Toffia, Sabina views - Review

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Firstly my thanks to Guido & Sally for being such amazing hosts and great company.

Anyone seeking a relaxing, friendly and interesting getaway holiday combined with authentic Italian (Roman) cuisine would really enjoy the experience of Convivio Rome.

Toffia is a most beautiful and unspoiled place. Nestled in the hills of Sabina (taking it's name from The Sabini, a tribe from the Adriatic coast, arrived in the area around the ninth century B.C. founding the cities of Reate, Trebula Mutuesca and Cures Sabini.

(The History Bit…)

Cures (close to modern day Talocci) became rich, controlling most of the surrounding lands, which supplied agricultural products. Cures was gradually absorbed into the Roman state in 290 B.C., after the defeat of the Sabini.

Nearby Farfa Abbey:

The abbey is a favorite for Romans at the weekend or for a wedding. It’s quite an impressive walled town in itself with local craft shops dating back to the Renaissance, food and even an art gallery space. The traditions of the Benedictine monks handicraft lives on through the production of the Abbey’s distinctive hemp weaving looms and fabrics.

Farfa Abbey was founded, according to legend, in the sixth century A.D. After it's destruction by the Longobards and it's refoundation in 680 A.D., the Abbey played a fundamental role in the history of the area during the following centuries. The Abbey belonged to the Benedictine order, a powerful organization covering much of Europe and with it's own political and economic interests, which often contrasted with those of the Papacy. The monasteries also contributed to the conservation and spread of knowledge in an almost completely illiterate world. Farfa Abbey became rich under the protection of the Longobard dukes and, after 775, the empire of Charlemagne, bringing a certain amount of economic and agricultural development to the area, although it was again sacked by the Saracens in 913 A.D.

During this same period the population was abandoning old settlements in the valley bottoms in favour of more easily defended hilltop sites. This process began in the Sabina around the eighth century A.D. Almost all of the villages and towns in the Sabina were founded during the period between the ninth and the eleventh century A.D. and many of them were vassals of the Abbey. Almost the entire population lived within the walls, going out to work in the fields during the day.

During the twelfth century A.D., the Sabina saw the gradual decline in the power of the Abbey and the growth of that of the Pontificate. From this time the history of the Abbey and that of the surrounding area follows that of the Papacy and the Roman nobles who struggled to control it. The hegemony of these noble families is reflected in the very architecture of towns and villages in the Sabina. During the Renaissance some of the medieval castles were transformed into baronial palaces, most notably in Roccasinibalda, Collalto and Orvinio, while other completely new palaces were built, for example Palazzo Camuccini at Cantalupo or Palazzo Orsini at Toffia.

You can’t help but feel a part of the history in this walled town and the narrow winding and weaving streets create many opportunities for amazing vista’s. Be prepared to do steep hills though, these roads are not for the drive by tourist – you have to get out and walk!

My photo’s were taken on either a Sony HC3 or my LG Viewty. I was amazed at the quality of the viewty – for a phone camera the 5MP is really intuitive and versatile.