Destinations suggested:

• Anzio - City on the Pontine coast with ancient ruins and beaches, and also the site of a major Allied invasion in WWII with museums, memorials and cemeteries. On the Pontine coast, South of Rome.
• Appian Way (Appia Antica, Via Appia) - just outside the city walls; a walking day trip with a picnic basket is suggested.
• Assisi Home of St. Francis.
• Bracciano - Castle on the way to Viterbo.
• Cerveteri - Etruscan necropolis; one of the two most important Etruscan sites.
• Florence - A long day-trip from Rome (2 hours each way), but to check off a "must see" or meet a friend, doable.
• Formia - Roman ruins, and the nearby tomb of Cicero (or transfer to Gaeta or island of Ponza).
• Gaeta - A stunning town with a great beach on the Pontine coast.
• Ninfa - Gardens.
• Orvieto - doable, but a bit far (on the way to Florence).
• Ostia (Ostia Antica) - Roman ruins, an easy day trip from Rome suggested as an alternative to Pompeii
• Paestum - Well-preserved Greek temples even farther away than Pompeii.
• Pompeii - A long day trip from Rome, but doable if it's on your "must see" list.
• Sperlonga - Beach on the Pontine coast.
• Subiaco - Benedictine monastery.
• Tarquinia - a beautiful walled city whose roots go back to the Etruscans, with a number of medieval towers; one of the two most important Etruscan sites.
• Tivoli - Villa D'Este (gardens) and Villa Adriana (Hadrian's Villa).
• Viterbo - Europe's best preserved medieval quarter; Etruscan sites.
• Via Appia - Appian Way.

In addition, Bill Thayer mentions Civita Castellana, Rignano Flaminio, Norchia; Palestrina, Marino, Nemi, Castel Gandolfo; Ardea, Nettuno, Terracina. (Almost all of these are on train lines.) Further information on these, and most of the other places mentioned, can be found at Bill Thayer's Web site.

The Traveling with Ed and Julie site is gone, but fortunately is archived, and their Excursions page has information about trips to Ostia Antica; Florence; Pompeii; Umbria towns Orvieto, Assisi, Perugia, and Civita di Bagnoreggio; Tivoli; and Paestum.

Destinations by subject:

• Roman archeological sites: Ostia (Ostia Antica), Pompeii, Via Appia
• Etruscan sites: Cerveteri, Tarquinia, Viterbo
• Beaches: Anzio, Gaeta, Sperlonga
• Renaissance: Florence
• Gardens: Ninfa, Tivoli

Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:appian way walks??

Parco Regionale Appia Antica official site

Getting there

Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:trips to Naples, etc. from Rome- tours?
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Day trip to Pompeii

Getting there

Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Day trip to Pompeii
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Rome to Pompeii driver
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:visit to Pompei from Rome - Is it possible??
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Pompeii?
Trip Report 316: Two Weeks In Rome by Debra from California, Fall 2003

Official site

If you take an organized tour day trip from Rome, it will be expensive. Ercolano (Herculaneum) is suggested by one poster as an alternative because it is smaller (though just as far) and therefore easier to see in a short time. Ostia Antica is suggested as an alternative that is quite near Rome and may be just as satisfying.

If Pompeii is a must-see, it is suggested that you plan to fly into or out of Naples and spend at least one night there.

Debra's trip report (link above) describes a successful day trip to Pompeii.

Getting there

Train from Termini station to Napoli Centrale (about 2 hours), then catch the local Circumvesuviana train to Pompei Scavi (about 30 minutes, EU 1,60). Factoring in connections and mild disorientation in the chaos of the Naples station, the trip from Rome to the site takes about 3 1/2 hours one way.

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Paestum is even further from Rome than Pompeii is; although it can be done as a day trip, it probably shouldn't be - travel time will be about 4 hours each way. It's somewhat far even as a day trip from Naples!

Getting there

Train from Rome to Naples, then change trains going south toward Sapri; Paestum is the 4th stop after Salerno. The ancient site is a 10 minute walk from the station. Buy all tickets at Termini (Rome) to save time in Naples. If your connections are good, travel time is about 4 hours each way.
Out-of-date detailed instructions can be found at Daytripping to Paestum from the now-defunct Traveling with Ed and Julie site.

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Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Itinerary help
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Rome Airport to Assisi

Official site

Getting there

The main train line between Rome and Ancona has a station at Foligno (on the branch line to Spello, Assisi, Perugia and Lake Trasimene), so coming from Rome, take one of the nine daily trains on the line to Ancona, stop at Foligno (1 hr., 40 min. to 2 hr.), where you can transfer to a Perugia-bound train (10 to 15 min.). All the cited lines are part of the FS state-run railway system and stop at a station on Santa Maria degli Angeli, well away from the historic center (about 3km) but a 30-minute ride on buses from the center of town (C Line). Bus services leave from the forecourt outside the station and drop you in Piazza Matteotti.

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Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Rome to Tivoli
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Tivoli as day trip from Rome?
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Ninfa Gardens from Castelli Romani
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Has anyone ever been to Tivoli?

Getting there

Metro Line B to Ponte Mammolo, then blue COTRAL bus to Tivoli. If you would like to see both villas in one day, we recommend visiting the Villa d'Este first, then catching the local orange bus from out in front of the Villa d'Este down the hill to Villa Adriana. This bus will leave you in front of a bar, then it's a five-minute walk to the entrance of Hadrian's Villa. At the end of the day you can either take an orange bus back to Rome (Ponte Mammolo metro station) from the bar, or walk a little bit farther to the main road (Via Tiburtina) where the blue COTRAL bus back to Ponte Mammolo runs more frequently.

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Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Subiaco from Rome?
Benedictine Monasteries Web site

Getting there

Metro B to Ponte Mammolo bus station (Rebibbia direction from Tiburtina), then COTRAL bus to Subiaco.

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Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Viterbo
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Questions about Viterbo area and Liguria

Official site

Getting there

Depending which metro line is more convenient to you:

• On Metro line B, go in the direction of Laurentina (South), get off at Piramide (Ostiense station) and take the regional railway line Linie fm3. Trains leave Ostiense for Viterbo every hour at 20 min. to the hour: 10:40, 11:40, etc. Travel time is 1:48. This is a Regionale train; tickets and schedules at Trenitalia.
• On Metro line A, go in the direction of Battistini (West), get off at Valle Aurelia (near West end of Line A). Trains going north towards Viterbo from Valle Aurelia leave every 30 min. but go only as far as the Cesano station; the trains that go all the way to Viterbo leave every hour at 10 min. to the hour: 10:50, 11:50, etc. It's a beautiful ride and worthwhile. Travel time is 1:38. This is a Regionale train, and in fact the same train as from Ostiense just boarding at a more northerly station.
• The Ferrovia regionale Roma-Viterbo commuter train (Metro system) offers extra-urban service from Metro Line A: Flaminio (Piazza del Popolo) starting at 05:45am and ending at 11:06pm, except for Sundays and public holidays when trains run from 06:13am to 11.33pm. This line provides 43 daily trips with a train leaving every 25 minutes during rush-hour. Each trip is approx. 155 minutes long. Schedules and maps are at the link given.

Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Commuter Trains around Rome

By bus: Saxa Rubra. First take Metro Line A to Flaminio, then a Ferrovia Roma Nord train to "Saxa Rubra;" from there Cotral buses depart for Bolsena-Calcata-Sacrofano-Sutri-Viterbo. The diretta (direct) bus takes about 75 minutes.

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Official site

Getting there

Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Pitigliano

Getting there

Tarquinia is on the Roma-Ventimiglia railway; the station is 3 km outside the city linked by the shuttle service. A diretto train from Roma Ostiense station (Metro Line B Piramide) takes 50 minutes.

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Etruscan necropolis of Banditaccia

Getting there

Trip Report 400: Viaggio a Roma, by Annie M from United States, Fall 2001: Day Trip to Florence
Trip Report 97: Chances Taken--My solo trip to Italy (Rome with overnight to Naples & day trip to Florence) by Mizz Eve from USA, Fall 2003
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:day trip to Florence
Trip Report 316: Two Weeks In Rome by Debra from California, Fall 2003

The trip reports (links above) describe successful day trips to Florence.

Getting there

"Here is an itinerary Rome/Florence/Rome for October taken from the Trenitalia website, 19 July 2004:

Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Todi or Orvieto from Roma (for day trip)
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:day trip to Florence (scroll down to see comments on Orvieto)

Getting there

Orvieto is about an hour by train from Rome on the main Rome-Florence line (though not all trains stop). Take the funicular across the street from the Orvieto station to the top of the hill; save your funicular ticket for the bus on which it is valid.

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The beautiful Gardens of Ninfa (Giardini di Ninfa) are located in the Lazio region of Italy, about 40 miles south-east of Rome. Known mostly to garden enthusiasts, Ninfa and its unique setting are still a fairly well-kept secret. Getting to Ninfa is a challenge, but the garden is worth the effort. Admission is limited, so reserve in advance; in Rome, tickets can be bought from the WWF offices at Via Po 25c (close to the Galleria Borghese).

Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Ninfa Gardens from Castelli Romani
ItalyHeaven page on Ninfa gardens

Getting there

Take a train to Latina (half an hour from Rome). The station (which is actually at Latina Scalo, 9km from Latina itself) is the closest to Ninfa. Infrequent local bus services will take you a little nearer your destination, but the simplest method is to take a taxi. The taxi bay outside the thirties-style station is clearly labelled, and white taxis arrive and depart frequently. The taxis use a meter for the fare, which is around 12-14 euros each way. Make arrangements to be picked up afterwards, or take the number of the station taxi rank so that you can call for a taxi back.

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Official site

Getting there

Hourly trains Rome Termini, less than an hour travel time. The center of town and the port are a 10-minute walk downhill from the train station.

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Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Beaches near Rome
Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Rome beaches

Getting there

COTRAL buses for Sperlonga leave Rome from the EUR Fermi stop of Metro line B. The trip takes about 1-1/2 hours.

By train, take the Rome-Naples line, get off at the Fondi-Sperlonga station and catch a bus for Sperlonga (make sure you're going toward Sperlonga and not Fondi; fare is about EU 1 and you can pay the driver). The trip takes about 1-1/2 hours. Bus service is reduced on Sundays.

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Web site (English version may have disappeared)
Map

Getting there

An IC/ICplus from Roma Termini to Formia takes about 1 hour and costs EUR 10,85. If you take a Diretto- or Regionale-train it takes about 85 minutes and costs only EUR 6,70.

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Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:What Beach can I find within 2-4 hours of Rome?
Map

Getting there

Take a Rome-Formia-Naples train to the Formia Station which is located six km from Gaeta. From there you can either take a taxi or a public bus to Gaeta.

Getting back from Gaeta: Buy a BIRG daily ticket (biglietto giornaliero) from ITT or Red Point (across the street from the ship). Take the Gaeta/Formia long orange bus along the Lungomare and stamp your BIRG ticket upon boarding the bus (back of the bus). The last stop is the Formia Train Station. Take the underpass (sottopassaggio), located in the terminal, to Track 3. Get off at Roma Termini.

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Siena - Slow Travel Message Board:Italy:Daytrip Siena from Rome
In short, no! But other destinations are discussed: Tivoli, Ostia, Palestrina, Anzio, the Via Appia just outside the city, Civita Castellana, Viterbo, Rieti.

Todi, Sorrento, Capri, Venice - all No!

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Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) is the national railway service. Rome has four major train stations: Roma Termini (call 06 4744146), Roma Tiburtina (call 06 44245104), Roma Ostiense (call 06 5750732) and Roma Prenestina (call 06 47301). There is a Trenitalia Web page that lets you search for trains allows you to buy tickets. You can buy a ticket online (not for all trains, and only within certain date windows), print the receipt, and show the conductor the receipt when you're actually on the train; this avoids the lines at the ticket windows. In the stations, there are ticket windows, and also machines where you can buy tickets with a credit card. In Rome, you can also buy tickets at the American Express office near the bottom of the Spanish Steps. For railway information: call 06 47301; assistance center for the disabled: call 06 4881726; Railway police: call 06 4819561. If you have a real ticket, punch your ticket before boarding the train. DON'T figure on getting on without a ticket and paying the conductor in cash.

Metro

Bus

Tickets