Orvieto and a day trip to Ostia Antica

I enjoyed both but would suggest Orvieto because it has a wide variety of things to see, a cathedral, tunnels, well, views from cliffside plus the charm of an old Italian hill town. If your travel includes multiple hill towns and cities but no Roman ruins, however, you may want to add Ostia Antica to see something different. I think of Ostia as a great alternative to Pompeii/Herculaneum for people who aren't going as far south as Naples. It's a good example of what a Roman city looked like 2,000 years ago.

Yep. What Brad said. They're both a nice break from the intensity of Rome. It just depends on what you're looking for.

Bill, I can't comment on Ostia Antica but can comment on Orvieto. Orvieto is a great town for all the reasons that Brad mentioned. I'm assuming you're considering it as a day trip from Rome and I can tell you that after 5 days in the hustle & bustle of Rome, Orvieto was a nice change of pace. It was relaxing to walk around & we also enjoyed the underground tour. We got away from the touristy area around the Duomo (which is stunning by the way) & enjoyed exploring the back streets. We felt like we had the town to ourselves in the afternoon as the town seems to observe siesta (unlike Rome). It's a charming little town with a variety of things to see and it might be a relaxing juxtaposition to Rome.

I refer to Ostia Antica as Pompeii without the drama: no volcano, no casts of dead bodies. But I enjoyed our visit there and I highly recommend Rick Steves audio tour for the iPod. We would have been lost without it.

Orvieto will allow you see some beautiful countryside. You really can't go wrong with either one but I would pick Oriveto.

Orvieto is a favorite of mine. Absolutely love it. Also loved Ostia Antica. I would probably pick Orvieto but make your decision based on whether you'd rather visit a town or a ruin. Both are great.