Ghost Town Italian Style - Monterano

After an Italian breakfast of cappuccino, latte, cheese,meat, cakes and pastries (no, I'm not kidding), we were off for a half hour drive to Antica Monterano. Off the beaten track, we were the only ones there except for one man on horseback. Did I mention the last couple kilometres were very well suited to horseback, not necessarily cars. People sometimes ask me what is better for bad roads, a dedicated all wheel drive vehicle or 4 wheel drive with locking hubs. My answer? Definitely a rental car, but maybe one with a bit more ground clearance.
After venturing a little too far down the horse trail, we backtracked and parked near a sulphur spring and located the small sign to our destination.
Off the beaten track? Yes, but not unknown, in fact this very site was used during the filming of Ben Hur with Charlton Heston back in 1959. If you want to go back to when there were any actual residents in town, it'd be 1799 when the French army and malaria hit at the same time and anybody left packed up and left. Felt a little eerie, especially when looking at the likes of Lorenzo Bernini's Lion of the fountain. This little town was a powerful place at one time, attracting some very famous people. Nowadays, on a hot, bright walk in the October sun it is very awe inspiring.Read more