During our Mediterranean cruise with P&O Cruises, one of our stops was Civitavecchia, Rome. Originally we had booked an excursion to tour Rome for the day but once we found out about the “Taste of Tuscania” excursion, we changed our mind. I had been to Rome before and convinced Amit we would go another time and so we decided to visit this lesser known Italian town and I am so glad we did. We also got to go with new friends Karen and Amanda, who are also bloggers, and it was such a great day out.
Not only were there less tourists, it had so much history as well as included a visit to an agri-tourism farm, which was a memorable experience. Agri tourism is an agricultural based activity, in this case farming, where tourists are able to visit and see the operations of the place or try the produce, for instance. These are quite popular in Italy with some places even offering farm stays so you can fully immerse yourself.
Tuscania is often confused with Tuscany and although it has lovely green rolling fields, it is actually located in Lazio.
We started our day touring the town of Tuscania. It was so pretty with rustic charm, amazing food ( we nipped into a shop to try some savouries), and just had perfect instagram worthy spots everywhere you looked! I love Italy and I especially love the Italian way of life.
Tuscania is located about an hour’s drive from Rome and is like the other end of the spectrum as its so tranquil, laid back and idyllic. It is such a romantic town and I loved walking the cobbled streets and marvelling at the pastel coloured walls with pretty flowers adorning them. We would find the occasional chair with Lavender on it or colourful bikes stood against walls, and it was the perfect photographers dream.
If it hadn’t been for the cruise, I would probably not even have known about Tuscania so I am so glad it opened my eyes to a part of Italy off the beaten track which I may have overlooked normally. In fact, we fell so in love with Italy that we have vowed to visit more of the lesser known parts over the next couple of years.
After strolling around we headed to the farm, where we were going to try the produce, try some wine and enjoy an Italian anti pasti spread. I was in heaven with the cheese, olive oil tapenade, home made bread, cold meats and omelettes. It was all so delicious. The wine was gorgeous too and I preferred the red wine.
The farm is particularly proud of its olive oil production and they were selling these in these gorgeous tins. We got to try some with the bread and it is astonishing how different it tastes to shop bought mass produced olive oil. Sometimes it is worth spending that little bit extra.
The grounds of the farm were just how I imagined an Italian farm to look like with produce growing, pretty fields and that clean crisp air which makes you wish you owned a cottage in the countryside.
After a wonderful meal and wander around the farm, we headed back towards the port. Karen, Amanda and I asked to be dropped off half way towards the port so we could explore a little bit before heading back to the ship.
We also couldn’t resist a cheeky gelato. When in Italy! It was lush 🙂
We had a wonderful day and I am so pleased we decided to try something new rather than visiting the usual spots in Rome.
Have you been on a cruise and chosen an excursion you wouldn’t normally have done? Would love to know in the comments below.
To read more about my cruise click here.
Binny xx
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