March 23, 2026 - Hot Springs and More Great Food

Today I announced I wanted to go to the hot springs. Mostly because it was at the top of Eileen's wish list. Personally, I'm not a fan of public hot springs, although once in 1974 I visited Liard Hot Springs in the Yukon and had a delightful early morning soak. During that adventure, a moose strolled through, nibbling plants along the way. 

This morning was not as exciting but just as fun. There were several options. M,L and E have visted a couple before so we opted for a new place. It was about 30 minutes from Roccalvecce, on the outskirts of Viterbo. It was free and clearly a popular place, with more people arriving after we left at about 11 a.m. 

After the springs came lunch at a nearby restaurant that was excellent. At noon, we were the first customers of the day. At home, I typically am up at 5 a.m, lunch before noon and dinner by 6. Here, lunch and dinner typically begin a couple of hours later.

After lunch, we went shopping for food, then general stuff. Eileen has saved some money and it's burning a hole in her pocket. After shopping at what looks like a Toys R Us clone, she decided to save her money for other things. Now, we're back in Roccalvecce, chilling. We decided to stay home for dinner tonight and I'll have lunch leftovers. Another excellent day. 

Photos!

View from my front door at about 8:30 a.m. this morning.

I'm loving spring here with so many flowers - many of which I don't recognize.

It was in the 30's this morning.  My Christmas cactus is all nice and warm in my house and didn't bloom.  Maybe I should put it on the porch.

There is rosemary everywhere.

Who belongs to that van?  That's Matt and Lori's house!  I discovered it belongs to the workers who are repairing the small road next to their house.  

Most of the roads in the village are too narrow for parking (or driving, if I'm the one driving!) so this is communal village parking.

More maintenance work in Roccalvecce.

When they visited the hot springs in the area before, they were at resorts and cost 25 euro to get in.  They have legit pools, slides, a spa, etc.  This is just a big field next to a military base, with a nice area for "bathing".  I'm guessing many there were regulars since they brought their beach chairs, etc.

The water bubbles up from the ground at 58C (136F) then travels through a pipe to this open stream where it cools off a bit before flowing into the pool.

It is free and doesn't have a lot of amenities but is quite nice.  Matt used a bush to hang his clothes.  I did see several men in Speedos.

The very hot water flowing into the pool. 

I'd write something informative if I had a clue what this said/meant.   If you'd like more, info, check out this article about Dante and his writings related to the area.  

Really hot water.

It is a public park with a list of "don'ts" that it reminds me of Singapore.  

Every restaurant we've eaten at has had really good food.  Eileen is a picky eater who loves Pasta Bolognese.  She has been ranking them from all the places in Italy she's tried this.  She declared the dish at La Felicetta as all time #2, second only to a lady from Roccalvecce who makes it from scratch in her home.

We were the first to arrive but the place was filling up by the time we left.

Food prices are cheap here.  And the food is delicious.  We had pizza last night for 7 euro for a pie large enough for two.  Toppings included two kinds of meat and two kinds of cheese.

I got the homemade papparadelle pasta made with a white sauce and meat.  Matt had the same dish at a different restaurant and a priest who happened to be dining at the next table explained it is a local specialty, often made with wild boar.  Or, pork sausage.  It was not rich like an Alfredo sauce but it was EXCELLENT.

The vinegar used Pinot grapes.  The olive oil has an expiration date.

I went Italian and had my orange, olive and fresh fennel salad after my pasta, while Matt and Eileen had their desserts.  At another place they had olives marinated in fresh OJ.  Who knew that oranges and olives are a thing?  These look like ripe olives, kinda, but don't taste like it.  The fennel was fresh, crunchy and very mild.  It was an excellent salad. Eileen thinks it's a hoot that I love to try new foods and "weird" combinations.  This salad is a keeper, if I can find some fresh fennel in Florida.

In the patio of La Felicetta, they have a long grape (I assume?) arbor over tables.  Lori and I want to come back to see it in summer.

I was so excited to go to a Lidl's.  Which is similar to Aldi.  It was big, had the Aisle of Shame, and more fresh/warm bread than any bakery in Lake Mary.  The flowers are near the front door.

This is why I now want to live in Viterbo.  They have artichoke hearts, cheap, in the grocery store.  Why don't Americans eat the good stuff?  

Just some of the warm bread at Lidl.

Lots of veggies, including some I didn't recognize.

And...more bread.  Imagine how it smelled :)

You know how we have rotisserie chickens in grocery stores?  They had those (5.39 euro) AND, a variety of chicken part options - legs, breast, nuggets, etc. if you didn't want the whole chicken.

Chicken cutlets are popular - all you have to do is cook 'em.

Lots of pear juice.

I love Easter eggs and now I crave giant Italian Easter eggs.  They are different shapes and sizes and are available all over.  Roccalvecce is raffling one off to raise money.

I'm not joking when I say BIG Easter eggs.

Lidl is German, I believe, but this makes me think of what you'd get if you crossed a kid from the 50's with a surfer dude from 2026.  "You're a fink, bra".

Viterbo seems to have everything I could ever want to buy in terms of food, home goods, clothing, etc.  Prices are significantly lower than the USA.

Lori went wild and bought her first leopard thong.  Because prices in Amman (where they live most of the year) are considerably higher (they're comparable to USA prices), they buy a lot of stuff here.

As expected, they had no Kleenex at the store.  I've found most countries don't stock facial tissues as a common thing.  Kleenex, best up your international marketing game.  I got 2  (2 litre) bottles of water and a variety bag of little chocolate bars for 5 euro and change.