Day Trip from Rome: Pompeii, Assisi & Orvieto...

First of all, Viator is a tour re-seller. They don't give any tours themselves so you'll need to find out which operator will be giving the tours you're interested in and do the research as to the reviews they get. That being said, there is absolutely no reason you can't do any of the day trips you have listed on your own and save a ton of money doing it. If you wish to visit Pompeii you can hop on the trains and get to the site yourself. Once at the site you can hire a guide. There is no reason to pay someone to take you there when it's so very easy to do on your own. Same with the other areas you mention. Capri is too far for a day trip, Ostia Antica is only half an hour away and very easy to get to. Assisi and Orvieto are also very close. If I had to pick I would pick Herculaneum (close to Pompeii) and spend a few hours there then continue on to Pompeii. I love both of these sites and visit them when ever I can. Donna

With the exception of Assisi, none of the places you list have any exceptional amount of Christian history. The problem with Assisi is that a daytrip won't do it justice. But, hey, you're going to be in Rome which is pretty hard to beat for Christian history! Do you have tickets for the Scavi tour under St. Peter's Basilica? I really enjoyed it and found it very moving from a Christian perspective. And although I haven't been, I've heard good things about the Mamertine Prison, where both Paul and Peter were jailed. The Basilica of San Clemente near the Colisseum is another remarkable church - it was a highlight of our last trip to Rome. It was built in several layers, all of which you can wander around in, including a pagan temple at the lowest level. They have an excellent website at San Clemente. It also contains the first recorded use of Italian (as opposed to Latin) on one of its walls. It's mildly vulgar, so I won't repeat it here. :-) If you want to be impressed by early Christian mosaics, go to the church of Santa Prassede, north of the Colisseum. The tiny Chapel of San Zeno inside will blow your mind. As for a daytrip from Rome, Ostia Antica is the easiest to do on your own for Roman ruins, while Orvieto is the most picturesque as a hilltop village. Those links are to photos I took on our trips. The duomo in Orvieto is famous for its beautiful facade and some vivid frescos of the Last Judgment inside a chapel. Highly recommend it.

Except for your stated interest in Christian history, I was going to say Orvieto... it's only an hour train ride and a lovely town. Its cathedral is one of the most beautiful in Italy and there's a chapel dedicated to an important Eucharistic miracle. But beyond that, it's not a major site of Christian history. However, while I agree with Michael that you can't do Assisi justice in a day, that doesn't mean it's not worth a day trip. Take the first train to Assisi and then the last train back to Rome... that will give you a chance to get a feel for the city. In addition to the two major basillicas, try to visit San Damiano (a short walk below Assisi; the first church St Francis restored) and/or the Eremo della Carcieri (a few km above Assisi; an important mountain retreat for St Francis with a lovely friary); both are beautiful. Rome itself will give you a broad exposure to early (and later) Christian history. This website lists some of the major churches in Rome, by the century of their founding: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churches_of_Rome. One winter trip, my focus was to visit many of the earliest churches, and it was a powerful experience. On that trip, I used a section of the autobiography of a favorite writer as my travel guide (Seven Story Mountain, Thomas Merton). There are also a number of books on the churches of Rome; you might search Amazon. I've used the following book: A Catholic's Guide to Rome: Discovering the Soul of the Eternal City Enjoy your trip!

Sarah, one other thought: You can visit Assisi on your way to Florence from Rome. You didn't say how you're traveling, but if it's by train, just book via the Regional trains, rather than the direct Rome/Florence train. Instead of doing Assisi (or Orvietto, or possibly another town) as a day trip from Rome, visit on your last day and stay overnight, continuing to Florence the next day. You could avoid the backtracking, and get a better feeling for the town you are visiting

Sarah, Visiting some of the places you mentioned are not really practical for "day trips", due to the travel times involved. While Viatours or other firms may offer tours, it's important to consider how much time you'll actually be able to see at the sights in such a short time. A few comments on the places you listed..... > Pompeii, Capri, Naples, Hadrian's Villa - these are reachable but a long travel day and you'll only have a very short time to see the sights. If you're only interested in "checking off" the locations on a list, then it's possible but not worth the effort (IMHO). > Ostia Antica - easily reachable as a day trip from Rome. I'm not sure I'd take an organized tour, as it's easily done on your own. > Assisi - could be done as a day trip, as travel times are about 2-3 hours each way (usually one change in Foligno). Over five hours of travel wouldn't appeal to me, but if you really want to see the town, it's possible. > Orvieto - that's a perfect choice for a day trip, which you could do on your own. It's about an hour from Rome by train, and has a few interesting sites to tour. The Duomo is incredible, especially the Signorelli Frescoes in the room at the end. You could also visit St. Patrick's Well or take the Underground tour (interesting history). > Civita di Bagnoregio - that's not really practical for a day tour, due to the transportation required. Using public transport, you'd first have to travel to Orvieto and then transfer to the Cotral Bus for the trip to Bagnoregio. On arrival there, take the Shuttle to the base of the bridge at Civita. You'd have to be very careful not to miss the last Bus back to Orvieto! Happy travels!

"leaving Venice open since we hear we can expect to get lost so I figured it probably wouldn't be go to plan any structure events in Venice." I think you misunderstand. Yes, it's easy to get lost in Venice, and it's also part of what makes it special (you'll see what I mean when you get there). But, this does not mean that you shouldn't make any plans because you'll never find anything. Just get good maps, and allow a little extra time for finding each place. "Lost" in Venice is relative. It's a relatively small place; you won't be on "the other side of town" by accident, but you may be a few streets in the wrong direction, and have a lot of trouble finding the right way from there. Don't be afraid to ask, and ask again. If I wanted to find a specific place, I found it easier to take the vaporetto, even if I could have walked, so I only had to find my way from the closest vaporetto stop (usually not hard). As for your Rome daytrip question, I agree with what everyone else said, but I'll also put in a word for just staying in Rome. Four days is not a lot for such an overwhelming yet wonderful and beautiful place, and you may find once you're there that you don't want to leave (I know that's been my experience).

I know I just posted this somewhere else, but can't find it. Two good websites for you are these: Sacred destinations and Roman churches

Hi Sarah I'd rule out the Pompeii Assisi and Orvieto tour based on the logistics. The drive time to get to all three towns in one day would leave VERY little time for actually seeing anything in the towns. Pompeii and Naples is a worthwhile trip, though no great Christian History there. Rick give directions for a DIY trip to Pompeii in his book. Assisi would fill the bill for great Christian history, but it involves a fair amount of travel time. Orvieto is a VERY easy day trip from Rome and the Signorelli frescoes in the duomo are amazing. Another possibility would be to cut a night in Rome and go to Assisi, spend the night (we're particularly fond of the Pallotta) then head to Florence the next day. The "big bus" tours have their place, but often you can save money (and have a more personal experience) doing it on your own.

While on a trip to Rome in June 2006, we thorougly enjoyed visiting the Priscilla Catacombs, north east of Villa Borghese. (We took a bus from nearby Hotel Golden, and I think it took under 20 minutes.) It is a much smaller location than the catacombs in the south of Rome and doesn't cater to huge tour bus groups. In fact, my husband, daughter, and I were the only ones on our English-speaking tour that day. Buon viaggio!