Day trip drive: Calcata, Italy

by Jamie Rhein on

When I browse the photos in Gadling’s photo pool to look for a “Photo of the Day” post, inspirational, lush, funky and interesting shots are aplenty. It’s hard to choose between them. Yesterday’s choice, David Farley’s shot of the restaurant, La Grotta dei Germogli gives a hint of the pleasure of being there which is one reason it caught my attention. It left me intrigued, prompting me to find out more about it. Oh, my goodness! This is a reason to head to Italy.

Calcata, where the restaurant is located, is a medieval village in the hills, 30 miles from Rome, thus a day trip suggestion. The town, over the years, has been taken over by the artsy crowd. When the government condemned it back in the 1930 because officials worried that the volcanic rock cliffs that it sits on would crumble, people moved out. But, the 1960s happened and hippies and artists moved in turning the town into a happening place.

I came across this New York Times article that details Calcata’s path from ghost town to groovy. It has something to do with the positive energy the village exudes. If you’re going to be in Rome, this looks like a terrific gallery and eatery filled spot to mellow out. There’s the blue chair folding chair on the balcony overlooking the hills with your name on it. It’s at the La Grotta dei Germogli. If you go, the gnocchi with almond pesto sounds delicious.

Charlton Heston movie trivia and travel

by Jamie Rhein on

When I read that Charlton Heston died last night, an image of him parting the Red Sea as Moses crossed my mind. “The Ten Commandments” was on TV just two weeks ago. While channel flipping, I came across it and he was just getting ready to hold up that staff. According to the New York Times article, the scene where he came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandment tablets was filmed at Mount Sinai.

“Planet of the Apes” has several locations you can also go to and might recognize if you watch the movie. The scene with the top of the Statue of Liberty resting in the sand was filmed in a cove near Point Dume at Zuma in Malibu. The rest of the desert scenes were filmed around Lake Powell (where the spaceship crashed and the crew went to land), Glen Canyon and Page, Utah. I’ve driven through these places and they are gorgeous. I can imagine back in the 60s they were less traveled than today. Malibu Creek State Park was where the ape village was built. Fox Studios use to own the property. Here’s Charlton Heston’s World, a Web site I came across that has several “Planet of the Apes” photos and audio clips.

Other trivia. If you head to Rome, you’ll be near where the chariot race in “Ben-Hur “was filmed at Cinecittà Studios and the Sistine Chapel where Heston played Michaelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy.

As an interesting aside, not movie related, Charlton Heston was involved in the Civil Rights March on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr. With Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination 40 years-ago, just the day before yesterday, and Heston’s death the day after, that struck me. I don’t know why. It just did.

Photo of the Day 2-17-2008

by Catherine Bodry on


The way the angle captures these ruins makes them remind me of those space invaders on “War of the Worlds” with their long, spindly legs. I sort of expect the ruin to start walking, destroying everything in its path — which seems like it could be a good metaphor for the Roman Empire. Here, the grandeur of Rome’s glory days seems emphasized by these stout and strong pillars. Thanks to Larixk for capturing this twilighty scene.

Have some travel photos you think might remind readers of space invaders, or simply invoke one of the most powerful empires of the Western world? Upload them to Gadling’s Flickr pool and we’ll consider them for our Photo of the Day feature.

When in Rome, do what the Romans didn’t do.

by Grant Martin on

I’ve been putting off travel to Italy for a while now for a number of reasons. While the country is rich in culture, history and gastronomic adventure, I guess I always had the feeling that it was a little too over-the-top. Too many tourists, to much Eurotrash, and generally filthy; granted, I still wanted to go, it just wasn’t at the top of my list.

Taking advantage of a secret 275$ fare sale to Rome this month was my chance to investigate these notions first hand. And to my delight, most of the negative ideas that I held about Romans and Italians were proven false. Yes, I only got a small sampling over a long weekend in Rome, but I think that many of these observations hold true for the country year round:

  • Men didn’t whistle at women. I walked around with my friend Ered for the the better part of three days and didn’t notice anyone whistle or stare. No, she’s not an ugly cow.
  • Save for the subway cars, the city is fairly clean. I’m particularly impressed with the condition of the archaeological remains, namely the Roman Forum, where I didn’t see an ounce of trash on the premises.
  • Not everyone was wearing D&G. In fact, most Italians appeared to dress as pleasantly as any other city dweller. Prada et al do make their appearance just outside of the Spanish Steps, but hey, every big city’s got em.
  • There are WAY fewer euro-mullets than I was expecting. I saw less than a dozen the entire time I was there.
  • Leather is not as ubiquitous as one would think. You always hear someone bragging about their “Italian leather so and so”, but it doesn’t just fall from the sky there. Only a few shops presented themselves as I wandered around the city.

Maybe Italy’s stereotypes aren’t as perverse as I had originally thought. Or maybe when tourist season kicks up people get crazy and the euro-mullets come out of hiding. As it stands right now though, Rome is definitely a place that I would like to visit again.