I am calling this entry “Epic”.
Off the beaten tourist path is sorta of the goal of these blogs….sort of.
Of course we all want to visit places like Rome, Florence and Venice, but sometimes great memories come from out of the way places. Places like Cassino, a place you may never have heard of but is worthy of your time.
Giovanni is a co-worker and good friend of mine. He is Italian and comes from Cassino. For me travel is about people even more than places. So when my good friend invited me in 2016 to meet him in Rome and then travel to a beach town with a short detour via his parent’s house in Cassino I was all in.
Packed my bags and headed to Europe.
My boss was generous enough to allow me to mix holiday days and to work remote for an extended trip which ended up being 45 days long. I worked my way across Europe via the generosity of old and new European friends who graciously allowed me to sleep on couches, extra guest rooms etc…. along the way.
The Italian leg of the trip started in Rome on a flight out of London.
There are two airports that service Rome. The primary one is Rome Fiumicino Airport. My flight arrived at Ciampino Airport which serviced the flight coming in from London and was the cheaper option. Don’t miss that option….when traveling to Rome check prices at both airports.
RyanAir is a great way to travel quickly and cheaply from one country to the next in Europe.
Giovanni met me at the airport. We rented a car and headed to his parent’s house in Cassino. Boy was I in for a fabulous few days.
Italy..fun, food and friends.
When we arrived at their home just on the outskirts of Cassino his dad was outside gardening in their yard. They grew much of their own food and made homemade wine and his mom was an excellent cook.
In their great generosity they opened their home to me for a couple of days and we shared life together. Gotta tell you meeting a friend’s parents in another country is a highlight.
It is real life.
A time to experience the best of life.
One of the sweet moments of my life was when Giovanni’s mamma asked me when I was coming back. I told her now that I knew how to get there maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to find my way back.
Her response “I will wait for you”. What a huge honor from such a kind woman. Sadly, she passed this past year.
Here are a couple of photos from the town of Cassino.
This was my first ever coffee in Italy with Giovanni at a local cafe. The breakfasts of Kings.
Tip #1 Remote Work and internet access
Internet access can be tricky sometimes depending on local infrastructure. Back in the day copper DSL was the best thing available on the outskirts of town which turned out to be not ideal for remote work.
However, I had purchased a SIM card for my phone a few days earlier and decided to use the bandwidth via my phone for working remotely with my laptop. Turns out the speed was adequate and stable. So get a local in country SIM card and use it as much as you need. They are inexpensive and will save you if connectivity is important to you.
Cassino is at the foot of Monte Cassino. It is famous for it’s 1500 year old mountain top monastery. During WWII it was bombed extensively as a stronghold of the Nazis during the Battle of Monte Cassino. Today it has been completely restored to it’s former glory.
It is estimated that 50,000 Allied soldiers died trying to take the mountain top due to it’s strategic location. Today there is an expansive cemetery at the bottom dedicated to the Americans and at the top dedicated to the Polish fighters who died with the Allies in the fight.
Due to it’s mountaintop location the views of the valley are spectacular. I encourage you to read the hyper links about the monastery and the Battle from the links above.
To close this one out…Cassino is maybe 90 minutes by car from Rome. I enjoyed warm hospitality here. Good people and plenty to see.
Leave a Reply