrive shortly after the train, and return approximately every hour from opposite the drop-off point. To get to the apartment it is best to get off at the big supermarket MAXI SIDIS, It is a short walk from there
On Sundays the bus service is drastically reduced.

Driving

From Rome you can go down the Via Appia 148 or down the A1 to Naples.
To take the Via Appia, go left from junction 23 (if you are driving from Ciampino Airport) on the ring road (Raccordo) and off at junction 26 and take the 148. Before Terracina, get on to the SS7 Appian Way. You fo through a very long tunnel a few miles from Fondi, peel off to the left.

From Naples, take the A1 to Casino; down the 360 till you get to Formia,and carry on up the SS7 to Fondi, or you can take SS7 all the way from Naples.

Charles Lambert, Sunday Telegraph,

As you are visiting Fondi this summer , I thought you might be interested in reading this article that the novelist Charles Lambert who lives in Fondi and has just written a novel called LITTLE MONSTERS , he was interviewed in the Sunday Telegraph on the 16th March and this is the interview, about Fondi that I think would be very useful to read it gives you little tips on what to do and suchlike , hope you enjoy it , p.s. Do buy the book, the reviews are very good and you might get a signed copy when you come !!!

!My Kind of Town Charles Lambert.

‘Wander into the square and find friends seated outside a bar… enjoy a pre-dinner aperitif as the town walks by’

WHY FONDI? I first discovered Fondi because it shares a station with Sperlonga, the prettiest resort on the Lazio coast. I loved it immediately. Midway between Rome and Naples, it’s surrounded by mountains and is close to three lakes (centre left); some of its buildings pre-date Rome; and the Sunday market sells everything from fresh local produce to second-hand clothes.

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST WHEN YOU ARE AWAY? In the winter, the scent of wood smoke and the orange trees in fruit, like Christmas baubles. In the summer, wandering into the main square and finding friends seated outside the Bar Castello, breakfasting with a cappuccino, or enjoying a pre-dinner aperitivo as the rest of the town walks by (top left).

WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU RETURN? I go straight to Bar Illy, in Piazza della Libertà, for the best espresso north of Naples.

WHERE’S THE BEST PLACE TO STAY? If it’s for a few days, I’d stay at a b& b called Villa Anita in Corso Italia (0039 0771 502868; www. villaanita.it; doubles from £50 per night). The villa is Fondi’s best example of Art Deco, has parking space and is only a few minutes’ walk from the castle. If you’re staying longer, Owners Direct (01372 229330; www. ownersdirect.co.uk/fondi.htm) has some great places to rent in the old centre.

WHERE WOULD YOU MEET FRIENDS FOR A DRINK? In the winter, Bar Illy. In the summer, Bar Castello, in the main square, Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia. It used to be the place the old men sat outside, in a row, like gargoyles. It’s been spruced up now, but maintains its local character. It’s friendly, cheap the G&Ts are phenomenal provides free nibbles of pistachios, local olives and cubes of local cheese, and is ideally placed to capture the slightest cooling breeze.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE PLACES FOR LUNCH? Vico Caetani (Via O II Caetani; 0771 511680) is a small, family-run restaurant with a good choice of pasta dishes and main courses. The fresh fish can be expensive, particularly by weight, but the primi especially the pasta with local sausage and meat dishes are excellent.

AND FOR DINNER? Taverna Giudea (Via Olmo Perino; 0771 513087) does the best pizzas in town and, located in the old Jewish quarter, is by far the prettiest place to eat. For local specialities prepared with flair, try Casa Catullo (Via Catullo 39; 0771 532945). It’s tiny, so you’ll need to book.

WHERE WOULD YOU SEND A FIRST-TIME VISITOR? To the morning food market in Via Marconi, to buy some local fruit in the shadow of the megalithic wall, followed by a visit to the 12th-century San Pietro, built on the ruins of the Roman temple to Jupiter worth it if only for the wonderful decorated pulpit and marble throne .

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM TO AVOID? A restaurant called Vicolo d’Mblò unless you like being told what to eat by the owner.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT OR TAXI? Everything you need in Fondi is within walking distance. The bus to the station costs €1, while a taxi might set you back €10. Local buses connect Fondi to Sperlonga, and other nearby resorts like Terracina and Gaeta, for two or three euros each way.

HANDBAG OR MONEYBELT? Petty crime in Fondi is practically non-existent, though I usually exercise a little caution at the enormous Sunday market.

WHAT SHOULD I TAKE HOME? Fondi is food heaven. The buffalo mozzarella and ricotta (bottom left) are exceptional and the best place to buy them is Casabianca on Corso Appio Claudio 102/104 (you may need to order). Casabianca also has the town’s tastiest bread. The local olives, from Gaeta and Itri, are small and special. Fondi salami is rustic; the one with the white string round it is mild; the red string means hot. Whether you’ll get any of this stuff home uneaten, of course, is another matter.

AND IF I’VE ONLY TIME FOR ONE SHOP? Eurobazar on Corso Italia 144. This gem has just about every household object you can imagine, from the kitschiest of ornaments to some seriously underpriced professional kitchen equipment in a space that ought to hold half what it does. You don’t have to bargain, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you do.

Large comfortable apartment in Fondi

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Goodbye to the "Mothership"

Friday, January 30, 2009

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Large apartment ideal for big families

If you want to stay overnight in Rome, try this charming b&B it is central and cheap -

Flights from England to Italy

Good beaches

Fondi

Support your local author!

Very important , transport to the beach from the bus stop

Fondi streets

Local Restaurants

GOOD RESTAURANTS

Charming streets of Sperlonga

Fondi hills

If you are planing a trip to Rome for a few days please click on this site below, my friend Natalia

Nearest Town is the beautiful Sperlonga

New bathroom

kitchen window,view of the church

main bedroom

2nd bedroom

kitchen balcony

kitchen

Main dining room

Beach views

Santa Maria's church in front of your home

One of the beaches Sperlonga

How to get to Fondi,

Fondi Beach

Wonderful food

Fondi Streets

Fondi Castle

Fondi hills

local beaches

Beautiful beaches

Blog Archive

About Me

Charles Lambert, Sunday Telegraph,

If you would like to stay here please click here and choose IT1129

Sperlonga

coastline