Solo Friday trip

• Manja Maksimovič

Who says fairy-tales don’t come true? You just need to go. This was my fairy-tale day in Torre Alfina. Not completely solo either: bestia and I make a good team.

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In my Friday post I wrote that I most likely wouldn’t be going anywhere this weekend, and then promptly ate my word, grabbed bestia, my camera and my map of Tuscany – in case my phone died – and drove all by myself towards Torre Alfina in the province of Viterbo.

This town with a magnificent castle one hour and a half away had been completely off my radar until I recently chanced upon this marvellous photo on Facebook:

Photo: Giorgio Teti / Facebook

Do you see how preconditioned I am by fairy-tales? I see this castle and just have to go there. Probably I thought it would be made of chocolate. That no, but a gelateria was indeed open and they had chestnut gelato, the first for me. And the nice man brought bestia some water too.

The town and the castle were spectacular in autumn colours. Today’s photos are just to give you an idea, I took so many more. But not just architecture and autumn – there was also a funky street art side to the town that I didn’t see coming. How happy it made me to be there!

On the way there I stopped three times and on the way back three times again. It’s pretty brilliant to see something nice and just stop, without any not-again sighs. Bestia was all in favour.

First there was Lake Bolsena in the distance and a nice house by the path. A falcon or something big came flying around the corner to sit on the fence but then saw bestia and me, turned back and flew away even before I could click.

After that I spotted a town in the valley through the leaves while driving and had to take a photo of that, so I parked and walked back to the exact spot where I looked down. Luckily that road is not too busy.

On return I planned to visit the nearby town Aquapendente which I hear is full of street art as well, but the light was going and the town is much bigger than expected. Next time.

First I stopped for a double line of trees with some deer crossing the field, which bestia luckily didn’t notice, and the day finished with the fierce sunset on one and the full moon on the other side of the gas station. What more could one ask for?

So when in doubt and it’s not crowded – just go. Who knows when it will be forbidden or impossible or just too hot. Even if you bring the map of Tuscany but then go to Lazio on the border with Umbria.

  • Capodimonte on Lake Bolsena, I presume.
  • The house with the falcon.
  • Cyclamen for mom.
  • As yet unidentified town in the valley below.
  • The castle at Torre Alfina. This is what was pulling me.
  • They knew exactly how to place this ad. Truman Show, I’m telling you.
  • These are kakis a.k.a. persimmons.
  • It’s just that where I come from nobody hangs laundry from castles. It made me relax.

  • Didn’t expect this guy in the parking lot.
  • Nor this one as I started to climb.
  • It became clear that I should expand my expectations.
  • These two won my heart.
  • These made me feel I was in Metelkova City, Ljubljana.
  • Bestia was in his tourist mode. Was barked at but didn’t bark once.
  • The castle door and a little something left behind, I guess.
  • I descended down the winding road and came to these doors.
  • And then the light was just right to make everything pretty.
  • Triple autumn car window reflection.
  • Except that she is not in Tuscany any more.
  • The tree-lined path from where I saw the deer. The light was going.
  • Less than an hour later it was thus: the sun down.
  • The moon up. And Diesel and gas prices if you wish to compare.

28 thoughts on “Solo Friday trip”

  1. Oh such an adventure. I am glad bestia came with us or that eye in the window would have made me go home 😀 😀 Love the statues and the rest of the wonderful photos. Thanks for your company and driving me there 🙂

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  4. So much to love in this post from the fairytale castle to the sunset. Glorious! But again, I have to comment on hanging laundry in Europe and how charming it is. When it hangs from a castle, one’s imagination does go wild speculating who it belongs to – the princess imprisoned or the cook who spilled gravy on everything. I too long for a ride somewhere without the “not again sighs”. Brilliant line!

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    1. Thank you, Susanne. I recommend that you go, solo or with a pet, and stop where your heart tells you. And then you can sigh from the beauty of it. 😉 For me a castle doesn’t include so many normally inhabited houses below as it does around here.

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  9. The opening photo you found with the castle is exactly what dreams are made of, and I can see how this ‘semi-solo’ trip of yours ended up being a fairy tale ~ inspiring scenes you show, and better yet describe. You made the lighting of your photos almost surreal, the beaded door perhaps my favorite shot, although like you ~ the “stone couple” was something special. Cheers to you ~ and stay safe.

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  10. A solo (as it relates to humans) driving trip … you know that’s my favorite thing in the world! I often have my own little bestia along with me, and we also love to stop whenever we feel like it. I liked the photo of capital-B Bestia so much that I may have to pose my puppy in front of some driving scenes later this week when I begin my 16-hour drive back home. (I also really admired the pic of the door in the warm stone-and-brick wall.)

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    1. Oh, Lexi, yes, I’d love to see you and your bestia in action. 🙂 I wish you an excellent road trip. And great to hear that you love doing this. I never liked it myself, I always preferred human company and was waiting for it to make a trip. Bestia is just so excited and pulls and barks in the car etc, but when we leave the radius he is familiar with, he changes. I like that. 🙂 And he has a longer leash now so the pulling is not as obvious. This town and this trip was just perfect. Thank you!

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    1. Thanks for asking, SMSW, it gave me some thought. It was early Friday afternoon but this town is out of the way, end of the road. I passed a few masked strollers but was alone in the gelateria and up at the castle gate. The parking was really empty too apart from some campers. It’s out of season, even without lockdown (which here only starts at 10 pm now), but I’m sure people stay home more than they used to do.

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