Places to visit that are an easy, short train ride from Rome

Shari, maybe Naples or Salerno, or even Paestum or Pompeii. Another idea would be to take a daylong bus tour into Tuscany. I took one with Dark Rome Tours that went to Montepulciano and Pienza, stopped at a rural abbey to hear a monks chorus chanting, and had a wine-tasting and nice lunch at a famous Brunello di Montalcino winery. I'm sure other tour companies offer similar tours. A long day, but very worthwhile.

If, on your previous trips, you did not go to Ostia Antica you might want to consider it. It is very close and can easily be done in three quarters of a day start to finish. And there are no complicated travel connections -- just use public transit from Rome.

Just as Ostia Antica is an ancient site just west of the city, EUR (Esposizione Universale Roma) district is essentially a suburb to the south, a very quick train ride away. It was Mussolini's dream modern city, and while Mussolini didn't last, EUR is still there, offering some mid-20th-Century Fascist architecture and a different vibe from some of the rest of Rome. The Museum of Roman Civilization is located there, and has a scale model of ancient Rome, but they close early, and aren't open every day. Rick Steves' guidebook has an EUR walk and other info.

Bologna and the surrounding food based towns would be a perfect addition to your trip.

Bologna is far for a day trip, IMO.

Castel Gandolfo (Pope's summer residence), Frascati, Tivoli (Villa d'Este is magnificent), Ostia Antica (not really out-of-town), Tarquinia for the Etruscan ruins. All accessible by train.

Regarding Castle Gandolfo, there is now a tour called "The Vatican by Train" in a number of variations, which we found to be quite an interesting day.

What Laurel said. Frascati, Tivoli, Castel Gandolfo are easy to get to, either by train or by bus.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I haven't been to Naples, but have visited Pompeii. Thoughts about spending a night or two in Naples? I'm a middle-aged woman traveling alone for what it's worth.

We visited Naples as a single-day trip by train from Sorrento. It's a BIG, grittier-than-most city. It's National Archaeological Museum is full of treasures from Pompeii and elsewhere, truly a world-class sight, in a gorgeous building. We also got pizzas at L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, the birthplace of pizza, after taking a number at the door and then waiting (about 2 hours) for a table. It was worth the wait, and gave us a chance to stroll the neighborhood, which was pretty grim. Lots of trash, kids throwing glass bottles and breaking them against walls, a slice of Neapolitan life that was a bit uncomfortable. There were 2 of us . . . I wouldn't recommend it for a lone woman, especially at night.

So Naples is worth a visit, but be wary, and I wouldn't personally devote 2 days there unless you had specific things to see or do. If you enjoyed Pompeii, the site of Herculaneum is even closer to Naples, and was buried in the same eruption, It has it's own sights that make it unique and well worth a visit.

If you want a night or 2 in another place, Sorrento is worth considering, but it's a longer train ride from Rome, and you'd change trains in Naples.

Naples is a great city to visit. The neighborhood of the famous pizza place mentioned in a previous post is not a good area, but it is only one part of Naples. I spent six nights in Naples, solo female traveler, in May 2017 and have booked a week next year as there is so much more to see. The food is fantastic! The city is "gritty" in places but beautiful in other places. I was hesitant to go there but decided to give it a chance and am so glad I did!

I'm a retired woman, traveled solo to Naples and it was fine. . . . you just have to be prepared for less than picturesque. As Harold reminds us often, the only subtle thing about Naples is its charm. Salerno is a really nice town and a good base to explore the Amalfi coast by ferry and bus, though the AC will surely be crowded in September, still beautiful. I also like the idea of Bologna, since it's more low key (like Salerno, not a big tourist destination) but offers lots of day trips to other great towns, like Ferrara, Modena, Padua, Ravenna. Both Salerno and Bologna are easy to get to by fast train and in both, the train station is near the historic center.

On the short list should be Orvieto. A beautiful hilltown a little more than an hour northeast from Roma Termini station, the cathedral is gorgeous and restaurants sublime.

We really enjoyed Orvieto and it a quick easy train ride. Once there, you take a funicular to the town. It's all very walkable and there are some really cool sites, like St Patrick's well, the Cathedral where the feast of Corpus Christi originated(not sure if that's the right term) . The town itself is very enjoyable to stroll around. I usually don't do much shopping on vacation, but we did buy ceramics there and they make me genuinely happy every time I use them. Worth noting, it's a place that would feel safe there traveling alone as well.

Happy Travels

Sperlonga is an hour train ride from Roma Termini. Fondi-Sperlonga is the destination name. This town has been used many times as a movie set because it is so beautiful.

I would greatly recommend visiting Montecassino Abbey just above Cassino. It is seldom mentioned in guide books and therefore little visited even though it was the location of one of the longest battles in WW2 Italian campaign. A beautiful mountaintop religious retreat that was strategically located for the German defense during the Allied push to Rome and northwards. After months of battle, the Allies bombed the abbey to the ground in order to defeat the Germans. After the war was over, the Abbey was reconstructed as it was before being bombed.
Easily accessible from Rome via train and a short bus ride up the mountain. Beautiful site and almost devoid of tourists. After several days in hectic Rome, our day there was the pinnacle of our stay in Italy.