11579 Travelling to Monte Cassino

I plan to travel to Monte Cassino for an overnight stay midway through February.

I am trevelling from Rome and am wondering what will be the best way to travel, Hire Car or Train?

What is it like driving around Monte Cassino? If I didn't have a car what is public transport like in that area?

Category
Travel & Holiday Advice

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 17:58

Hi Marcoma
I have my house in Picinisco (the town (pop 1208) where DH Lawrence lived for a while) and Cassino is my main large town. It is in a beautiful area with lots of interesting history.

Travelling to Cassino is so easy and when you are there, it is very easy to get around.

I would suggest you take the train from Roma Termini. There are a few fast trains throughout the day which go direct to Cassino or maybe stop once. It will cost you about 5 euros and take about 1hour 10 minutes. If you take a slower train it will take you about 2 hours or so and although the scenery is lovely en route, it is a bit of a drag so look up train times and try and get a fast train.

Once you have arrived at Cassino station, just around the corner is the Hertz car hire office. The girl in there we have dealt with on a couple of occasions speaks English. I would suggest you get a car hire because there is some lovely mountainous countryside to explore.

Cassino was rebuilt by the Americans after the war and is built in a typical grid design as per their towns. So following a map is very easy

Monte Cassino is the Abbey on top of the mountain which looms up from the town centre and is a really lovely drive up as you get splendid views all around. At 4pm every day there is a service where the monks chant which still sends shivers up my spine even though I have been many times. What is so amazing is that the abbey has been rebuilt exactly how it was before it was destroyed in the war. It is hard to imagine that it is so young because it looks hundreds of years old.

If you are there on a Saturday morning, there is a huge market which spreads around the town in sections, ie shoes, handbags, clothes, vegetables etc, etc., In the summer you have to go at 6 in the morning because of the heat and the amount of people there.

If you get a chance go on the road to Sora (well signposted) over the really high viaduct and into the mountains. One of the first villages you will see on the right is called Atina and part of it is older than Rome. With no leaves on the trees and the backdrop of snowy mountains, it is a sight for sore eyes from the autostrada. There are lots of small villages in the mountains around there, all within spitting distance.

If you have any more questions please ask. I hope you enjoy your trip. Let me know how you got on.
Maralyn

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 15:29

[quote=Maralyn;109849] One of the first villages you will see on the right is called Atina and part of it is older than Rome. Maralyn[/quote]

Thanks Maralyn :) My dads family comes from that area and I never knew that :)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 12:51

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]We were in [B]Atina[/B] last Sunday. I have family there still.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]My maternal grandparents left [B]Atina[/B] in 1911 to live in [B]London [/B]in the [B]“Little Italy”[/B] district of [B]Clerkenwell.[/B] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]I am interested in making contact with others [B]who share my love of Atina[/B] and with those [B]who are also tracing their Italian roots in this beautiful area.[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]I have started a group on[B] Facebook [/B]called[B] "We Love Atina !!!"[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]I have just started an [B]English[/B] website about [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B]Atina / The Val di Comino / Ciociaria area:[/B] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][/SIZE][/FONT]
[URL="http://atina.shapcott-family.com"][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]http://atina.shapcott-family.com[/SIZE][/FONT][/URL]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]I am English but now live in Italy in [B]South Lazio[/B], about an hour’s drive from Atina.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]This is where I live: [URL="http://trecancelle.shapcott-family.com/"]http://trecancelle.shapcott-family.com[/URL][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]We also have a Blog: [url=http://trecancelle.wordpress.com]“Tre Cancelle” Blog[/url][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B]NonnaLou[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B]I am researching the surnames: [/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B]Del Prete, Leonardi, Pesce, Di Fiore, Bracciale, Rossi, Tortolani, Rolfi, Di Troia, Farina, Salvia[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 18:32

NonnaLou
I have replied to your post on the Introduce Yourself thread.
Maralyn