Easy day trip by train from Rome

Have you considered the very nearby town of Tivoli, which has two attractions that can barely be "seen" in a day: Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este? Good weather needed. Hard to believe you've seen everything in Rome with 5 nights: Borghese Gallery, Zaha Hadid's new Maxxi museum, the major churches other than in Vatican City, Castel Sant'Angelo ...

I recommend a great guide: "Rome, the 2nd Time." It has unusual itineraries such as visiting the aquaducts and also a day trip to Tivoli and a couple others.

Tivoli is on the radar. We did Castel Sant'Angelo first time and once was enough. Honestly, after squeezing Italy into my trips in 2008/10/12, I am getting a little 'churched' out (Milan, Florence, Venice, Genoa, Bologna...Not to mention all the cathedrals we've visited in France, Germany and England). There are some we missed the first time that I'll probably look into, but I know in Venice we'll be doing more churches and they start to get monotonous after awhile...and my mom has no preference...she will just go with the flow and is happy to leave the planning to me! I would just like to show my mom some nice little town that would make a good break from the rush and hustle and bustle of Rome and it's many sights, museums, churches and crowds. Somewhere we can just wander (which is why I want to go back to Appia Antica) without having to check something off the 'must see' list. Hubby and I have been to Cinque Terre twice, and like the feeling of just being able to wander and relax and recharge...

...and I downloaded RS Rome for my ipad, and am planning to do the nighttime walk!

...and if you are wondering why the heck we are returning to Italy AGAIN...because I gave my mom two choices when it was going to be just me and her...Nice and Paris or Venice and Florence (soon to change to Rome with addition of husband)...she said she would love to see Venice. After hubby got into it, since we could go anywhere (I didn't want to go somewhere big and new and strange with my mom who is even more directionally impaired then me)...I asked her if she preferred anywhere else - somewhere in England or Scotland or elsewhere, she was happy with Italy. And I have been jonesing to return to Rome...we felt like we rushed thru a lot of things the first time (Pantheon, I barely saw ye!) and want to go at a slower pace. And I plan to help my mom financially with the trip, so really expensive museums and such have to be kept under control.

We used the Orte train station to meet our local guide. Driving out of the town there wasn't much there. We went to Bolsena from there and it was a beautiful lake town, nice and quite. It is a lot easier by car then public transportation though.

The town of Viterbo is accessible by bus from Rome (though I'm not sure about the train)

Orvieto is one of the easiest trips from Rome on the train.

"...and if you are wondering why the heck we are returning to Italy AGAIN"

You NEVER need to explain that one, at least not here.

Another vote for Tivoli.

By the way, I didn't know that women could jones too . . . ;-\

"... some nice little town that would make a good break from the rush and hustle and bustle of Rome and its many sights, museums, churches and crowds."

You've just described Orvieto, and it's a very easy train ride from Roma Termini. Here are some photos I took when we visited for two nights in 2011 (wished it had been three): https://flic.kr/s/aHsjvcWE1Q

You can take a train to Viterbo.

I was in L'Aquila two years ago and there had been very little progress since the earthquake in 2009 - check before you decide to go. Also, it takes quite a while to get there (change trains in Terni), it's high in the mountains (L'Aquila means eagle).

Well, Orvieto just got bumped up to most likely! Those pictures are gorgeous - what day of the week is a good time to visit? We'll be in Rome fr Thurs, Sept 4 (arrival day) thru Wed, Sept 10 (departure)...I think I read a lot of sites are closed on Mondays in Rome - would that be a good day? Would Sat or Sun be better, or too busy on the weekends? (But I suppose weather will be a factor).

We sure enjoyed Orvieto too. Easy day trip from Roma, but we actually stayed at an Agriturismo just about 3 miles out of town with views of the town. So we rented a car from Hertz near the train station in Orvieto. Easy to do for a day though, and on intercity train too.

Another interesting day trip for the more ambitious, is take the train to Orvieto, pick up a reserved rental car from Hertz across the street from the train station. Drive the 20 or so miles west to Civita di Bagnoregio, tour the old town, have lunch, maybe save some time for a visit to the Duomo of Orvieto. Done all this easily within a day.

Just came back from a few weeks. Visited Orvieto for the first time. REALLY liked Orvieto. Stayed two nights in town. One of our favorite towns. Have family close to Orte... nothing by the train station but the older section has the usual towers etc. Lots of Etruscan ruins all over up that way.

I agree about going to Tivoli and Orvieto. We've been to Tivoli by car (twice), spending the night before dropping the car and heading into Rome, so I can't tell you about getting there by train. We've been to Orvieto 3-4 times, though, and it's easy to get there by train, plus there is the adventure of taking the funicular up the hill into town!

I want to put in a word for Ostia Antica. We've also been there twice. It's easy by train (entry and train are included on Roma Pass) and easy to wander for 2 hours or all day. It isn't too crowded but gives a much better idea of how regular people lived in Roman times than other ruins in or near Rome. It will be hot there too! There is a small snack bar where you can get water and ice cream, but think about bringing panini or power bars.

It you want to see Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este, go to RomeinRome.com for a very, very detailed description of how to get there via train or bus. We actually did the bus going and the train coming back for variety. It is all day. Although it is not that far the Appian Way on Sunday is nice side trip. Even through you were in Rome five years, things change in five years. Over the years we have spent three weeks or so in Rome and continue to find new things to see and do.

Frank means RonInRome.com. Here's that link: http://www.roninrome.com/shopping-dining/orvieto-day-trip-from-rome

We did Appia Antica (Appian Way) on our first trip, and saw the catacombs. It was one of my fav parts of the trip - probably because it was quiet (I think we went on a Sat - I rem passing some weddings in progress on the way). It is def on the return to list - I'd love to bike it, but pretty sure me old mum can't/won't do that - maybe we can plop her down somewhere and tell her we'll be back in an hour ;p

Ostia Antica will be on the list to see if we run out of things to do in the city...lol.

Yes, I do realize that Ostia and Appia Antica are still within the city :)