Arrived in Capena yesterday before noon after a little detour off the airport to pick up a funky little Fiat 500 from Advantage Cars, which subcontract to Auto Europe and currently seem to be the cheapest car hire option. They are very friendly and seem to be open to the idea of offering Casa Capena guests a special deal, so we shall see…

Last night I went out with my friend Lena, who took me to two new places in Fiano I’d never been before. Like most places round here, their surroundings are fairly scrubby and uninviting, but everything changes once you get inside.

Mixeria is on the motorway access roundabout near the Feronia shopping centre. It’s well-signed and easy to find and park. Inside there is a huge, lush cocktail bar with palms , plenty of greenery, lots of comfortable seating and a children’s play area. There’s also a stage so I imagine there must also be live music sometimes.

Then we went on to the Veranda restaurant, no more than kilometre in the direction of Fiano on your right, driving from Mixeria. This is an unassuming-looking restaurant with a nice view of the Sabine Hills from its veranda – hence the name. They serve a selection of seafood, which is on display in tanks – and meat grilled on an open fire. Everything we had was wonderful, the wine was good, the staff were really friendly and the price was reasonable. Apparently quite a few celebrities go there too – if you know your Italian celebs.