D 42 Palestrina to Ceccano

I promise to be brief today! At least I'm not attempting to summarise 2500 years of cultural history! The road from Pallestrina to Fuigi (SR155) is fab - little traffic, not too hilly and scenic in the extreme.

After a light lunch in Fuigi (supplier of water to the royal families of Europe and now a quiet spa dreaming of better times I took in two of the lower and very numerous historic hill towns dotting this underrated area. Ferentino was quiet with dramatic views and old men reluctant to.Talk about the battle for Monte Casino just down the valley where my Dads mate Led fought, a fact that was mentioned in terms of high respect. Looking it up.on WIKI I learn that the commanding 15th century Franciscan monastery was in fact not a German stronghold when it was destroyed by American bombing as the Allies fought their way up the peninsula.  It was only after the bombing that the Panzer divisions dug into the ruins to great effect making it an extremely costly assault for the Allies to clear the approach for Rome.  Gungho American bombing - sounds all too familiar! the onset of crepuscular twilight  found me at the unfashionable Ceccano having taken some time to negotiate laboriously a quiet and largely rural route past the populous modern agglomeration of Frosinone. As is so often the case in this Montainesque life a lovely evening ensued chatting with an anthropologis , her brother and Irish boyfriend just back from the beach at Bar I and then a lovely family running a Trattoria who had finished serving and were Sat eating their dinner rustled up a dinner including a memorable primi of buffalos mozzarella. I went to sleep replete in my €40 hotel room wondering what I had done to deserve such a dolce vita!