Looking for suggestions for day trips outside of Rome

[WineDown17]

Heading back to Rome next May....we did Rome and the Vatican last time...looking for a less noisy and authentic day outside of Rome (private tour).

 

I am considering Orvieto, but that seems like too little for a whole day...what other suggestions do you all have.??

 

We especially love good wine, good food, and anything to do with boating....

 

Thanks in advance!!!!

[cberge]

Heading back to Rome next May....we did Rome and the Vatican last time...looking for a less noisy and authentic day outside of Rome (private tour).

 

I am considering Orvieto, but that seems like too little for a whole day...what other suggestions do you all have.??

 

We especially love good wine, good food, and anything to do with boating....

 

Thanks in advance!!!!

This question has been asked many many times and there is a wealth of info here on this board. Either do a aearch or go through some of the pages here.

[cruisemom42]

Combining Orvieto with Civita di Bagnoregio would be a nice day trip, but you'd definitely need some sort of private transportation to do both. (Orvieto is easily done by train on its own.)

 

Tivoli is another daytrip -- you can combine the Renaissance gardens of the Villa d'Este with the ancient ruins of Hadrian's villa.

 

More opportunities for foodies and wine lovers on the first itinerary rather than the second.

 

Another possibilities for foodies with big pockets is a private day tour to some Tuscan regions (Chianti, Umbria, etc) -- can be done in a long day with private transport.

 

(Although I have to take a bit of exception to the idea that one cannot have an "authentic" day in Rome?? Katie Parla has a blog about food in Rome and there are a number of Rome-based foodie tours as well.)

[WineDown17]

This question has been asked many many times and there is a wealth of info here on this board. Either do a aearch or go through some of the pages here.

 

Thank you for being so helpful. After 17 pages of nothing that gave me what I was looking for, I asked a specific question.

[WineDown17]

Combining Orvieto with Civita di Bagnoregio would be a nice day trip, but you'd definitely need some sort of private transportation to do both. (Orvieto is easily done by train on its own.)

 

Tivoli is another daytrip -- you can combine the Renaissance gardens of the Villa d'Este with the ancient ruins of Hadrian's villa.

 

More opportunities for foodies and wine lovers on the first itinerary rather than the second.

 

Another possibilities for foodies with big pockets is a private day tour to some Tuscan regions (Chianti, Umbria, etc) -- can be done in a long day with private transport.

 

(Although I have to take a bit of exception to the idea that one cannot have an "authentic" day in Rome?? Katie Parla has a blog about food in Rome and there are a number of Rome-based foodie tours as well.)

 

Thank you cruisemom! i read your wonderful post on your adventures and it was very helpful. I am just not a city girl..and prefer the quaint to the hustle and bustle. I live outside NYC and never visit for that very reason. We will be visiting Tuscany again while in Florence...so I appreciate your firsthand opinions above.

[Hlitner]

Another day trip option is to go to Tivoli where you can visit both the Villa d'Este (with its wonderful gardens) and Hadrian's Villa. That beind said, Rome is a large sprawling city with lots of interesting neighborhoods, museums, parks, sites, etc. We have probably spent about 2 weeks in Rome (over the years) and have never been bored. We are always amazed when cruisers think they have seen a place after a couple of port days.

 

Hank

[WineDown17]

Another day trip option is to go to Tivoli where you can visit both the Villa d'Este (with its wonderful gardens) and Hadrian's Villa. That beind said, Rome is a large sprawling city with lots of interesting neighborhoods, museums, parks, sites, etc. We have probably spent about 2 weeks in Rome (over the years) and have never been bored. We are always amazed when cruisers think they have seen a place after a couple of port days.

 

Hank

 

Thank you Hank, i will also research your suggestions. I know we have seen but a small piece of Rome...but would like to go outside the city this time. Appreciate your response!

[cberge]

Thank you for being so helpful. After 17 pages of nothing that gave me what I was looking for, I asked a specific question.

Sorry,but since you were not new to the boards I thought you would use the search finction on this board...you did not need the sarcasm I WAS trying to help.

[Hlitner]

Thank you Hank, i will also research your suggestions. I know we have seen but a small piece of Rome...but would like to go outside the city this time. Appreciate your response!

 

Since you are staying in Rome you do have some options for Tivoli (and other places) as to whether you want to take an organized tour (that will pick you up at your hotel) or just go on your own using train and/or bus. You can get a lot of ideas by simply looking at the web sites of the major tour companies such as Viatour or Grey Line and then later decide if you want to use a tour of do it on your own. For example, there are plenty of companies that run day tours to Tivoli (your hotel's concierge can arrange it or you should be able to find tours online) or you could simply go to Tivoli on a regional bus (the advantage of the bus is that it also stops at Hadrian's Villa which is located outside of town) or train.

 

And I should have mentioned another option. If you are very interested in ruins (i.e. Pompeii, Herculanium, etc) there are some excellent ruins just outside of Rome at a place called Ostia Antica (its located a few minutes from the airport). You can get to Ostia quite cheaply on public transport and join a group tour at the site or just get an audio tour.

 

Hank

[luvtheships]

Heading back to Rome next May....we did Rome and the Vatican last time...looking for a less noisy and authentic day outside of Rome (private tour).

 

I am considering Orvieto, but that seems like too little for a whole day...what other suggestions do you all have.??

 

We especially love good wine, good food, and anything to do with boating....

 

Thanks in advance!!!!

 

The Etruscan ruins. Lake bracianno. Ceri. Odelaschalchi castle. My spelling is off but last year after a week in Rome when we returned to the Rome port stop and took Rome cabs Etruscan tour with stefano costantini. Talk about authentic and off the beaten path! Google Rome cabs and look at their outside Rome day tours for some great ideas. Next time in Rome we are planning on seeing Ostia

 

 

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[WineDown17]

Thank you again Hank and Luvtheships!!! I will research all of these!

 

We are definitely foing to arrange a private tour..but I want to have an itinerary in mind before I do. These options appear to have a nice range of activities for everyone on our group!! (7-77 yrs old)

[texancruzer]

On our last trip we stayed at a hotel right across the street from Ostia Antica one night prior to flying home our of FCO.

 

we LOVED Ostia Antica. Wonderful ruins, no crowds and very scenic area. Pack a picnic and enjoy..... or since you will be right on the Mediterranean, pick a seaside restaurant and have a nice lunch with sea views.....

 

This would be a much easier day than heading to Tuscany area as it is closer and easy to get to.

[sunraiser]

I would suggest Orvieto with Civita di Bagnoregio. My family just took this trip with Fabrizo from allarounditaly.net this summer. We enjoyed it very much. The road was very scenic. The town of Civita Di Bagnoregio just looked like a postcard. Well worth the money and time!

[ssb]

We have done some of these

By Civitavecchia THE PORT of ROME

 

The ancient Acquae Tauri

“Terme Taurine”, There is a thermal plant, run by the municipality of Civitavecchia, that exploits the hot sulfuric waters that have been known since ancient times: even as far back as in the Neolithic era, in that area there was a small community who were probably attracted by the extraordinary therapeutic properties of these thermal waters. Here rose the Roman town of “Aquae Tauri” on top of an area previously inhabited by Etruscans; during the Imperial era the small Roman center, even if it had expanded, did not greatly develop since it was obstructed by the even more important center of Civitavecchia and from the more popular and well known thermal location of Aque Tarine, it too exploiting the same sulfuric waters. For this reason, the “Terme Taurine” thermal baths have been confused by many with the “Aquae Tauri” location, while in fact, these are two distinct locations.

 

The “Statio di Algae”

A built-up area and necropolis of Villanova: Along the coast, between km 74,700 and km 75,600 of the Aurelia state road there is the locality of Mattonara, where a series of explorations which too place in the 50’s uncovered an inhabited area of the Villanova age and a cremation necropolis which was violated in the Roman age. Various pieces belonging to the inhabitants were found along the banks – two nearby bases belonging to huts, one of elliptical shape and one round shaped and two quadrangular grave holes dug in the rock. Furthermore Bastianelli built the station of Algae near Mattonara; however what confirms the theory proposed by this scientist is above all the existence of a natural port and the ruins, buildings and graves discovered. In front of the Molinari plant, at sea, there are visible remains of a fish tank, however on land there are no traces of any structure that could relate to this. At km 76, the via Aurelia deviates and at the height of Monna Felice it turns inland where, always according to Bastianelli, there should be a side lane that used to connect the location of Algae with the Aurelia. Always on the Aurelia, slightly before km 77, in the locality of La Scalier, there is a fenced-in area with some tomb vaults; the necropolis was connected to an inhabited area still alive in the Roman era and identified as Statio di Algae, its name was maintained by the toponym Val d’Alga, Torre Valdaliga, according to the more convincing proposals made by Mengarelli. Bastianelli however had a different opinion which placed the ancient Roman Statio in the area of Torre D’Orlando.

 

An ancient seaside villa

Going back towards the sea and leaving the Aurelia before km 76 to travel down the road that leads to the thermoelectric plant, one reaches that tract of coastline in where rises Torre Valdaliga, built by Paul V in 1616 as a defense against pirates, the tower, which is surrounded by a wall, rises above the ruins of a Roman villa. Bastianelli established that this building dated back to the late republican era (1st century AC), because of the structure of its walls and the technique used for the floors. Therefore, the complex can be considered one of the most ancient seaside villas along the Civitavecchia coastline. The remains of the structures that belonged to this grand and definitely rich building occupy an area, except for the fish tank, of approximately 4.500 sq. m. On the north and west sides, slow and implacable corrosion by the waves has uncovered a section of land containing ruins which provide an idea of the original planimetric and altimetric layout, as well as the techniques used when building the villa. The fish tank as well, which was built for fish farming and dug out from the rocks, has maintained itself well and constitutes particular and almost unique evidence of the work done by ancient Romans to design a construction such as this, as evidenced also by various ancient writings. To the north side there is a structure that represents the foundation walls made of large lime stones. Above the foundations there two octagonal walls decorated with “opus reticolatum”, while the floors are in “opus signinum”. Further on there are remains of a room that appears to have been accommodated during subsequent eras, an interesting features are the two sewer tunnels that were used to flow the sewage out to sea; a nearby room shows signs of a mosaic pavement with white and black chips. On the west side, out to sea, in front of the fish tank, there are visible signs of the ruins of a terrace build of large rectangular flake slabs laid out directly onto the rock bed that was leveled out to accommodate the overlaying structure. This terrace was most probably built in two distinct phases in time, as evidenced also by the two overlaying pavements discovered at the walking level. The fish tank appears to be of particular interest, since it is without doubt one of the greatest examples of its kind carved in the rock; building a fish tank inside a rocky level is, in fact, very difficult; the geological nature of the reef must be compact but also easy to dig. Currently, most of the fish tank is buried in the sand and underwater, with a wide and high step made of scale slabs. The central part is made up of a large rectangular tub (19 meters x 39 meters) dug into the rock with walls covered in masonry and divided into various sectors by intersecting walls. On the north side, which is also marked by a series of rooms for collecting water, there was a series a vaults which held up the veranda and terrace of the residential compound. A series of input canals, at the entrance of which there were sleuth gates made of thin flake slabs, permitted the continuous circulation of water rich in oxygen and microorganisms, while it prevented the larger fish from escaping. Furthermore, the these canal were arranged depending on the direction of the wind: those to the south would receive the waves lifted by the south-east wind, while the other to the south-west were fed by the wave movements created by the south-west wind.; lastly, the large canal facing the north-west was irrigated by violent waves raised by the north-west wind. The entire complex was therefore arranged in such a way as to permit continuous water circulation from all four sides, thereby eliminating the problem of stagnant water and consequential death of the fish raised there, many of which were wrasse, rainbow wrasse and blacktails. On the land side, where a few pieces of the villa still remain, a notable quantity of plaster chips with traces of floral decorations, stuccos and ceramic materials were found that enables the complex to be dated back to the 1st century AC. Two hundred meters after Torre Valdaliga, along the coastline to the north, near two prefabricated buildings there are numerous ceramic fragments scattered over the land, while a little further on, in an area facing the sea, there are numerous remains of pavements in “opus signinum” that belonged to some of the buildings lined up along the coastline, partially covered in dry seaweed and debris, which date back to the 1st century AC. Surely these scattered findings are not be considered isolated and outside of the Torre Valdaliga complex, but must be seen as connected with the rich republican villa. To the north of the asphalt road that comes from the railway bridge, along a vast extension of flat terrain which is crossed by a stream called “La Frasca”, there are various Roman ruins which have been attributed to the villa. In fact, there are various walls, built in “opus listatum”, that emerge for approximately one meter above the surface of the ground.

 

There are also small white and gray mosaic chips, fragments of status in bronze, fragments of ceramics, roof tiles, large bronze nails, and numerous coins which date back between the 1st and 3rd century BC, with many specimens that date back as far as the 3rd century AC. From the quantity and nature of the objects found in this location it is believed that the territory of Civitavecchia was involved in trafficking which at first was limited to the Western Mediterranean area and which, in the 3rd and 4th century AC., then extended also to the East. This therefore refers to an urban area that functioned also as a port: in fact, under the surface of the water, in the rocky landing held a large canal that enabled boats to easily reach land. Submersions by scuba divers have made it possible to identify various jugs and ceramic fragments laying on the sea bed next to traces of relict.

 

Etruscan Necropolis of Marangone

To the south of Civitavecchia, near the stream of Marangone, there once prospered another Etruscan center that was more important than that of Scaglia. The inhabited area occupied the top of the hill and the name of "Castellina" by which it is known today recalls the ancient Etruscan castle or "pagus". This isolated location, embellished by the age old olive trees, is very suggestive. All of a sudden, from amongst the vegetation one can see the remains of the strong walls that surrounded the entire hill, for an overall 700 meters.

 

Two ancient roads can still be recognized, one to the east and one to the west, that lead to the ancient city and still serve to reach the top of the hill. The necropolis extends on all sides; the graves, laid out in groups, occupy a large surface area of approximately 200 acres. The structure of the burial area differs from that of Scaglia; here in fact most tombs generally have a funeral room in the center; the rooms, most of which are now destroyed, were generally buried close to the surface and made of large slabs that were admirable connected and reproduced the usual tomb-like structure with a roof covering; the entrance was closed off by thick stone slabs with a "dromos" to enter. Stone slabs were arranged in a circle to mark the tomb area and form the basement; everything was covered with lots of earth that was brought there artificially and made these monuments resemble small hills. The size of the tombs varies between 8 and 10 meters, but there are also others that are even bigger, like the one found near the railroad bridge that measures 45 meters.

 

La Scaglia

 

Going back down the Via Aurelia, just before km 77, in the location of "La Scaglia" various tomb chambers can be seen in a fenced off area;

 

these tombs were recently cleaned and restored by the Superintendent for Archeology of Southern Etruria. The tombs at "La Scaglia" are underground chambers with a roof and a slope on each side or ogives, and benches placed along the main wall on which to layout clothing. The chambers are preceded by a short "dromos" (entrance corridor) with steps to facilitate going down into the burial room. The chronology of these tombs dates back to the VI and V century BC for all of the tombs.

 

Tarquinia

Tarquinia is situated approximately ten kilometers from Civitavecchia, taking the Aurelia in the direction of Grosseto.

On the basis of its characteristics, this town may be observed from two aspects,: on the one side it presents itself like an ideal locality for the Summer (Lido of Tarquinia); in fact, even if it does not have a very prominent coastline, there are however some noteworthy bathing establishment that characterize the beaches of this town.

These facilities (bathing establishments, camping areas, discotheques, bars, disco-pubs, etc.), which are located on the promenade of Lido of Tarquinia, with their equipment and the innumerable activities they promote (beach-volley tournaments, surfboard rentals, canoeing, nighttime entertainment, etc), place themselves amongst the largest tourist attractions.

The second aspect which is important to emphasize is the enormous cultural and archeological validity which this location possesses: Tarquinia is known to all for its importance as an Etruscan city and for the numerous necropolis inside which are preserves some splendid examples of paintings.

The painted tombs are mostly found inside the necropolis of Montarozzi and are very important since, because of the numerous images which the ancient Etruscans painted on their walls, these have provided enthusiasts with the opportunity to obtain more in depth knowledge of the daily life, art and religious beliefs if these people.

But Tarquinia, with its towers, austere roman Churches, small homes that face alleys and its medieval monuments of notable importance, is also a city where art and medieval culture are deeply rooted.

[WineDown17]

Sun and ssb....thank you both so much!!:)

[Grandpaul]

Last time there we used RIL for a tour of Ceri and that region. Found the reestaurant in Ceri was excellent since you mentioned food. And a very unique place.

[Arubamoose]

Two years ago we happened to be in Rome for May Day (5/1) and decided to clear outta town! We did a DIY to Hadrian's Villa for the day. Never made it to Villa d'Este in Tivoli. We were having such a great relaxing, interesting day that we skipped it.

 

Next time we are in Rome for an extended period we will try for Ostia Antica. It was closed the last time on May Day.

[hylasgirl]

Heading back to Rome next May....we did Rome and the Vatican last time...looking for a less noisy and authentic day outside of Rome (private tour).

 

I am considering Orvieto, but that seems like too little for a whole day...what other suggestions do you all have.??

 

We especially love good wine, good food, and anything to do with boating....

 

Thanks in advance!!!!

 

 

We did Orvieto and Civita de Bagnoregio for the day with Romeinlimo. It was one of our favorite stops out of this port. I would not try to do more than these 2 cities though. Both places are just adorable. Orvieto has a few well rated restaurants also. I wish our lunch stop would have coincided with Orvieto. Next time! They are both very adorable places and 2 that I will definitely return to.

 

Have a great time!

[fuzzywuzzy]

We are planning to go to Ville D'Este and perhaps taking in Hadrian's villa. I saw a show on TV last month about these two places and they look incredible.

You can take public transit quite easily I think. We are going to try it next month when we are in Rome.