Top 10 one day trips from Rome
They say that “one life is not enough” to visit Rome. If you think you have discovered the Highlights of Rome and the Top 20 Secrets of Rome or you want to find the best places to visit near Rome, here are sone one-day trips from Rome that we recommend. We have chosen the Top 10 places and cities within 2 hours reach of Rome.
1 – Florence.
The highspeed train from Rome to Florence takes 1,5 hours. The italian highspeed trains are Frecciarossa by Trenitalia and Italo. Good offers can be found if booked in advance. When you reach Santa Maria Novella train station, you can walk to the famous Dome by Brunelleschi, Piazza della Signoria with the beautiful statues, Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti. Once in Florence don’t forget to try a good Tuscan Wine with a juicy Florentine Steak in a typical Florentine Trattoria or at the Mercato Centrale. Find also the Top 20 Things to do in Florence or book a Tour/Experience in Florence with Bacco Tours.
2 – Naples and Pompeii. Also the connection Rome/Naples with the Highspeed train is very good. It takes only one hour and 10 minutes from Roma Termini. Naples is a stunning city with its unique view over the Naples Gulf, the Islands Capri and Ischia and the Vulcan Vesuvius. In Naples you should visit among the Top 20 Things to do in Naples the Dome, Spaccanapoli, Piazza del Plebiscito, Galleria Umberto, Castel dell’Ovo and the Lungomare. Naples is the birthplace of the Pizza Margherita and the food is amazing. If you want to go to Pompeii, the trip is a little bit longer, you should take the Circumvesuviana direction Sorrento and the metro will drop you off directly in Pompei Scavi at the entrance of the archeological Area where you can explore one of the most interesting archeological areas in the world. We recommend to visit Pompeii with an authorized Guide to get the most of it.
3 – Tivoli and its Villas are located only 20 km east of Rome. The 3 Villas of Tivoli belong all to the Unesco list. The most ancient is Villa Adriana built by the great emperor Hadrian who decorated the Villa with buildings and monuments inspired by the glories of the Roman Empire. Among the Higlights are the Canopo inspired by Ancient Egypt, the Greek Theatre and the Pecile inspired by Ancient Greece. In Tivoli you should also visit the Villa d’Este with its amazing gardens and fountains. The fountains of the Organ, the Neptun Fountain, the fountain by Bernini and the dragon fountain are just a few of the many stunning fountains of Villa d’Este, the Villa of the Cardinal d’Este, Pope Borgia’s nephew.
4 – Ostia Antica and the ancient Port of Rome. In Ostia Antica as in Pompeii you can really understand how the ancient Romans used to live. Here you can admire ancient ruins such as the Theatre, Thermal Baths, ancient public toilets, ancient laundries, ancient fast foods, bakeries and firemen buildings. You can reach Ostia Antica with the train departing from Piramide train station for just 1,50 euro.
5 – Castelli Romani. The Area called roman castles is 20 km south of Rome and includes 16 small villages built during the middle ages. Important roman families built their castles outside Rome to escape from the plagues and the sicknesses during the middle ages. Around the castles, developed tiny villages, the most famous are Frascati, Ariccia, Albano, Nemi, Castel Gandolfo where the Pope has its summer Residence. It is also the Wine Region of Rome since it is a vulcanic Area, you have also 2 round lakes of vulcanic origin. The best experience here is to enjoy a lunch in a typical fraschetta with some porchetta, cold cuts, cheese, pasta carbonara, pasta amatriciana and some Romanella Wine. Don’t miss also the Wine and Food Festivals, for example the Porchetta festival, the Wildberries festival or the Wine festival of Marino. In the past, wine came out from a fountain instead of water, during the Wine Festival of Marino.
6 – Orvieto and Civita di Bagnoregio. Orvieto is located in the Umbria region but the train from Roma Termini takes only one hour and 15 minutes. Orvieto is a beautiful medieval village with its famous Cathedral decorated by wonderful frescoes by Signorelli. The peculiarity of Orvieto is that the village is located on top of a Tuff hill, the same that is for Civita di Bagnoregio, situated half an hour from Orvieto. Civita di Bagnoregio is also called the “dying city” because the edges of the hill are falling down and probably the city will disappear in the future. In Civita di Bagnoregio there are less than 20 residents and it’s one of the best “Instagram picture” that can do outside Rome.
7 – Sperlonga is also called the Romans Capri. You can take the train to Sperlonga/Fondi and then a taxi to the little village. Sperlonga is inspired by the greek islands with its peculiar white buildings. The turquose water and the white sand make Sperlonga one of the most beautiful beaches in the Lazio Region.
8 – Nettuno and Anzio. If you want to feel the see breeze during summer we really recommend a day trip to Anzio and Nettuno where you can eat some good fish specialties in the little harbour or in the medieval district of Nettuno near the Sangallo fortress. In the summer some spaghetti and a “frittura” with a glass of white wine is ideal to escape the heat of Rome.
9 – Viterbo is only 60 km from Rome but doesn’t have a good connection with the train. The medieval district of San Pellegrino is very nice and offers many picturesque views. Viterbo was also the city of the Popes in the 13th century and has many Thermal Baths and Spa Resort where you can relax.
10 – Cerveteri and the Etruscan Necropolis of Banditaccia, which belongs to the Unesco list. The etruscans were misterious people and very good engineers. The Necropolis was completely dug in the Tuff stone and today you can visit the big tombs of some important Etruscan. From Cerveteri is also coming the famous Sargophagus of the Spouses, whose copy is also at the Louvre museum. In Cerveteri there are many good restaurants and wine tastings possibilites. If you want to go in April don’t forget to visit the curious Artichoke Festival in the nearby Ladispoli.