Daytrip from Rome with teenagers

Maybe, Lake Bracciano, bike ride and lunch by the lake. Looks like its an hour train ride from Ostiense http://www.roninrome.com/living-in-italy/lake-bracciano

Try graffiti wall which has info on travels with teenagers. Also RS son has his own information on travels, not sure what it is called but someone else can help with that. Loved Sorrento but not sure what the kids would enjoy there. Good luck.

Not an easy question to answer when, like you said, the girls may have ODd on churches and ruins. Orvieto is definitely a possibility. First of all, it would be a train ride outside of the city and it would be a visit to a lovely, quaint hilltown. Maybe make them in charge of getting everyone there. Then give them a map of Orvieto and have them navigate everyone to the Duomo. Our son used my husband's phone, with GPS, to take us through the streets. Have fun making lifetime memories with your girls!

Janice, have I got the answer for you! Ostia Lido (not Ostia Antica). Ostia Lido is the blue-collar beach resort town that Romans go to during the summer. It's got a great beach (both public and private), LOTS of teenagers and younger kids, carnival rides, and the best part is that it's only about an hour outside of Rome and it's cheap and easy to get there by train. Check it out through Google maps street view. It's the same directions as going to Ostia Antica (the ruins) but you just stay on the train until you get to Ostia Lido. You can easily walk to the beach from the train station. We stayed there for our first night in Italy on our most recent trip (this past May) and thought "What a perfect place for teenagers." But be warned - you'll be among the few non-Italian tourists there. It's still pretty undiscovered. (I'd recommend against Sorrento because you'll end up spending sooooo much time on the trains.)

Go to Orvieto! It's a great break from the chaos of Rome. Orvieto is a lazy little hill town. You can feel like you've "done it" in a day and the train costs are low. It's small and easy to navigate so you could even let your daughters break off for a bit on their own. The underground tours are amazing - be sure to head to the Tourist Information point upon arriving in Orvieto to book the tour.

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/71253/thank-you.html

I took a day trip from Rome at Easter this year to Pompeii with Dark Rome tours. It was a nice day with a guided visit to Pompeii and a hike up Mount Vesuvius. We also stopped for Pizza lunch that was included in the price of the tour. We had a small group of maybe 14.

I took a day trip from Rome at Easter this year to Pompeii with Dark Rome tours. It was a nice day with a guided visit to Pompeii and a hike up Mount Vesuvius. We also stopped for Pizza lunch that was included in the price of the tour. We had a small group of maybe 14.

Everyone read or see Angels and Demons before you leave - and then do the Angels and Demons tour in Rome...... A day trip to Capri would be magical - taking the ferry and having lunch on the Isle... in a pretty restaurant with a view... Pompei is hot and touristy - but i bet they will study it in high school and/or college - and having been there is pretty cool thing for a teenager to say....

One word of caution about Dan Brown's books - they are very poorly researched as to the facts (esp. "Angels and Demons") which was written before he became such a success with "The Davinci Code". He gets locations wrong, histories wrong, even something as basic as spelling can be wrong in his books. Happy travels.

Speaking of Ostia Lido, I just realized I forgot to include a link to some of the pics I took there this past May: Ostia Lido 2011 We had a really great time there.

Thank you all for your great recommendations. The beach or lake is ranking high, but we also picked up on the bike idea and booked a bike tour.

FYI the lake is laid back, Berryesa style; and Ostia has buzz, Redondo style. If I were 14, which I am a multiple of, I'd probably opt for the teen scene even with POS.