Sgurgola
(pronounced
Skor-go-la)
SGURGOLA IS A TINY BUT MIGHTY VILLAGE IN THE HEARTLAND OF CIOCIARIA. LESS THAN AN HOUR FROM ROME, IT’S THE PERFECT PLACE TO BASE YOUR ITALIAN ADVENTURE & EXPERIENCE REAL ITALY.
“The first time I heard the name I thought it sounded like a stomach rumble, which is actually very appropriate when you take into consideration the mouth watering aromas that waft out of hidden kitchens as you wander through the maze of crumbling alleyways winding around the ancient Rocca fortress on a Sunday afternoon.” C. Vitozzi
SGURGOLA – ALWAYS & FOREVER
Sgurgola’s Past & People
Sgurgola has been perched on its rocky outcrop overlooking the Sacco Valley since time began.
It has seen empires rise and fall & it continues on still, brave & strong, standing sentinal looking out towards the future!
Legend has it that Sgurgola was founded by the great rebel gladiator Spartacus as he held out against the Romans.
Ages pass & Sgurgolani traditions roll on with the seasons. Life here is tied to nature – the wildness of the mountain and the tamed fertile slopes where olives and vino grow in irrepressible abundance.
Life here is about essentials. Rustic food, people with heart, experiences that make you remember what it is to be alive.
Come & discover this iconic village of Ciociaria, untouched by the chaotic world beyond, where all that really matters is the mesmorising rhythm of the daily apperativo & the mouthwatering taste of slow cooked cingiale ragu.
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UNIQUE & UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES
VISIT SGURGOLA…What we do
VISIT SGURGOLA aims to create unique & unforgettable experiences for visitors to our region.
We provide tourists with the insider knowledge they need to fully experience this amazing region.
Our approach is personal & driven by a desire to share places & stories that are difficult to access by non-native speakers visiting Italy.
Our territory is off the beaten track, the Real Italy that you don’t read about in the guide books.
Ciociaria (Show-shar-REE-ah) – the southern part of Lazio, just below Rome – is still virtually untouched by tourism. With its wild mountains & rustic villages Ciociaria is waiting to be discovered & experienced!
Sgurgola, one of the most characteristic villages of Ciociaria, is just an hour south of Rome but worlds away from the chaos & jam packed with wonders, amazing food & unforgettable experiences if you know how to find them.
Our services include:
*ACCOMODATION*
*TRANSFERS TO/FROM CENTRAL ROME/AIRPORTS*
*PERSONALISED TAILOR-MADE TOURS OF SGURGOLA & CIOCIARIA & BEYOND*
*UNIQUE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES INCLUDING WINE MAKING, PASTA/BREAD MAKING & RUSTIC LOCAL FOOD*
*INTERPRETING/TRANSLATING SERVICES*
*CONSULTANCY SERVICE TO ASSIST IN RESEARCHING FAMILY HISTORY*
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ITALY ON YOUR DOORSTEP
Sleep in Sgurgola…VISIT ROME
Sgurgola is the perfect place to base your Italian Adventure.
Trains run from Sgurgola Station to Rome’s Termini Station (and back) every hour. In less than an hour you can be in the heart of Rome, and not even have to worry about finding a car park!
Sleeping in Sgurgola you can experience the best of both worlds. See all the sights of the Eternal City, then escape the chaos & head home to roost in Sgurgola where you can experience Real Italy without all the hype.
Rome is on Sgurgola’s doorstep, and with the Frecciarossa fast trains you really can wake-up in the morning & decide to go just about anywhere! Florence, Milan, Naples, Pompeii. You name it. Italy is yours to discover!
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INTRODUCING SGURGOLA & ITS PEOPLE
Sgurgola & Sgurgolani
Down through the ages this village has endured. For melenium the peasants of Sgurgola have carved out a life in the limestone bedrock, taming the fields on the fertile slopes of the mountain, watching Emperors and Popes, Lords and Rebels rise and fall while they carried on their daily-montly-yearly routines – the proud Sgurgolani of Ciociaria.
The complex culture of the ‘common people’ in Sgurgola – the contradictory nature of the strength of the oppressed – is what makes Sgurgola’s story so fascinating. Sgurgolani are passionate and bold, self depreciating yet fiercely proud. Sgurgola’s story is full of dramatic irony and the tragedy of life.
In fact, in Italian language “Sgurgola” (Skor-go-la) is synonymous with peasant culture. “Sei della Sgurgola?!” (“What, are you from Sgurgola?!”) is a common Italian idiom, sardonically used to make fun of a person when the display peasant like, uncouth, unsophisticated behaviour, as far as you can get away from the supposedly “cultured” world and customs of Rome. The term has become so widespread that many Italians don’t realise that it refers to an actual, real life town that can be reached today in less than an hour from the capital.
Even the term Ciociaria (sho-shar-REE-ah) was initially used by the Romans as a derogatory term for the southern Lazio region around Frosinone which Romans viewed as being inhabited by backward peasants who traipsed around in strange looking sandals called Ciocie (cho-sheh), hence the origin of the name. Opinion is always a matter of perspective however, and I for one find it much more exciting to be descended from rebellious peasants than to be a slave to conformity.
Today the label Ciociaro is no longer an insult – it’s a proud affirmation of identity for region whose proud, traditional, rustic culture lives on strong to this day in villages like Sgurgola. Those seeking to escape the confusion of the modern “electronified” world can still find “Real Italy” in Ciociaria. This is the Italy of hearty peasant food, unbridled nature and days that roll on with old stories and new experiences.
In Sgurgola you touch the heart of Ciociaria. It is place where the strength of the common people is celebrated and cherished. The world may hurtle forward for better or for worse, but the people of Sgurgola remain to remind us that what matters are the passing seasons of the mountain, simple rustic food, excellent and abundant wine, and the strength in body and spirit of its people.
EXPLORE YOUR FAMILY HISTORY
Roots Tourism 2024 & Family Research
2024 is Italy’s national year for Roots Tourism, a nationwide project involving towns all over Italy with the objective of developing international tourism to a whole other level by creating experiences for people seeking to reconnect with the culture and villages that their ancestors left behind when they emigrated to the four corners of the globe.
The Roots Tourism project began in Sgurgola, and is closely aligned to our own personal experience. We ourselves returned to Sgurgola with our young family after a lifetime abroad with the specific goal of giving our kids the opportunity to reconnect with their Sgurgolano heritage.
Visit Sgurgola was born after many months of personal research, and many months of navigating the often complex bureaucratic public structures. We’ve been through it all & we are primed & ready to help make your journey of discovery as seamless as possible.
We speak the language, know the people, know all the hidden secrets.
Reach out & we can help!
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SGURGOLA KNOWS HOW TO THROW A PARTY!
Sgurgola’s famous Festa dell’Uva
Sgurgola’s Festa dell’Uva (Grape Festival), is an unmissable & unforgettable event when the people of Sgurgola take to the streets to proudly celebrate their history and culture for three jam packed days of singing, dancing and feasting.
The longest running event of its kind in Italy, la Festa dell’Uva has been an annual event since before WWII. The first Festa dell’Uva was held in 1929, and since then only the bombs of WWII and the pandemic of 2020 have managed to cramp its style!
Timed to celebrate the vendemmia (grape harvest) in late September, the event pays homage to Sgurgola’s heritage as one of the most important providers of wine and table grapes, first to Rome then later far beyond after the establishment of the railway line in 1862.
2024’s event will be the 69th Festa dell’Uva in Sgurgola. It will take place over three exciting days – Friday 27th, Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th September 2024. Save the dates!
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FIND YOUR OWN SLICE OF LA DOLCE VITA
Come live in Sgurgola!
Looking for your slice of La Dolce Vita? Forget about Tuscany or Umbria! In undiscovered Ciociaria you can buy the property of your dreams for a fraction of the price & experience Real Italy just a stones throw away from Rome.
Sgurgola is the perfect place to call home. It’s charming historic centre, embedded in the evocative fertility of the Lepini Mountains, has excellent transport links to Rome (it’s just under an hour to the centre of Rome by train from Sgurgola, with ample road and fast train options too).
Sgurgola has many properties for sale that are not listed officially on real estate sites, you just need to know who to ask and how to access them.
Don’t worry! Where there’s a will there’s a way! If you’ve ever dreamed of buying a property in Italy we are here to help you make that dream a reality. We’ve done it all before and know the people and the processes to get it done with as little hassle as possible.
We offer a beginning to end consultancy service for people wanting to purchase a lifestyle property in Sgurgola and can offer support and guidance every step of the way – in finding, purchasing, renovating and managing your home away from home in Italy.
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We are passionate about our town – its people, its past, its potential.
Our aim is to share Sgurgola’s unique story & culture so that it continues to thrive & inspire.
Contact VISIT SGURGOLA today & Experience Real Italy.
Experience Real Italy VISIT SGURGOLA
Contact us
We’re here to help!
Ring, Whatsapp or Email.
+39 389 769 0340
visitsgurgola@gmail.com