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This Latin phrase was much favoured by the Roman Emperors Augustus and Titus, and later was revived in the Renaissance when Cosimo I de’ Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany took it as his motto. It councils to do things with the proper sense of urgency but without hurry, with proper diligence and presence.
Various symbols have been connected with it, a crab and butterfly (which inspired characters in Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost), a hare in a snail shell, a dolphin entwined around an anchor.
The Medici chose a turtle with a sail on his back, and there are more than 100 depictions of this symbol decorating the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.
We chose instead the winged snail as our symbol, the snail that carries its house with it and so is always “at home” moving slowly but steadily onward.
Located between Umbria and Tuscany in the area known as the Tuscia – home to the ancient Etruscan civilization which flourished before the Romans, Festina Lente is surrounded by historic and cultural sites and natural beauty.
In the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the area was a stronghold of the Farnese family, (carved in stone on one of the portals of Festina Lente and pictured in two tiles on the building’s façade is the fleur-de-lis, which is the symbol on their coat of arms). Renaissance gardens, and Palaces, Medieval churches, and archeological sites are all a short drive.
Just several miles off the via Francigena , the pilgrim trail that connects Canturbury with Rome, there are plenty of lovely walks in the countryside and the woods nearby for those who prefer nature, as well as swimming, boating and water sports at nearby Lake Bolsena. There are also hot springs for those who just want to relax.
Neighboring towns allow visitors a glimpse of local traditions, and the possibility to taste the delicious local cuisine and the products the area is known – wild fennel, hazelnuts, honey, olive oil, wine and cheese.
Follow a course on how to make and bake Italian pizzas (in our pizza oven).
Minimum length of the stay is 5 days.
Sleeps 18 comfortably. Maximum occupancy 21.
For enquiries: thewingedsnail@gmail.com
Distances to nearby towns:
Bagnoregio – 6.5 kilometers (10 minutes)
Cività di Bagnoregio – World Heritage site
Montefiascone –9 kilometers
Bolsena – 12 kilometers (17 minutes)
Marta – 20 kilometers (another lake-side town with nice long beach, bars)
Capodimonte – 23 kilometers
Orvieto – 25 minutes
Viterbo – 30 minutes
Villa Lante a Bagnaia – 30 minutes
The Sacred Wood of Bomarzo – 45 minutes
Villa Farnese a Caprarola – 55 minutes
Tuscania – 30 minutes
Tarquinia – 1 hour. Visits to the ancient Etruscan necropolis and the seaside
S. Casciano dei Bagni – 1 hour. A lovely drive to a spa and good restaurants for a lunch out ( see under Thermal baths)
Saturnia – 1 hour. Thermal waterfall (free) or spa nearby
Sorano/Pitigliano – 45 minutes
Todi – 1 hour
