September 6th, 2016

Summer Travel 2016, Terracina, Italy, Bomba Calda, Terracina’s Delicacy, Go Somewhere! Italy’s Beaches

“Don’t be afraid that something happens to you.  Be afraid that nothing happens to you.  Nothing noteworthy or exciting or breathtaking.  I’m more afraid of a life where nothing extraordinary ever happens.  I am more afraid of putting my dreams on a shelf and later realizing that I am too jaded or to tired to live them.”  we are sole sisters

Yes, it has been some time since I put my thoughts and my photos on this blog.  But here I am.  I was telling a friend not long ago that seizing those special moments is something we should all aspire to.  Hey, you never know what is around the corner.  So I have decided that once a month I Want To Go Somewhere!  It does not necessarily have to be taking off on a plane.  It could be a day trip with friends, a new museum.  I don’t want to be stuck in a rut.

When my friends called me last April or so to tell me that they had planned a trip to Italy and were thinking if…..I am In, I said.  I don’t think I let them even finish the sentence. LOL

My friends are the perfect traveling partners.  Italy is home to them.  Italian they do speak.  I can manage with my Spanish.  So off we went to an adventure.  Guess what?  It was a #girlswannahavefun kind of trip.  We got along, we were on time when required, more so at 7:15, for drinks, a nightly ritual, we laughed and we were all 20 years apart.

Traveling is exhausting and you have to be patient.  Meeting my friends from Boston to Rome I was supposed to be on that plane, but I won’t bored with the details, my plane was canceled from BWI to Boston so I got to Rome a day late and another expensive plane ticket in order to get there.

Our first stop was the seaside town of Terracina, located about 47 miles southeast from Rome; between Rome and Naples.  Sandy beaches attract summer visitors and it is the perfect beach get away since it is only about an hour from Rome and Naples.

Our hotel was Albergo Mediterraneo, located on Via Veneto, 2, 04019 Terracina Lt.  Website? www.albergo-mediterraneo.it.  The hotels in Terracina are comfortable and simple.  Visitors come mainly for the main attractions which are the beaches, bars, and restaurants.

Every town we visited had either fireworks or some sort of festival.  Seafood for the evening with family friends.

The beaches were wide.  Wide enough that right on the sand are clubs you can pay a fee and enjoy more of an upscale service.  Plenty of music on the beach, as well. You can walk from one beach club to another choosing the perfect one for you and your family.  No boardwalk here but the sidewalks and bike lanes were very well defined.

If you just wanted to sit on the beach, there was plenty of space to do that.  The clubs just attracted my attention since we do not have that type of set up here in our Delaware resorts.

Beach vendors pass you on the beach.  You could have  bought beach toys to evening wear.  And if you forgot your swimwear….hey, they had that too.

Judith, my friend, and I took off walking early.  Terracina is a seaside town and fresh seafood abounds.  The crates of fresh fish arriving daily.  And the vegetables stands were simple and beautiful, showing us that eating fresh and local is so amazing.

By the bridge overlooking the canal and then my first fig tree showing up.  After that I saw fig trees everywhere.  I was in heaven!

Like many towns there was the new section of town; modern and then the historic sites where you could appreciate the ruins of the time and the old cathedral and the Piazza del Municipio.  This piazza is the ancient Roman forum.

While in Italy we ate a lot, but lucky that portions are not super size like we have here in the U.S. Plus the fact that we walked and climbed steps.  Boy did we ever!

While in Terracina a trip to the Temple of Jupiter Anxur is a must.  You will be able to get a breathtaking and scenic view from that advantage point.  This temple has towered over the city since the second century A.D.

During the Middle Ages there was a Benedictine Monastery dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel.

In the year 2000 the Temple of Jupiter Anxur was recognized as a National Monument.

And in 2008 it became part of the Natural Regional Park of the Ausoni Mounts and the Lake of Fondi.

It was 9 p.m. in Terracina and a delicacy called the Bomba Calda is a nightly ritual for many.  It is like a stuffed doughnut with Nutella cream and Panna cream.  There are other flavors but the best are these.  Down the beach road we went by the hotel and here it was.

Nobody twisted my arm to have the Bomba Calda…..I needed that like a hole in the head. But, in Terracina you follow others. haha

In most parts of Italy, if you are thirsty drink from the fountains in town.  Perfectly safe.  Next is the Amalfi Coast.