14. Tolfa, the City of Horses

To reach my destination today, (the nearly 500-meter-high Tolfa), I need patience. Doubts sometimes creep in about whether it was a good decision to choose this hiking destination.

First, I walk through run-down houses and then, always along the road, uphill. After about 6 kilometers, I get a glimpse of the sea. Those interested in large luxury liners, port facilities, and the massive Torrevaldaliga Nord coal power plant will be thrilled by this view over the harbor towards the sea. It’s not my favorite view, although it certainly looks impressive.

However, it won’t be long before I dive into a landscape that excites me as a nature lover: the diligent singing of birds surrounds me. I immerse myself in the Tolfaberge nature reserve. It is considered the most remote area in Lazio and a refuge for many animal species. There are only two places here and just this road, which is also used by numerous cars besides me.

Then it gets exciting. I pass by pastures of donkeys, horses, and cows. Sometimes there are nature-friendly, detailed grazing areas, at other times, vast barren lands with numerous embedded rocks. The cattle are white and have large horns. They are Chianina, the largest cattle breed with a shoulder height of 1.80 meters, and also the oldest. What a wonderful sight.