We will be meeting family at the end of a trip to Italy in November for a few days. We will stay in Rome at the beginning of the trip and are looking for a suggestion near Rome to meet. We have been to Tuscany many times, Orvieto, Tivoli, Amalfi coast and would like to see a new area less than 2 hours from Rome. Thanks.
Posted by
seattle
2147 posts
Will you be traveling by train or car? Also, will you be going flying home right afterwards? How many people total? I know of a great Airbnb in a quiet Naples neighborhood you might like.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11834 posts
Viterbo is lovely and close to Rome. The train can be a bit sluggish coming and going so it might be best to have a car.
Posted by
OP
61 posts
We have been to Viterbo and aren't interested in Naples. We will have a car and will be flying home from Rome. We have 3 days. We are looking for wandering around country side. Has anyone been to Subiaco or Bellegra?
Posted by
Rome, Italy and Province of Foggia, Puglia, Italy
16 posts
I would suggest you a tour of Castelli Romani. It is an area literally 20 km from Rome, but it is completely worth it as it is totally different from what you would expect from the Roman area.
Basically, it's an area with plenty of villages. Ariccia (well-known for its porchetta, guanciale and food in general), castel Gandolfo (where the Pope's summer palace is located), Frascati and many others. Most of them are built on hills facing one of the lakes.
Most of them are reachable by train at hilariously low prices, so car is not even needed.
Here you'll find a mini guide http://www.visitcastelliromani.it
Posted by
Brunswick, Maine, USA
90 posts
My recommendations are only valid if you will be traveling by car. That said, you might consider the City of Popes, Anagni, an ancient Roman hill city with a magnificent cathedral with frescoes many consider to be mini-Sistine in beauty and legndary Papal history. The Cesanese Wine Trail will take you through many drop-dead gorgeous hill towns (eg.Piglio, Acuto) not in any guide books. Other places are Fiuggi, a spa town in the mountains with really good restaurants, golf courses, and spas; Fulmona, a spectacularly sited hill top village with a fascinating castle(open for tours but English limited) linked to medieval Papal intrigue; an easy day trip to Monte Cassino and its magnificent abbey and tragic WW11 story; Subiaco and its stunning abbey built by St Benedict literally hanging on the steep side of a mountain and also good restaurants in town. The seacoast towns of Anzio and Nettuno, although quite developed and an easy day trip, still offer both ancient and recent historical sites along with some excellent seafood restaurants. The beautiful US WW11 cemetery at Nettuno is very moving and worth the trip alone.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Just south of Grosseto, I enjoyed the area around Orbetello and Porto Ercole, hill town of Pitigliano, and Terme di Saturnia. A few others in this forum have also discussed these in the past year. There are also accommodations in the coastal parkland near Albarese. North of Grosseto, look at the hill town of Massa Maritima and the beach/park areas between Populonia and San Vicenzo.