Holiday homes with local colour
Casa Capena offers two holiday homes: the capacious Casa Galilei, which dates back to Renaissance times, and the compact Casa Marconi, which is a youngster by comparison – a mere two centuries old. Both are located in the historical centre of a thriving village situated near Rome and the Sabine Hills in the region of Lazio.
Despite being only 45 minutes by road from the city centre (18 km by bus or car to Saxa Rubra station in the outskirts, then ten minutes via a frequent overground train to the centre), Capena retains a very distinct rural flavour with a refreshing lack of tourists.
The holiday houses have been in operation for 15 years now and they offer a comfortable space with all the peace and comfort you could want indoors and plenty of local colour and interest when you open the door.
Many of our returning guests have made friends in the village and Capena is unique in offering a real opportunity to be part of local life in this laid-back, off-beat and friendly community.
Our regular guests tend to be travellers who prefer to stay off the beaten track, writers, academics and digital nomads. Many choose to stay for longer periods and we offer substantial discounts for long lets.
Capena’s chief attractions are the warmth and friendliness of the residents, good food and drink, local colour, frequent festivals, history, proximity to Rome and good road connections. With excellent public transport links to the capital and plenty of shops and great restaurants within 10 minutes’ walk of both houses, it is easy to do without a car as well.
If you have your own wheels, Lazio has many unsung attractions and is quite different to the nearby regions of Umbria and Tuscany.
If you are a home bird, you will find plenty to occupy you in the friendly village. Indoors, you will find a comfortable space (warm in winter) with WiFi and proper desks/typing chairs for remote working or coworking.
Capena’s centro storico, a tiny unspoilt village in its own right, is also host to a small, established group of artists, the best known being Rosina Wachtmeister. Live music is usually on hand at Salgrotta at the weekends.
The apartments are located in and around the town’s ancient Rocca (depicted in the picture above), a small traffic-free community made up of a picturesque jumble of houses, stairways and cobbled streets with a relaxed bohemian feel.
Entering the old town centre is a little like stepping into a Fellini film or Cinema Paradiso, with life played out around the natural arena of the Piazza del Popolo.
“Capena is very special, with warm, genuine hospitality – home from home.”
— Mandi and Clive, Somerset, UK
To cool off in summer, you can drive to a couple of idyllic swimming pools or one of the nearby lakes, which boast many amenities: Lake Bracciano, Lake Martignano or Lake Vigo in the crater of a volcano. The coast is an hour away by car.
In winter, the ski resort of Terminillo is about an hour’s drive away – or you could soak away the chills in one of the hot springs that abound in the area.
Rome and the Sabine Hills are on your doorstep waiting to be discovered at any time of year. The hills are shown in February in the photo below.
The main motorway to Florence is just 5 km from Capena, giving easy access to places of interest to the north and south of Rome. The capital’s main airport, Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) is under an hour’s drive away and Ciampino (where Ryanair flights land) is about 45 minutes away.
Facilities comparison
