rome side trips

Thanks so much. We are trying to decide what makes most sense financially, time expedient. We appreciate your suggestions

Denise,
Ostia Antica will take about 40 minutes and cost a couple of euro.
Orvieto will take about 1:15 and cost under 10 euro.
Spoleto will take about 1:30 and cost under 10 euro.

Hi, Denise in Spokane! I'm jealous. You will see David!
If I were going on a side tour it would be to Ostia Antica along the coast.
Here's what Rick has to say:
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/ostia.htm
Ciao!

Depending upon what places are already included in your RS tour, some good options are: Orvieto (1 hr), Florence (1.5 hrs), Assisi (2 hrs) and Ostia Antica (under 1 hr). Of course, there's so much to do and see in Rome that you could easily spend the 2-3 extra days there.

Tivoli, Anzio, Viterbo.

To save on accommodations cost we decided on a full week in Rome so this thread came about at a great time for me too since I wanted to ask about side trips.

What places in Umbria are worth seeing?

ORVIETO! Great hilltop town with amazing countryside views. Explore the caves, drink the white wine & enjoy a great meal. Only an hour by train from Rome.

Thank you all! We are getting so excited! Your suggestions are so wonderful,a helpful!

Why Viterbo?

I am now reading about Spoleto.

How much does it cost to travel there?

By the way, is Anzio also a place where one could spend some time on the beach and maybe swimming?

Anzio has a lovely beach and not much else. Practically everything old was bombed during the war. That said, it makes a nice change from the city and is a great day trip, I repeat that the beaches are nice. If you really want to go the beach and don't mind heading a little further south go to Fondi and head to the town of Sperlonga. Beautiful beaches and sea (very clear!) and the town of Sperlonga itself is beautiful. There is a bus direct from the train at Fondi (which you take from Roma Termini) to Sperlonga.

How far away is Sperlonga? I wonder how "warm" the weather will be in May?

May is usually a very nice month, and quite warm, especially in the South. However, the sea itself would still be freezing, but if it was sunny out it would be nice to walk along the beach or have a picnic. And it being only May, you would avoid the swarms of beach goers that flood Sperlonga in the summer.

Pompeii is a must. I am going back there again this summer. It takes a while to get to Naples by train, but spending a day walking through Pompeii is something you will never forget! IT is like going back in time, and the surroundings are beautiful.

But how much does the roundtrip train cost to Pompei?...and you say it's wonderful, but i'd like to know more...I just imagine calcified bodies and a good view...

Somehow I think that going to Florence or Pomepeii would work out outrageously expensive for our family of four.

Ostia Antica is a good practical alternative to Pompeii. MUCH closer, cheaper to get to, beautiful, and much more peaceful than Pompeii which can have hordes of tourists.

Save Pompeii for a future visit that includes more of the south (Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Capri, and maybe Sicily).

Denise - I would agree with Michael and not head all the way to Naples to see Pompeii (it's a long train ride down and back)... but go see Ostia Antica.

His description is DEAD-ON... and if you have a metro pass, the ride out is FREE! You get on the special "metro" train at Piramide Metro Station - 35 minutes later you are there!!!! All for 1 Euro each way if youu don't have a pass. Entrance fee is 6.50 Euros. Enjoy!

Orvieto is beautiful....a must see about an hour from Rome.