Golf Nazionale

Golf Nazionale: Originally known as Le Querce (in English, The Oaks), the club's name was changed some time ago to the somewhat less evocative Golf Nazionale. Name change aside, the club remains home to an excellent 18-hole championship golf course, which has benefitted from the combined design skills of George Fazio and his nephew Jim Fazio.

In this quiet and scenic rural idyll, the layout weaves its way across pleasantly undulating and mainly open countryside. Occasionally the fairways are tree-lined, but more often a colourful array of wild flowers and grasses lie in wait to swallow-up anything hit too far offline. From start to finish this is as natural and scenic a test of golf as you'll find in Italy, with many stretches resembling the heathland courses of Britain and Ireland.

Expansive bunkering threatens along many fairways and around the fast and undulating greens, while also accentuating the stylish appearance of each hole. Water comes into play on four or five occasions; a deep, "jungle-filled" stream putting in two dangerous appearances at the challenging par-4 10th hole.

Among a challenging collection of par-3s, the wonderful 9th hole fits perfectly with its surroundings, two large oaks (Querce) and a cypress tree provide your 'sighters' from the tee. The rolling fairways are sometimes good-width, at other times testingly tight.

If links golf courses represent the very best of seaside golf, then Golf Nazionale (Le Querce) has everything you could want from an inland course. There is a sublime interplay of sharp-edged bunkering, rolling fairways, trees, bushes and grasses. Beyond the course the blissful Latium countryside climbs its way to scenic mountains.

Stay&Play at Golf Nazionale: onsite accommodation available, see Where2Stay section below.