Diana's lake, Caligula's ships and the tiny strawberries of the woods
Nemi, the smallest of the Castelli Romani, clings to the rim of a volcanic crater above a small round lake, called by the ancients the "Mirror of Diana", because a famous sanctuary of the goddess stood on its shores. Its woods and views made it a stop on the Grand Tour.
In the lake, the emperor Caligula kept two huge ceremonial ships, true floating palaces. Recovered in the 1930s by draining the lake, they were destroyed by fire in 1944; the Museum of the Roman Ships displays models, bronze decorations and the original anchors. Nemi is famous for its fragoline di bosco, tiny, fragrant wild strawberries, sold in the village and celebrated in June with the Sagra delle Fragole.
Tip: taste strawberries with cream or the strawberry liqueur in the cafés of the main street; the view over the lake from the belvedere is lovely at sunset.
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