We are planning to stay a few extra days in Rome after completing the week-long RS tour in mid-November. We're considering planning one or two day trips outside of Rome to vist wineries, historic towns, or beaches. We'd appreciate any and all recommendations to help us plan our time as flights are inexpensive right now and we'd like to grab tickets soon.
Thanks so much.
DB
Train to Orvieto. Lovely hill top town full of history, a lovely cathedral, Etruscan remains and wineries.
Train to Ostia Antica, a complete Roman city originally the port for Rome, abandoned when the river silted up. The same train takes you on to the resort town of Ostia with a beach.
Both are about an hour by train from Central Rome. RS Rome guide covers Ostia Antica.
Sounds fantastic. Thank you so much for your quick reply today.
Tivoli, two possible major sites. Advance booking for Villa d'Este I imagine. Hadrian's Villa has slightly more shade than most Roman towns.
Thank you. I'll check out these sites.
Definitely Orvieto. The outside of that cathedral is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.
Ostia Antica
Here are a couple of alternative day trips that are easy train ridesfrom Rome
Frascati is a charming little hilltop town with delicious food and wonderful wine. We stayed overnight in this quiet little town; it was a great break from the city.
We also spent a night in Anzio and enjoyed its beautiful beach and fabulous seafood. There is also the Anzio Beachhead Museum and cemetery.
The town itself isn’t as pretty as Frascati because of damage it sustained in WWII, but the landmarks are interesting if you’re a buff.
I would reiterate the recommendation for Ostia Antica. It was such an interesting place with loads of history but also some lovely scenery. You can bring a picnic lunch and stroll among the ruins, which are fascinating. The preservation of the city is quite remarkable - you see mosaics as they were almost 2000 years ago. It's so well worth a visit.
Also, it it's usually not very crowded, and is a very easy train ride from Rome.
https://www.ostiaantica.beniculturali.it/en/opening-hours-tickets/
Thanks for the many strong recommendations to visit Ostia Antica. This site is on our Rick Steves itinerary so we're definitely going here. Other sites are greatly appreciated.
if seeing the mosaics at Ostia Antica is important to you, try to check on whether they will be covered for the winter on the day you will visit --- we were surprised to find them under tarps on our most recent visit in January last year (but glad they were being taken care of!). https://www.ostiaantica.beniculturali.it/en/service-information/seasonal-coverage-of-the-mosaics-of-ostia/
You may want to look at Caserta, which is frequently called “Little Versailles.” It is about a 1:15 train from Termini.
Plus one for Orvieto! Definitely one of the highlights of our entire trip. Get the tour that takes you underground into the caves, wander the cathedral and the town. Great views!
We had a driver that day and also stopped at Sacro Bosco in Bomarzo on the way back to Rome. Also known as the “monster park.” Look it up for pictures! It’s a fantastical wonderland of nature and statues. Definitely worth a few hours if you can swing it!
Ninfa Gardens, near Latina. Visitors must pre-book a guided tour--its the only way.
I am done. The end.
I've done both Ostia Antica and Orvieto. They are both wonderful places to see and experience. Your choice might depend on what you want to see. Ostia is similar to Pompeii in that both were covered (mud and ash) and "lost" for centuries. You are very much in a Roman town. Orvieto is a glorious hill town. The cave tunnel tour is really fascinating. Really wonderful town and area.
Hi DB,
The beaches won’t be that great in November. I am also wondering about the conditions of gardens that month. If it was summer, I would be recommending Caserta and Tivoli. Both have lots of interest, but both highlight their gardens. Of those two for November, I would choose Tivoli for the interesting hilly town. It has interesting medieval buildings (explore off the main streets) and more. Orvieto is close as others mentioned. And Ostia Antica is a good choice for the black & white floor mosaics, etc.
This isn’t outside of Rome, but I enjoyed making it out to see the art nouveau architecture last May while I was in Rome. It’s in the Coppedè district.
Florence is just 90 minutes by train from Rome, if you haven’t been there, also.
It depends on what is on your RS itinerary. If you aren't going to Venice and Milan and Naples, I would go to one of those and fly out from there. I would skip the beach in November, and it's far from Rome anyway. Naples and the Amalfi Coast is a day trip from Rome and you wouldn't want to miss that.
There is an AirBNB experience called "Handmade Pasta with Grandma" that takes you into Palombara Sabina where you're given a little tour of the village and then get to spend time with a nonna making different pasta shapes and sauces (and then enjoying the fruits of your labor, of course). If a cooking class is interesting to you and not something already included in your RS tour, it may be worth checking out as it is a fun experience and gets you out of Rome at the same time.
Orvieto is interesting, but also very touristed. If you want a day with amazing medieval history, take the train and spend a day in Viterbo, which has an incredible medieval core, a papal palace (where conclaves took on their current form), and tons of great food. Train stations are right at the medieval City gates.
hey hey bragg.associates.inc
oldfrascati.com
short train ride from rome to frascati (30 minutes). in the countryside outside the hustle & bustle of rome, known for their wine. check the tours of interest available. this is the area of the pope's summer villa and gardens
withlocals.com/ beautiful countryside day trip: castelli romani
look at schedule, any question you can contact pierpaolo who grew up here. read reviews
italymagazine.com/ lake nemi and it's wild berry
this is an old article but tells you about the different villages, diana goddess of the woods, nemi boat museum, strawberries everywhere with their annual festival in june
saw a special on TV about frascati's "forno ceralli" bakery/oven that made the "best porchetta sandwiches" along with bread and pastries. was on our list but had to cancel trip for family health issues.
go have a great time & enjoy whatever you do. aloha
Ostia Antica
If you're interested in wineries, you should book a guided tour to places like Frascati or Montepulciano. Assisi, home to the monastery of St. Francis, is a lovely place. A day trip to Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius would be somewhat strenuous, but very interesting. Here are some ideas: https://www.tourist-in-rom.com/en/rome-day-tours/
