Trattoria Villagio Restaurant, Clifton, Virginia

 

“Italian food really reflects the people. It reflects like a prism that fragments into regions.”

Lidia Bastianich

While visiting a good friend of ours who lives in Manassas, Virginia, we decided to go out to lunch. She said, “I know of a great place to go.” We said, “Lets go.” We loaded up in her car and off we headed to Clifton, Virginia a short drive from her home.

Our first impressions of the historic town of Clifton in Western Fairfax County was it was charming and felt like we had stepped back in time. It is a quaint town with the train track crossing the main road at one end and we couldn’t help but notice, there was not one traffic light. I could almost imaging the horse and buggies parked on a dirt road outside of the restaurant.

Clifton was once known at Devereux Station. It became a town during the Civil War when Union soldiers served here guarding against Confederate attacks. This was the southern-most point where the Union soldiers were stationed and they could be seen marching through town often. Many small battles occurred right here along the creek. After the war, Harrison Otis developed the town and wanted to modernize it. Otis first tried his luck by growing grapes but failed so instead opened a hotel in town which now serves as the Hermitage Restaurant. Fortunately the town remains looking not much different than it had years ago.

In later years, this vintage town became a retreat for the city folk from Washington. Many famous people came to Clifton to eat including Nancy Reagan when this restaurant was then known as the Heart and Hand Restaurant. It was in the mid- 1980’s when she came to eat here putting Clifton on the map.

Clifton was also the first community in Fairfax County to have electricity. The railroad was constructed to supply the Union Army with supplies. The railroad depot in 1868 was named “Clifton Station.” There is no train station here anymore but the train track is used by Amtrak now and rarely stops there.

We parked and headed to the red painted wooden building known as Trattoria Villagio. This restaurant is an historic building built around 1900 and was made to look like an Italian train station. They are open for both lunch and dinner and are located at 7145 Main Street, Clifton, Virginia. It is a part of the building that is known as the Buckley Brothers General Store. The general store has closed since but was known to carry everything from a pin to a plow.

Trattoria Villagio serves gourmet pizzas, calzones, pasta, chicken Parmesan, lasagna, and other Italian dishes. Along with your meal, you can order a tasty glass of wine to complement your meal from their large wine collection. They have a great menu with a large selection of dishes to choose from.

This elegant restaurant offers both inside and outside seating. The outside courtyard is lovely with tables made from wine barrels and in the middle stands a gorgeous large tree adorned with lovely hanging plants and is surrounded by flowers. They have a lovely stone fireplace and heaters so you can still enjoy the patio even when it is chilly. This was a great place to sit and enjoy a glass of wine. You feel like you are sitting in a piazza somewhere in Italy.

The inside was nicely designed with decorative brick walls with gorgeous accents. We ordered our lunch and the service was great. Our waitress was very nice and helpful. We had a great meal and went home stuffed and well served. The food was delicious. 

They have an upstairs they call Toscana where they can seat fifty people. They recently remodeled it and it looks fabulous. The antique wooden floors have been refinished and look fantastic along with the gorgeous vaulted ceiling. There is a gorgeous intricate black wrought iron railing on the steps, and a thick curved antique door that leads to the restrooms. This area is very elegant and would be a great place for a special affair.

They have a wine shop and market attached that sells wine and imported olive oil, vinegar, spices, sauces, and other gourmet Italian specialties. It is worth your time to check it out.

If you are looking for a good restaurant with wonderful food and atmosphere, you’ve come to the right place. The ambiance will make you want to sit and relax for a while with friends and family. We really enjoyed it here and will be back. Cheers.

Till next time. Bye for now.

A fall walk on the Augusta Canal Trail

 

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.”

Emily Bronte

You know how lovely it feels when you wake up in the morning feeling great and stepping outside to feel the crisp fall weather for the first time in months. With the weather beginning to change, we had one of our first cool mornings this fall and we knew it was the perfect weather for a long walk. My daughter, Jeannine and I decided to take a walk on the Augusta Canal. It had been a while since we had walked there, so we were happy to be going back again. She stopped by and picked me up and we were off to the Canal, a short drive from our home. Her youngest daughter, Mary joined us.

We parked at Savannah Rapids Park which is a wonderful thirty-three acre park and headed down the hilly paved path to the trail. As we headed down, we got our first glimpse of the gorgeous Reed Creek Waterfall on the right. We stopped to take in the beautiful cascading falls before continuing.

At the bottom of the hill, we crossed over the Canal on the scenic foot bridge to the wide, packed dirt trail and headed towards the city of Augusta for a lovely fall walk. The leaves on the trees were full of color and gently falling all around us. The smell of fall was in the air and the color of the trees looked amazing with the brilliant blue sky as a background. The gorgeous rock strewn Savannah River glided around the rocks as it meandered downstream. The river flowed downstream on one side of the trail and the picturesque canal was on the other. Further down the trail, past where we walked that day, there are some areas you can see beautiful green swampy areas flowing with life.

Jeanine and I

Jeannine and Mary

Since the day was so lovely, there were many people walking the trail and many bicyclist passing by with friendly greetings. This trail is very well cared for and is a wonderful running, walking, and biking trail. The entire canal trail is just over 7 miles and ends past the Sibley and King Mills in downtown Augusta. Both the Sibley and King Mills were cotton mills during the 1800’s and are now historic landmarks. They are gorgeous, large, and ornate brick buildings. There is even a Civil War Era remnant called the Confederate Powder Works Chimney that still stands and has a historic plaque displayed on it. Now the mills are being renovated as living and office spaces.

photo - courtesy of Jeannine

The canal was built in 1845 by Henry Cumming. It runs from the Canal Headgates, passed a lovey grassy, picnic area where people take their dogs to swim called The Clearing, past the historic mills to downtown Augusta. At one time, the trail which was once used as a towpath for mules that pulled canal cargo in Petersburg boats upstream to the Headgates. During that time, there were no trees on the canal side of the path. Now the path is tree lined and at times the trees canopy the trail giving you the feeling of walking through a green tunnel. Spanish Moss graces many of the trees reaching over the canal giving this trail a tropical feel. The canal is now used as a source of power and drinking water along with being an amazing recreational area.

This is a wonderful place to view wildlife such as birds, turtles, otters, deer, fish, lizards, snakes, and more. I have yet to see an alligator but have heard people on occasion seeing them on the Savannah River closer to Augusta. Looking out over the Savannah River you see an unreal amount of turtles sunbathing on the rocks. They appeared to be enjoying their day as well.

The canal is a great place to take a kayak or canoe down stream. It makes for an easy trip as the flow of water gently carries you along. The views are phenomenal. You can bring your own boat or rent them from Savannah Rapids Kayak Rentals right in the Savannah Rapids Park. They will pick you up at Lake Olmstead near downtown, and return you and your boat back to the park. There are also bikes you can rent from the Bicycle Peddler, also at Savannah Rapids Park, if you’d rather take a bike ride.

photo - courtesy of Jeannine

Augusta Canal has been designated as a National Heritage Area and is the first site in Georgia to get this designation. The beauty of this site is one that can be more appreciated in person, but you can capture gorgeous pictures if you like to take photographs. Check it out on the next nice day.

photo - courtesy of Jeannine

Photo - courtesy of Jeannine

photo - courtesy of Jeannine

We turned around and headed back to the historic Headgates. The Savannah River is wide there and gorgeous with the flowing water cascading down. We headed over the wooden Headgates where there were hundreds of locks attached to the fence. Couples come and attach these locks to the fence as a symbol of their love to each other and are known as locks of love.

They have added a Locks of Love park near the canal since we were last there. Savannah Rapids Park is a gorgeous park with a playground, bathrooms, picnic area, plus you can rent their building for special events. We had a wonderful walk and will be back again.

Since we didn’t do the entire trail, you can read more about the rest of the canal trail on an older blog of mine. https://sepielli.blogspot.com/2018/10/augusta-canal-augusta-georgia.html

Till next time. Bye for now.