Italy off the beaten track: the medieval hamlet of Farnese
Italy is our native country and, although we have decided to live abroad, it is a country that we deeply love, extraordinarily rich in art, history, natural beauty and food and wine traditions. Being an expat is not always easy, but it has the advantage that every time we return to visit our families, we always find the time to explore the country like tourists and to discover the little gems, often off the beaten path, which make this country so unique. A part of Italy, we particularly love is the Tuscia, an area once inhabited by the Etruscans, in northern Lazio. Here the charming villages, with their picturesque stone houses and narrow alleys, have preserved a good part of their medieval-Renaissance physiognomy. One of these is the medieval hamlet of Farnese, a tiny village, counting not even 1700 inhabitants, beautifully perched on a tuffaceous cliff. Its name derives from the Farnia tree known around Europe as peduncolate oak and depicted on the city coat o...