The 10 Best Things to do in , Lazio

Reviewed By roelieborst - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

On October 13th my newly wedded wife Cathy (Australian) and I (Raoul from the Netherlands) arrived at the agricultura campeggio of Alta Montagna bio ss in Accumoli. On a beautiful sunny day, after a stunning drive through the surrounding mountains we were welcomed with big smiles from Katia and her eldest daughter Barbara. In my best Italian I asked if they were open and if we could park our selfmade camper there for one, maybe two days. 'Of course', Katia replied in perfect English. `Stay as long as you want!' We could choose between a field which was completely vacant or a spot between 8 comfy looking cabins. We chose the field. Partly for the beautiful view but mainly for the privacy since we were on our honeymoon. She gave us directions on how to get there and straight away invited us for lunch with the family. An invite for a family-meal in Italy one should never decline so we accepted wholeheartedly. We swiftly parked our camper and joined them at a large table. There we met the rest of the family. Guido Pica, Katia's husband and further Roberto their son and Elisa and Sofia the two youngest daughters. The meal started of with some of the best salami I ever ate in Italy (I lived in Tuscany for three years), a lovely 'primo' and some very tasty pieces of different meats. Cathy got some tasty bruschette, fried fresly picked mushrooms and a primo. We talked in Italian and English about our lives and theirs and learned that the family have a organic/bio meatfarm where all the animals (cows, pigs, sheep and chickens) are 'happy animals'. The love they have for their animals sings through the way they talk about them. They let the cows graze freely up the mountain from March to November and during the winter the mountain pastures ( national park) are given sufficient time to recover. We never experienced something like that. So free and full of love. The children are home-schooled and helped all around the farm. Barbara is already pretty good in English and had very wise questions and conversations with Cathy and myself. Katia made the time to get to know us and tell us about her vision on life as well and we talked about all kinds of topics and she is a funny, very wise and insightful woman. Guido worked hard and passionately with the animals and in producing beautiful meat products, of which I (Cathy is a vegetarian) tasted numerous samples. Simply delicious!! We helped weeding the veggie-garden and helped cleaning stables and feeding the cows and pigs in the following days.(our stay of one or two days ended up being five). We shared almost every meal together and got to know the family better and better. We had the most beautiful walks up the mountain with Lilly, their dog accompanying us all the way. If you decide to pay them a visit (and you should!!) there is a good chance you will meet us too. We want to go back there many many times to spend time with and help the family. (Cathy and I have had the fortune to have seen quite a bit of the world and we never return to the same place twice!) We have found our 'home' with this family and the mountains that surround them. Thinking of Alta Montagna makes my heart feel nothing but love and gratitude. practical info: easy to find on good roads luxury cabins beautiful campsites clean and spacious toilets and showers affordable