Rome Day Trips (part 2)

How to Train Your Wagon

Florence, it takes less then 3 hours to reach Florence by train from Rome and Florence is a small walkable town, so you don’t need transportation to get around, however, you can still take a taxi when you get tired. Anyway, Florence is small, but to make the best out of your visit, it’s advisable to hire a guide. Your guide would meet you at the train station, which is in the center of the city, ant take you on 3-hour tour covering the city’s major highlights. Of course, you can extend your time with the guide to include a large museum in your tour, like the Uffizi or Pitti Palace.

Pompeii and Amalfi Coast, for a small group with less than 3 people, it is convenient to take a train from Rome to Naples and, once there meet a driver/guide for the tour along the beautiful, world famous, coast. For larger groups, going on this day trip with a driver-guide starting from Rome is more convenient than doing part of the trip by train. First because you don’t have to worry about finding your way to the train station and all that, and also because the cost of the train tickets added the fare for the driver-guide for the tour along the coast from Naples, for a group of 4 people, equals the cost of the driver-guide for the day. I need to bring to your attention that, though the driver-guide may be well experienced and speaking good English, he cannot take you on a tour inside the excavations of Pompeii, you’ll need to hire a local guide for this.

Orvieto and Assisi, it’s not possible to do this by train in a day, this is something you need to hire a driver/guide for. The drive to Orvieto takes less than 1.5 hours and, once there, you can enjoy visiting the Cathedral which is considered one of the most beautiful in Italy and strolling around this beautiful, quaint, small town. After a quick lunch break, you get back in the minivan and head for Assisi taking the scenic route along the course of the Tiber River. If time allows it, you can stop briefly in Todi on the way. Once in Assisi, you’ll visit the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and that of St. Francis. Your driver-guide, though well experienced and speaking good English, cannot take you on a tour inside the basilicas, you’ll need to hire a local guide for this. https://mybesttour.com/tour/car-tour/#daytrips

In addition to the possible destinations mentioned in the answers to Question 6 (Day 3), Tivoli, Castelgandolfo and Ostia Antica, which can be combined into a full day excursion, hereunder we list several other places 1 or 2 hours away from Rome:

Tivoli, Villa D’Este and Hadrian’s Villa. Besides Villa D’Este, there’s also another place to visit in Tivoli and that’s Hadrian’s Villa. The tour of Villa D’Este takes about an hour and a half, the tour of Hadrian’s Villa takes just as long, and the two are a few kilometers apart. Therefore, it’s almost impossible to visit both places in a half-day, but in 6 hours you can do it and you also have time for some lunch between the two visits.

The Catacombs an Castelgandolfo. This is another 6-hour tour covering the Catacombs which are in Rome, but far from the center, and Castelgandolfo which is about 30 minutes away from the city. Castelgandolfo is a lovely small town on top of the rim of volcanic lake and it’s been the popes’ summer residence since the 17th century. The area is called the Alban Hills or Roman Castles and it’s always been renowned for the good food and wines, so it wouldn’t be bad idea to have lunch in one of the many good restaurants in the area. Wine lovers can walk around the town’s wine shops and sample the local wines.

https://mybesttour.com/tour/car-tour/#6hour

The Park of Monsters and Tarot Garden. The Park of Monsters is a sort of private amusement park built in the 16th century in the lovely region of Umbria and it takes about an hour and a half to reach it from Rome. From there to the Tarot Garden, which is in Tuscany, takes about one hour. This excursion is also an opportunity to taste the Tuscan wines and foods, which do not need presentation. A lovely place to stop for lunch at is Capalbio, a lovely town 10 minutes away from the Tarot Garden

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens_of_Bomarzo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot_Garden

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capalbio

The Etruscans. On the footsteps of these mysterious people exploring the vestiges they left behind. The Etruscans lived in central Italy before the founding of Rome, but they were absorbed by the Romans and therefore all we have from them is their tombs. Fortunately, their cemeteries were structured like their cities and their tombs were filled with their belongings, from jewels to vases, armors, weapons or any other item they owned and used when they lived. Because of this, we could learn a lot about them and a visit to their cemeteries is a real experience. The tour we propose covers the Etruscan locations in Cerveteri and Tarquinia plus, willing to experience a nice, typical lunch, that can happen in the castle of Ceri which is near Cerveteri.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerveteri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarquinia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceri

Tivoli and Subiaco. One of the most interesting monasteries near Rome is the “Sacro Speco” (Sacred Cave). Subiaco is east of Tivoli, about 40 minutes driving time. We suggest visiting This place first and then Villa D’Este in Tivoli in the afternoon. The Monastery of St. Benedict, the “Sacro Speco”, which became a place of worship as early as the sixth century, is really a must see. Perched against the side of a steep cliff, in consists in a maze of little chapels all beautifully decorated with frescoes painted between the 7th and the 15th centuries. After visiting the monastery you continue to Tivoli and you can stop for lunch at one place or the other, as you wish. Once in Tivoli, to visit Villa D’Este, which we described before, and then return to Rome.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_Saint_Scholastica,_Subiaco#St._Benedict's_Cave_(Sacro_Speco)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_d%27Este