Stretching my legs with a passeggiata in Sora, Italy

I’ve long been curious to visit the town of Sora, in Italy’s Lazio region and located in the province of Frosinone – just along the border with Abruzzo.

Since it’s a little off the beaten trail from the surrounding areas I visit more often (including the wonderful Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo), I’ve never managed to get there.

This summer, however, as I was dropping one child off at tennis camp in Abruzzo and picking up another at running camp in the southernmost point in Lazio, I noticed that the long trip between the two destinations happened to take me by Sora.

And so I finally visited the town on a sunny Sunday in July – and after all the driving behind me and all that ahead of me, it was the perfect excuse to park, stretch my legs and explore the town.

This town with a population of a little over 25 000 has ancient roots dating back to the Sannite people, who were conquered by the Ancient Romans in 345 B.C.

After the fall of Rome, Sora faced many invaders – including Saracens and Longobardi, to name a few. The Normans and the Papal forces also fought fierce battles here in the 12th century.

Sora was devastated by the destructive earthquake of 13 January 1915. In fact, there’s a new monument marking the centenary of that event on the town’s main square. Much of the city had to be rebuilt following that devastating quake.

It was a pleasant town in which to stop and stretch my legs on a long trip. Sadly, the town was setting up for a street food festival, which would have been nice to see, but I needed to continue traveling to pick up my son. For next time …

Enjoy Sora when you are in this section of Italy’s Lazio region.