Manziana's Woods and Caldara

• Travelling time: 2:30h
• Difficulty: Easy
• Why we love it: For the special places that you meet along the way, and all so close to the Roman metropolis.
• Length: 30 km
• Total Elevation Gain: 422 m
• Way to travel: By bike
• Cost: 0 €
• Our Advice: Not far from Manziana, our starting point, there is Lake Bracciano!

Just an hour from the magnificent Eternal City, there's an hidden oasis of peace, of wild nature and unique places. We guide you to Manziana, a small hilly country where you can spend a beautiful holiday in nature, staying in the nice B&B Casacocò, with its rose garden and swimming pool in stone. Just a stone's throw from the hotel starts a bike route that will take you to the discovery of the Macchia Grande Woods which takes its name from the Roman road that runs through it. We walk ourselves this road that takes us into the forest, where there are centuries-old oaks, oaks and maples, wild roses, butcher's broom and holly in a exciting atmosphere, with the scents of flowers and a wild look, almost primordial. Perhaps we'll glimpse a fox, a marten or perhaps a weasel, some of the inhabitants of this enchanting place, among the most beautiful in Lazio.

We bike along the forest to the exit and continue towards the Caldara, a truly unique and special place, recognized as Natural Monument. It is a marshy area, characterized by the sulphurous waters that bubble up from underground. Here you must stop and admire closely the largest fowl where a geyser develops phreatic explosions of sulfurous waters that reach the temperature of 27°C. But it is not the only peculiarity of the area: there is a grove of white birch, a species that usually live in cold climates, at higher altitudes; yet it is here.

The route continues to Castel Giuliano, a tiny village inhabited since the Etruscan that develops around the castle (private property not open to visitors). Here with a small deviation you can reach the picturesque waterfalls.

We continue our circular route, returning to Manziana.

Author: Chiara Marras

Cover photo by Marco Salvadori via Flickr