Rome: Day Trips

Florence If you take one of the new fast trains, Florence is an easy, under-two-hour train ride from Rome. But with so much to see in this Renaissance gem – from Michelangelo’s David to the Uffizi gallery – you may not want to leave! 1 hour 40 minutes from Rome by fast train, about 145 miles northwest of Rome
architecture | culture | art

Orvieto One of the most beautiful hill towns in Italy, Orvieto features a delicious local white wine and an impossibly ornate cathedral that has Luca Signorelli’s Last Judgment fresco cycle inside (Michelangelo ripped it off for the Sistine Chapel). 75 miles north of Rome; www.orvietoonline.com
architecture | culture | art

Ostia Antica If you don’t have time to visit Pompeii, why not visit the next best thing? The glorious ruins at Ostia Antica, just outside of Rome, are easily accessible by a local commuter train that costs 1 Euro. 15 miles south of Rome; www.ostia-antica.org
family | great value | archeology | editor pick

Pompeii The hardy traveler can easily get down here and back in a day, though total travel time each way is about 3.5 hours. But the fantastic ruined city of Pompeii, unearthed from the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius is worth it. No other archeological site gives you as much of a feel of what it must have been like to live in the Roman empire. A world heritage site. 3.5 hours by train from Rome, about 160 miles southeast of Rome; www.pompeiisites.org
family | culture | world heritage site | art | archeology

Sperlonga A pleasant beach town with a beautiful shoreline (one of Italy’s best beaches), grottos to explore, and a good archeological museum. The old town is fun for walking around. 65 miles south of Rome
beach | family | museum

Tivoli This town boasts two of Italy’s most remarkable treasures, a mere hour-long train ride away from Rome. The Villa D’Este is a beautiful Renaissance mansion with a garden of over a thousand fountains in all shapes and sizes, while Hadrian’s Villa shows off the opulence of imperial Rome, even in ruins. 50 miles east of Rome; www.tibursuperbum.it/eng/index.htm
architecture | culture | history