ARICCIA private tour: the capital of Castelli Romani sweet wine and porchetta (roasted pork meat) tasting

The guided tour of Ariccia will introduce you to a town rich in architectural beauty and art, which has become famous for its gastronomic products and is very popular to disconnect from the busy life of the big city and enjoy a little relaxation in the nature that surrounds it. You start by admiring the Ariccia bridge over the Chigi Park, a monumental viaduct designed to connect the town center with the valley and rejoin the very important Via Appia.

The beautiful bridge built in the mid-19th century and destroyed by bombing in the Second World War was immediately rebuilt and remains today one of the most spectacular monuments in Ariccia. Not far away we can admire Palazzo Chigi, a sumptuous seventeenth-century Baroque residence that the noble Chigi family had restored by the most famous architect of the time, namely Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and enriching it with very ancient furnishings, paintings and sculptures that can be admired in the film by Visconti “Il Gattopardo”.

The guided tour continues by discovering the main square of the city, Piazza di Corte or Piazza della Repubblica, entirely designed by Bernini together with another architectural and religious monument that makes it unique, the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta. The beautiful monumental church of the seventeenth century built by the Chigi family shines in the center of two other structures, the Casino del governatore and the Casino del Minister, connected by elegant arcades that give length and harmony to the complex. We visit the interior of the church admiring the dome that is somewhat reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome and the optical illusions and perspective games of which Bernini was the master.

We continue discovering the characteristic alleys full of fraschette, the typical places of Ariccia where you can taste the famous porchetta (roasted pork meat), cold cuts, wines and sweet tarallini with wine typical of the culinary tradition of the place and of the Castelli Romani area. The guided tour ends at the panoramic viewpoint of Piazzale Mazzini with a breathtaking view of the chestnut groves and the vegetation that surrounds Ariccia.

Included:

• Walking tour with licensed tour guide
• Porchetta (roasted pork meat) tasting

Not included:

• Drinks
• Museum tickets (optional)
• Transfer service

What to bring:

• Comfortable shoes
• Water
• Sun hat on hot days

Meeting point:

• Piazza Corte square,14 (Palazzo Chigi entrance next to the funicular)