Sant'Oreste is an ancient and picturesque Italian hilltop town. They even have their own website with lots of pictures and virtual tours.
The town is situated in the Province of Rome, in Lazio, about 40km (25 miles) north of Rome. It faces Monte Soratte, a mountain visible for miles around, upon which there is a Nature Reserve of the same name (check out this blog post for more info).
The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is found on Monte Soratte. It was built in 1835 over a pre-existing 16th-century edifice and houses a once highly venerated image of the Madonna. Perhaps surprisingly, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe mentioned Monte soratte in Italian Journey, his diary of his travels through Italy in 1786–88. He wrote that "Soratte stands out by itself in magnificent solitude." To find out more about Monte Soratte, click through to this blog post.
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| Sant'Oreste from Monte Soratte |
Once you've had your fill of medieval lanes and nature reserve, you might fancy a bit of shopping. Well, the Sant'Oresti have the same idea and all head down from Monte Soratte to Soratte Outlet, a shopping mall containing over 60 shops. Everything you need for a great day out!
A train to Sant'Oreste runs more or less every hour from Piazzale Flaminio (next to Piazza del Popolo, four metro stops from stazione termini on metro A) in Rome and costs approximately 2.5 euro for a single ticket. Tickets can be bought from the station and must be validated using a machine on the platform before getting on the train. The journey takes approximately 1hr 15mins. Further information on train times etc., can be found (in Italian) here. A bus can be taken from the station up to the town itself. Alternatively, you can also travel on a faster train (50mins) from Tiburtina station in Rome to Stimigliano, a village near Sant'Oreste. Tiburtina can be reached on metro B from stazione Termini.
A train to Sant'Oreste runs more or less every hour from Piazzale Flaminio (next to Piazza del Popolo, four metro stops from stazione termini on metro A) in Rome and costs approximately 2.5 euro for a single ticket. Tickets can be bought from the station and must be validated using a machine on the platform before getting on the train. The journey takes approximately 1hr 15mins. Further information on train times etc., can be found (in Italian) here. A bus can be taken from the station up to the town itself. Alternatively, you can also travel on a faster train (50mins) from Tiburtina station in Rome to Stimigliano, a village near Sant'Oreste. Tiburtina can be reached on metro B from stazione Termini.
If you want to drive, it couldn't be easier. Just follow the SS3 (Via flaminia) up towards Terni. Sant'Oreste is visible on Monte Soratte on the right-hand side of the road, with the turn-off from SS3 coming after Rignano Flaminio and the Sant'Oreste train station.
I would love to visit that place on my next trip to Rome. I'm so excited.
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