Beach life in Rome and surviving the heat

July in Rome was really hot. Every day it got warmer and more humid and in the end it was about 40 degrees. The last days we were there before finally going to Finland it was so warm you couldn't do so much during the day and life for me started in the evening, although it still was 30 degrees then and very humid.
We had a pool in our garden, but in the beginning of July when we came back from the Italian Pony Championships in Cervia, where we had spent 5 days, the water had turned green and had a bad smell, so I had to empty it and as it was so warm, it took me days to clean it and I didn't fill it anymore before going to Finland. Cervia is near the Adriatic sea and there the temperatures were much more tolerable than in Rome.
The only place where you could feel a bit better was the beach or maybe some pool, but I had to work, so I can easily count the times I went to the beach in June-July on one finger. In the week-ends it gets too crowded and hard to get a parking place.
One morning we spent a few hours at the Cancelli beach which is a bit further away from Ostia and the water is cleaner. It was just lovely.

Then one afternoon we went to Ostia, but the water had already got very warm and wasn't so refreshing and it didn't look too clean either. We went there because Sofia and her friend wanted to have their nails done and in the meanwhile I went to the beach with Carlotta and her friend. It's closer to the centre of Ostia and there the water gets dirtier. The sunset was nice, though.

 

 

An other time earlier this summer I went to the beach with Carlotta and we saw this summer's lovelies sunset so far. It was so beautiful! I love the beach when the sun starts going down and people go away and it's not too hot anymore.

A little birthday getaway

The second week of June Daniele and 6 of his friends had booked a week in a camping site in Tuscany between Marina di Grosseto and Castiglione della Pescaia. We took him there by car and as it was my birthday the next day, I had booked a night for the rest of the family in a farm house in Sorano.

First we took a swim at the beach at the camping site, went to have an ice cream in Castiglione and then drove to Sorano to Agriturismo Le Gore.

I had found it on the internet and after having read lots of positive reviews of the place, I booked it. It was a bit hard to find as it really was in the middle of nowhere. Our navigator took us to a very small and not so good road, but in the end we got there. Actually the lady at the farm house had warned us not to take that way, which, as she said, was the worst road leading to them, but we ended up there anyway.

Well, when we finally arrived we found out it was worth it. The owners were really friendly and immediately made us feel at home. They cooked coffee and gave some juice to the girls and we had a nice chat with them before going to our apartment. There was lots of space for us.

Sofia and Carlotta took a swim in the pool, although the weather was quite cool up there. Well, good they did it the first day, because the next day the weather was really cold and rainy.

 

We relaxed and looked at the beautiful views and then had dinner there. We were the only guests eating there that evening. The food and their own wine was just delicious and we ate a lot. As a dessert we might have had the best cherries I have ever tasted and a yummy chocolate cake.

Armando had talked the owner, David in to coming for a run with him the next morning. After a lovely breakfast I had my birthday presents - a riding shirt from Armando and a brush, riding gloves and treats for the horses from my children.

Armando wanted take one of the cats to Rome and as they were looking for someone to give them to, we were about to do so. We even gave the cat a name during the dinner. But the cats were one year old already and used to living outside, catching mice and having huge spaces, so I thought maybe it wasn't that good an idea. Sofia didn't like the fact that the cat we were supposed to take just ran away and didn't want to be touched by us. So in the end we decided to leave it there. Carlotta was a little bit disappointed, but in the end said that she was quite happy without a cat, as well. We travel a lot and spend so much time with the horses anyway. That's the main reason why I'm a bit afraid of taking the responsibility of a pet, although I would love to have one.

 As the weather was bad and we had a little club jumping competition that day at the riding school, we then drove home. Actually I was the only one of the family participating this time, but after all, it was my birthday. We had dinner there afterwards.

A day trip to the surroundings of Viterbo

The first Saturday in June I had decided to go to see another flower garden that's near Viterbo. It's a botanical garden with lots of different peonies. Unfortunately their internet pages didn't tell me that the peonies weren't blooming anymore, so we will have to try to go there again next year.
I had my riding lesson in the morning and then we drove towards Viterbo. It was me, Sofia and Carlotta this time.
The place was nice with a cute café and it's definitely worth a visit next May again during the blooming period.

Nearby there was a riding school where one of Sofia's friends has her horse. We went there and the owner was very friendly and showed us around. She said she also has a bed & breakfast place, so if we could week-end we can go horse riding.

On our way home we were hungry and stopped in a small village called Monte Romano and had a piece of pizza there.

Then I drove to the seaside and we had a swim in Riva di Tarquinia.

The rose garden in Rome

One Sunday in May I visited the rose garden in Rome. I had never been there before and that Sunday we had nothing to do. I started looking for ideas on the internet and this one came up. Lately it hasn't been so easy get the rest of the family interested in doing things. Every one seems to live their own life. The teenagers want to be with their friends and Armando is concentrated in his training to the various marathons, so I decided to go anyway and hoped someone would be interested in coming there with me . Carlotta did. And I was so glad that we went there. Just like me, Carlotta loves beautiful things and what's beautiful if not roses? We went there on the 24th of May and I think that's the best period to see lots of roses blooming here in Rome. The entrance to the garden is free. 

It's near Circus Maximus, so we took the metro there.

There were lots of roses of different colours and kinds. So beautiful!

Then we went to the Orange garden where there's a lovely view over Rome.

While we were at the Aventino hill we also walked to the headquarters of the Knights of Malta where you can see the St Peter's dome through a key hole, but the queue was too long, so we will see that another time.

It was a nice afternoon and I think once in a while it's good to show the children the beauties of the city they actually live in, although we live quite far from the centre and very seldom go there.