Capranica: Like picnics? This is the place to go
Picnics originated in France and exploded in the United States but they are gaining popularity in Italy. The longer we’re here the more people we see eating food outside in parks. Why not? Italy has everything you need for a great picnic: great parks, great weather and great food.
One of the best places to have a picnic in Lazio is a town about 35 miles northwest of Rome. Capranica is a village between beautiful Lago Vico and Lago Bracciano. It not only has a beautiful park, perfect for a picnic, but a designated area famous for picnics. It’s even equipped with BBQs. You also have the perfect addition to a picnic. Capranica is one of the world capitals for hazelnuts.
Things to do
1 • Parco Publico. From Capranica’s cute Centro Storico, walk 5-10 minutes down Corrado Nicolini and gather food from the public stalls selling produce on the street and fresh cuts of meat and cheese in the shops.
On the left you’ll see a beautiful, quaint park with manicured lawns and 30 benches. At the end there is a small playground for kids with a nice view of the Sutri Valley.
Take a shady spot under one of the many majestic Mediterranean pine trees and spread out your blanket. And don’t forget a bottle of Cesanese, Lazio’s vastly underrated red wine.
2 • Santuario della Madonna del Piano. The huge rectangular, mustard-colored church has its original facade from its construction in 1554.
Much of the church was rebuilt after part of it collapsed in 1631. Inside, there are three chapels to the left and right with coats of arms of the noble families who helped in the reconstruction.
Framing the altar are massive paintings depicting Mary’s birth on the left and her death on the right. Above the altar is a beautiful stained-glass window. Rosary beads are left on the pews for visitors.
Info: Viale Nardini 17, 39-07-61-669-053, segreteria@santuaritaliani.it
3 • Area Picnic Trialart. You’ll need a car for this one. It’s about a 10-minute drive northwest of the city center and down a narrow gravel road. But at the end are dozens of little brick BBQ stands with a few tables scattered about.
It was closed when we visited in March and we assume more tables will be added when summer picnic season arrives. Again, gather the fresh goods in town before making the drive to the ground.
Hazelnuts for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Italy is the second-largest producer of hazelnuts in the world and 28 percent of Italy’s hazelnuts come from Capranica. Forty percent of the country’s amount comes from this greater Viterbo area.
This area of northern Lazio is covered with hazelnut orchards. We chronicled a similar situation in Caprarola, nine miles to the north. Known in Italian as nocciole, hazelnuts have been harvested around Capranica since the 16th century and forever more has been a vital part of the economy.
While there are no economic figures for the town of Capranica, in the greater Viterbo area hazelnuts generate about € 500 million a year. Go to any public market or store and you can find big piles of fresh hazelnuts wrapped in plastic bags. Great for cooking; great for snacking. Even better for picnics.
Where is it:
35 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Rome.
How to get there: ATAC (Rome city) buses leave Rome’s Mancini station throughout the day.
The 90-minute journey with a change to Cotral bus at Flaminia/Sax Rubra is € 5-12.
For more information:
I.A.T. Ufficio Informazioni e di Accoglienza Turistica Capranica
C.so F. Petrarca, 40 – Capranica
+39 07616679208
Where to eat:
Trattoria da Ciucci, Via degli Anguillara 7, 39-07-61-189-625, noon-3 p.m., 7-9:30 p.m. Friday-Wednesday.
Cozy, family run restaurant with colored artwork on the wall and in Centro Storico since 1991. Not only are there no English menus, there are no menus. Owner Luigi Ciucci comes to the table and offers four different handmade pastas with four different sauces.
Try the fettuccine in sugo cinghiale bianco, thin, flat pasta in white wild boar sauce. Marina’s gnocchi in tomato sauce was spectacular. Two plates, bread, wine and apple fritters on the house for two was € 27.
