We are doing the RS Sicily and Southern Italy tours back to back. We have 3 1/2 days in Rome before the tour starts. We have been to Rome before albeit 21 years ago so we have seen all of the major sites with the exception of the Borghese Gallery and the Capitoline Museum. The following is the plan for those days in between tours:
May 6 - afternoon arrival in Rome from Catania, laundry, lunch and dinner and passegiatta
May 7 - Borghese Gallery in the morning (9am?), lunch and then?
May 8 - day trip to Orvieto, Ostia Antica or Villa d’Este (Tivoli) or?
May 9 - revisit some of the sites we saw 21 years ago and then meet up with the tour in the afternoon.
Bearing in mind that we will have already seen the temples in Sicily and Villa Romana del Casale and going to Pompeii and Paestum, what would you suggest for May 8? Orvieto, Ostia Antica, Villa d’Este or something else? Thanks for your help.
Posted by
11647 posts
Have you been to Tuscany and Umbria before? If not, do the day trip to Orvieto.
Villa d’Este and Tivoli fountains would be more of a change for you from Sicily. The fountains are incredible.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12005 posts
Given you will be going to Paestum and Pompeii, Ostia Antica would be unnecessary dupliction
Posted by
OP
Reno, NV, USA
2558 posts
@ Suki We have been to Tuscany but not Umbria. I am thinking Umbria might be another trip at a later date and would include Orvieto. And by the time we get to Orvieto, it will be almost lunchtime so at most we would have 5 or 6 hours to see Orvieto before having to get back to Rome.
Joe, my husband was the one who suggested Ostia Antica. I think he really wants to go there. I love beautiful gardens hence Villa d’Este on my list.
Posted by
585 posts
How about doing a food tour or a cooking class? Something a bit different from ancient sites which you will have seen and will see more of on your tours.
Orvieto is a short train ride from Rome. The old town is quite small and easy to see on a day trip. Nice cathedral, and a nice museum dedicated to Orvieto’s Etruscan past..
Posted by
11647 posts
I would skip Ostia Antica as it will be repetitious after Sicily. It is very easy to see it when driving to the Rome FCO airport as it is practically next to it.
Posted by
OP
Reno, NV, USA
2558 posts
A cooking class would be up my husband’s alley as he loves to cook. We have free time after the Borghese Gallery and free time on the day we meet our tour. Do you have a suggestion for a cooking class?
Posted by
OP
Reno, NV, USA
2558 posts
I am seriously leaning toward Villa d’Este. I am working on my husband right now and convincing him about the photographs he could get of the fountains. LOL! If you have been, do you suggest the skip the line tickets as we will be there on a Saturday? I am assuming that weekends are crowded. Website to purchase the same? I wish RS guidebook covered this but it doesn’t.
Posted by
Irving
3315 posts
Rick Steves has two good self-guided walking tours in his Rome 22nd edition guidebook called the Jewish Ghetto and the Trastevere neighborhood which would be the perfect neighborhood to sleep and eat in. If not consider staying at the nearby Hotel Smeraldo across the River Tiber.
A nice day trip would be Orivieto (1h 15m) from Rome’s Termini train station.
Posted by
OP
Reno, NV, USA
2558 posts
Hi Mary Pat,
Thanks for your response. We are staying at Hotel Smeraldo which is the first hotel on the tour and will also be doing a tour of the Jewish Ghetto.
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6574 posts
Mary, I just sent you a private message.
Posted by
Nashua NH
4 posts
Mary - I sent you a private message.
Posted by
30 posts
Hi!
For my current trip to Rome, we did a guided day tour to Hadrian’s Villa and Villa D’Este (6 hours total - 45 min to Tivoli each way) and it was well worth the time and cost. I had not made it out to Tivoli on previous trips to Rome. Amazing sites, but good to have a guide to assist with the understanding of the history and significance of each Villa. You can take a bus to Tivoli but the timing to get back to Rome can be tricky.
We used this company recommended by our hotel.
www.afriendinrome.it
tailor-made tours of Rome
+39 340 5019201
Posted by
Nashua NH
4 posts
If you have an extra day - this was really fun. https://www.oldfrascati.com/
Easy train ride from Rome
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16660 posts
And by the time we get to Orvieto, it will be almost lunchtime
Mary, there are trains from Rome as early as 6:06 AM that'll have you there by 7:23. If that's too early for you, take the 7:02 and be there by 8:19, which is what I'd do. We're very early risers, though. Anyway, Orvieto would be my choice. Take the 19:21 back to Rome for a long, leisurely day.
Posted by
Netherlands by way of UK, EST, GR, USA, JO, Africa and Central America.
60 posts
Be sure to book your tickets to Borghese Gallery imminently because they have very limited availability for your dates. (I booked mine today for the 8th.)