ROME PART 2......

Rome isn't only about the city centre, there is so much more to explore beyond the city walls. On Friday expertly guided by Camino we had the most amazing time exploring the archaeological site at Ostia Antica . Why it is not listed in the 10 best places to visit in Rome is beyond me because it is mesmerising. Ostia is a vast archaeological Park originally founded to protect the mouth of the river Tiber from Invaders and it grew into Rome's primary commercial seaport. Today it is often compared to Pompeii because of its remarkable preservation of Roman urban life. 
After our visit we headed to my Auntie Casilde's home, a tradition we established 14 years ago on our first 6 Nations tour. Here she cooked us up a feast for lunch and told stories of my escapades from when I was a youngster! We left happy and with very full tummies!
On saturday morning we were up early and made our way by train to Lanuvio where we met up with Frederica. Lanuvio is one of the hidden gems of the ''Castelli Romani'' on the outskirts of the city. We strolled through the historic centre and learnt of it's history and then hopped in a taxi for a visit to the stunning winery '' Tenimenti Leone''. We watched the workers expertly tying the vines in preparation for the season, then we were off to the cellars  for the next part of the tour. The Romans stored their wine here in Terracotta  vats and it was a breath taking to see. The whole visit was topped off with a delicious wine tasting and food pairing  experience and we discovered that they also have self catering apartments here , perfect for a return visit very very soon.
On our way home our thoughts turned to the imminent game and Rome was absolutely buzzing with atmosphere and the anticipation of the event... Part 3 of this tour will follow very shortly........ and the rest as they say ' is history!'