A walk around Isola del Liri

Today it's raining here so I thought a walk around Isola del Liri in the sunshine would be good!

The view from one of the bridges on Corso Roma shows the Cascata Grande and the ancient Castle Boncompagni.  Unfortunately the castle and gardens are not open to the public.

 Window display in a bomboniere gift shop

Waterfall Valcatoio

In the mid 19th century new mills were built in the Liri valley producing paper due to the abundance and power of the water.  In the park some parts of the old machines are displayed and illuminated at night and it's a popular place to walk and have a meal in one of the converted buildings that's now a pizzeria restaurant.

 

 

 

 

Cascata Grande is a picturesque place for a wedding shoot. The following photos were taken during a Summer visit and I took this photo whilst the couple were posing.

Isola del Liri has many events throughout the year such as the children's cycle race and the International Blues Festival.  Corso Roma is closed to traffic and it's a pleasant place for an evening stroll on a warm Summer's evening, to sit and have a drink or an ice cream at a caffè or bar.

 

The Abbey of San Domenico, Sora

The Abbey of San Domenico, built in 1011, stands near the banks of a river and by a busy road which would once, no doubt, have been a country lane. It's quiet inside the almost empty church and there's an other-worldly atmosphere. The windows are high up and some light shines through them and after being outside in the bright sunshine the dim light is calming.

San Domenico da Foligno - St. Dominic from Foligno (951-1031) came to the region in later life and founded several monasteries including the one in Sora.  A violent earthquake in 1915 caused much damage to the buildings and restoration works had to be carried out faithful to the original simplicity of style of Cistercian architecture. Today the Abbey serves as a parish church and also has a close relationship with the monastic community of nearby Casamari Abbey. Three of my sisters-in-law and the other members of the choir from Casamari sometimes sing with the San Domenico choir.

The interior of the church is divided into three naves with an unusual raised transept with ascending steps up to the sanctuary and altar. Underneath is the crypt which can be accessed by means of a spacious flight of steps on both sides of the transept.

The crypt is also divided into three naves with sixteen columns that are all different and in the main apse there's a marble altar where the mortal remains of San Domenico are kept.

To one side of the church there are some Roman monuments and on a wall is a stone slab that recalls the birth of the Roman orator, Marcus Tullius Cicero. The event is believed to have occurred in the country villa that once stood on the site.

the view opposite the church and monastery

Italy: visit to a local town

There would hardly be any need for us to leave our Italian village to do some shopping since there are trades people and little shops that meet our everyday needs. Vans selling fruit and vegetables, fish and household goods come around on different days of the week. Also our self sufficient relatives generously share their seasonal produce. We have plenty of our own fruit and this time the bruised windfall apples were collected for a relative's pig and the fruit and vegetable peelings went to the sheep.

However, it's always good to take a break and go to town on market day. We were particularly looking for some ripe lemons to make some limoncello and the ones growing in our relatives' gardens had green skins.

In Sora the stalls are set up in the streets on either side of the river and there are other piazzas dedicated to the fruit and vegetable market. Individuals also bring in produce from their smallholdings so everything is seasonal and fresh.

This time we wandered around Borgo San Rocco and walked into town.

Although Sora lies in the shadow of high mountains the town itself is located in a wide plain with the River Liri running through it. There are areas of wetland and a lakeland reserve. Sora is well known for paper making and wood crafting. A popular method of getting around on the quieter country lanes and narrow streets around town is by bike.

In a side street there's a shop selling organic and Fairtrade produce and we went into the deli and talked to the owner since he also sells products from the local Abbey. Our nephew has a similar deli in our village, but it's always good to talk to other traders about organic food. He had some lemons, but they were still green and didn't look suitable for our purpose.

Then we came across a van selling fruit and vegetables and got the ripe, unwaxed and organic lemons we wanted (from Fondi, which is a town near the coast in a lemon-growing region). (I'll show you what we did with them to make limoncello another time).

We had a coffee before walking back through the streets of San Rocco district - a photographer's delight if you're interested in architectural details. Borgo San Rocco has had some restoration work done over the last year or two, but the ancient character of the buildings remains the same. 

          Looking back through an entrance gate that leads into the main part of the riverside town.

At the end of the street is another piazza and the church of San Rocco.

There are two small windows that enables the outsider to look into the church.

The same window from inside the church.

courtesy Church of San Rocco, Sora leaflet

A window and statue depicting San Rocco (St. Roch) with a dog who offered him bread when the man was an outcast due to a skin disease which he contracted after nursing the sick.  You can read more about San Rocco here.  His feast day is on the 16th August when there are festivals and processions in many parts of the world associated with him including Venice where his body is enclosed in a glass tomb in the church dedicated to him there.  The Borgo of San Rocco in Sora has its own festa on that day. A newly painted fresco on one of the outside walls of the church depicts some scenes from the life of San Rocco and the festival procession as the statue of the saint is taken around the streets.  It's interesting to see this aspect of community life portrayed with people from the community taking part, some in traditional regional costumes.

Piazza San Rocco