A hidden gem : Zagarolo, Italy & Wiki Hostel

It happened half by chance and half by luck. Camden and I were in search of an affordable place to settle down while in Rome. We searched everywhere. AirB&B, couch surfing, hostels. Nothing was surfacing for us. It wasn't until the night before we were leaving Venice, when I was looking one last time before we had to catch our train. Lone and behold, Wiki Green Hostel and Village popped out of no where. It was like a gift sent from above. They had outrageous ratings and everyone who reviewed them said "think no further, just book the place". So that's what I did!From the minute we arrived at the train station and hopped in our first Wiki shuttle we fell in love. We knew this spot would become more like a home to us, rather than a base camp, over the next week.The hostel was nestled into the lush greenery of a town named Zagarolo. At first, we were a bit weary about the location, seeing that it is a thirty minute train ride from the center of Rome. But we figured two cities for the price of one was definitely worth it!Our hostel was like a glorified treehouse. Haha but better. The property was pretty expansive with a variety of places to hangout and enjoy the company of the staff and other travelers. There was a small bar adjoining the main area of the hostel to the beautiful outdoors, which is where i needed up spending a looooooot of time.Now for those of you who know me, I love wine. LOVE WINE. And to my surprise, we were in the best place for Italian wine!! The hostel sold local wines and ohhhhhh were they good...During our time at Wiki, we were fortunate enough to participate in both of the infamous pasta and pizza parties!Monday night was the pasta party, where the staff, locals and guests came together and made a big pasta dinner. Mateo (the best Italian chef in the world) handed out different ingredients to everyone and taught each person how to properly cut and prepare their item for our homemade sauce. Camden had onions and I had celery...I took forever hahah. After everyone was done chopping and slicing, we all gathered around to mix it all together and taste test the sauce. Hands down the best sauce I have had. After the sauce and pasta were done cooking, we of course had our pasta party! Everyone gathered at huge tables and had a pasta dinner together. That night was incredible. FullSizeRender 2 [gallery ids="720,719" type="rectangular"]The night that followed, did not involve "food parties" but they were fantastic nonetheless. Each night were accompanied by fantastic conversations, good food, great wine and amazing memories. FullSizeRender 6.jpg On our final day at Wiki (Friday), we decided to stay at the hostel and check out the local life in Zagarolo!!The city of Zagarolo has so much character and Italian charm, I can see why the people of Zagarolo love their city. I can see how it gets dismissed living in the shadow of Rome, but I can't urge you enough to travel to this city and see it for yourself. It's beautiful and unlike anywhere else in Italy! (At least the places I have been to). The calm streets made it a lovely day for Camden and I to relax and take it all in.After a while of wandering the city, we came back to the hostel to organize ourselves for the following travel day...which means I fell asleep for five hours until it was time for the PIZZA PARTY!!!From the moment we arrived we heard about this infamous party and how amazing it would be. And I am soooooo glad we decided to stay an extra night for it! Just like the pasta party, staff, locals and guests came together to learn how to make traditional Italian pizzas and then enjoy them!!Mateo was there again teaching everyone how to knead and roll the dough, the proper way to spread the toppings and lastly, how to get the pizza from the counter to the oven. (Harder than you think...).[gallery ids="732,736" type="rectangular"]I made a Zagarolo pizza (mozzarella, chicory and bacon) and Camden made a margarita pizza (tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil). There were other pizzas as well, such as veggie pizzas, anchovy pizza and Nutella pizza for dessert! This night was one I will remember and cherish forever. Not only was it full of pizza, but laughs, dancing, and friends.[gallery ids="733,734,735" type="rectangular"]Typically, I don't write about my stays at hostels because they never affect me as much as Wiki did. But Wiki has come thing special. The minute you set foot on the property you are family. The staff genuinely cares about each and every person and puts their best effort into making your experience one you will never forget. By the second day, we felt as if the staff were more our friends than just people to help us out and make our breakfast. The people who stay at Wiki are phenomenal (or at least the people I met there).We made many friendships while staying here. The bonds that were formed in such a small amount of time, I believe, can stretch to all corners of the world in which we live.Saying goodbye to our new friends was difficult but we knew it would not be the end!!Katharina, Charles, Amelia, Gabriella, Mitch, Siena, and the ENTIRE STAFF, We Love and miss you!! FullSizeRender We thank you so incredibly much. You made our time at Wiki so much more and we are so grateful for your kindness and friendship! We love and miss you all already! But like I've said before, we will be back!! And we will see you soon!As we were leaving the hostel, shared a saying with us that I completely resonate with..."you're always ready to go, but never ready to leave."I couldn't have said it better myself!