Wanted in RomeMagazine "To stray in spirit better through the land/ This morn of Rome and May," recommends Robert Browning’s poem Two in Campagna. Or for €5, in whatever month, one can take a train, a day-return from Guidonia to Tiburtina. First stop for Romeward journey is Bagni di Tivoli, bringing home how this often-neglected hinterland was part-and-parcel with Rome's urban centre. Those variously-sized segments of smoothly-cut travertine visible from the carriage window are the same material that Emperor Vespasian had elephanted in for his Flavian amphitheatre/ Colosseum. Another instance of how all roads lead to Rome. Goths then Lombards came and left. To the new Church landlords more important than seasonal profit from agriculture was the fact of permanent ownership. "A diseased sterile wetland," notes one Grand Tourist, ‘er deserto’ as it was nicknamed by hard-pressed locals. One 18th-century author even claims that popes gloried in Campagna’s desolation, its serving to redirect pilgrims or tourists to the better-maintained wonders of the Eternal City. Actually the eighth-century Pope Adrian undertook aqueduct reconstruction, then in 1585 Sixtus V, redirecting Aqua Alessandria, built the Aqua Felice. Mediaeval times saw a spate of castle-building by papal vassals. First along the coast to stop the Saracens (such as the 10th-century Tor Vaianica) then Normans, and next inland, to defend feuding land-owning families from each other (11th-century Tor Sapienza, now naming also a train station en route.) Only in the 1890s would it be possible to claim "Rome’s history has largely been written by the mosquito", to quote a writer at the time. The seeming exaggeration received more credence in the late 1990s when American archaeologist Davis Soren came upon a children’s graveyard on Lugnano, 95 km from the capital. Dating to 450 AD, 40 skeletons were found, many still- or newly-born, then as now, a particularly vulnerable group where malaria is concerned. Concurrently to Soren’s findings Professor Coluzzi, former hygiene professor at La Sapienza, was gathering evidence for his theory that malaria reached Campagna via Rome’s north African colonies, Sardinia a mid-way point, the plasdomium / malaria parasite being present in ships’ water-barrels. As in a crime series, proof hardened after DNA tests; British science historian Davis Sallares managed to extract malarial traces from a three-year-old girl’s thighbone, (Skeleton 36 of those previously excavated by Sorene.) Malaria as an element in Rome’s decline passed from wild speculation to solid fact. The search is now on for an equivalent graveyard for adult victims. Another scourge, over time, were brigands. On Via Giulia, SS. Maria dell’Orazione e la Morte’s facade includes, with winged skulls, a plaque dated 1694: "Offerings for the poor dead collected from the Campagna." Thus the church’s eponymous order was devoted to retrieving bodies of brigandage’s abandoned victims. Countryside as deathtrap. Yet from an artistic viewpoint it was a cradle. The Flight into Egypt by Annibale Carracci.Alban Hills to the south northward the Sabine Heights with its scenic temples the area can claim to be the world’s most painted terrain ever In the 1500s Dutch landscape pioneer Paul Brill was already at work A century later Annibale Carracci would use Campagna as backdrop to his Flight to Egypt now in Galleria Doria Pamphilij.ArtistsA painting by Baroque master Pietro da Cortona in the Capitoline museum depicts a view for its own sake Residents of France’s Villa Medici in Rome Poussin and Claude Lorrain depicted rural stretches bathed in a sumptuous golden light later admired by Turner who stock mythological figures shrink in size as the natural background dominates traditionally classical narrative Gods and goddesses upstaged by foliage and light-effects his depiction of the Claudian acqueduct) human figures disappear entirely The early 1900s brought the ‘XXV’ group of painters with a social agenda documenting the inhabitants’ poor health and indirectly inspiring Mussolini's 1920s-30s bonifica / draining projects by the 1940s Campagna had become fully-habitable; towns such as Guidonia (named after the air-ace Alessandro Guidoni) sprang up over mouldered estates and castles add the odd pylon and mechanically-produced rolls of hay Gaze left at the siding at Bagni di Tivoli: rust-streaked yellow repair engine is overrun by clumps of in-blown vegetation A reminder that Campagna’s ever-ready to reassert itself "Such letting nature have her way/ While heaven looks down from her towers," says Browning Or from Horace’s Epistle (10,1) about his Sabine farm: "Drive Nature off with a pitchfork the carriage-window frames some archaeologists crouching in an open field as they try This article was published in the October 2021 online edition of Wanted in Rome Wanted in Rome ™ is member of the Wanted World Wide Ltd network.Click here to find out more about our Network or Follow us on social networks © 2025 / 2026 Wanted World Wide LTD Network By and 2021-02-10T07:51:00 The imminent reopening of a moribund railway in the northern suburbs of the Italian capital and start of construction of a multimodal hub at Pigneto are signs that a multi-year programme of investment in the Roma suburban network is making headway. Benjámin Zelki provides an update Already have an account? LOG IN Subscribe now Site powered by Webvision Cloud Written By: The Planet D Italy These Rome day trips are all worth adding to your itinerary when visiting Rome We’ve included a range of day trips – some less than an hour away from the Old Town by direct trains And some a few hours by high-speed train or rental car so prepare to jot down these inspiring best day trips for your next trip to Rome Hadrian’s Villa is one of the most beautiful archaeological sites and day trips from Rome The stunning remains include an expanse of water landscape surrounded by traditional Roman columns Hadrian’s Villa was a bolt hole for the Roman Emperor Hadrian to escape from central Rome it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and fountains were stolen over the centuries this adds to the wistful quality of the villa The little country residence was a symbol of opulence for the Roman Empire its ruins tell the story of how much character the villa had It is an hour and 20 minutes from Central Rome by train and bus. You leave the Roma Termini Station and take a train ride to Bagni Di Tivoli Station, catching a bus or taxi for the final leg of the journey. Alternatively, it is less than an hour by car or you can join a tour We added Hadrian’s Villa because it breaks the stereotype of the best archaeological sites in central Rome It’s hugely popular for its good looks and well-maintained structure Villa D’Este is another villa for your ‘day trips from Rome’ list It famously has beautiful gardens – think that ornate manicured style with plenty of water features And the garden is a lovely example of Renaissance architecture Touring the exterior of this Villa is a real highlight and its garden architecture (especially the fountains) makes it so popular You won’t be shocked to hear that Villa D’Este is another UNESCO highlight You can reach Villa D’Este in under an hour without having to buy tickets online or any of that hassle – just hop on a quick 50-minute bus and take a five-minute walk It is perfect for anyone fed up with ancient ruins and wants a slightly more manicured sight to admire it is such a short day trip from Rome regarding journey length that it would be a crime to miss out on it Santa Marinella Beach is one of the most popular day trips from Rome if you want a beach day Adding a beach trip to the middle of your stay in Rome is a great idea in all the heat and gelato makes for one of the most fun day trips you can take The journey takes less than an hour using fast trains and there’s a direct line from Rome to Santa Marinella shallow waters for swimming and a considerable length of sandy beach Santa Marinella Beach is also just a short walk from the train station – a definite win for those with small children Basilica Di San Francesco of Assisi is a beautiful 13th-century complex with two grand churches you can access the Gothic Basilica Superiore and Basilica Inferiore the complex is one of the most stunning places to visit on a day trip from Rome If you are keen on religious history and architecture While if you just want a scenic place to snap some photos Basilica Di San Francesco of Assisi is also great The basilica is famously home to 28 vivid frescoes depicting the life of St Francis and you can take an audio guide around them all Pisa is another one of our ambitious day trips from Rome But this journey is super possible thanks to high-speed trains – especially if you don’t mind reading a book and watching the Italian countryside whizz by your window The most famous landmark in Pisa is obviously the Leaning Tower of Pisa a 56-meter white-marble tower on a characteristic slant The iconic scene is backed by rows of white buildings Save time and maximize your day trip to Pisa by knowing precisely what you want to do beforehand It is one of the most exciting day trips from Rome Mount Vesuvius is one of the most famous volcanoes in history – never mind just in Italy or as a day trip from Rome wiping out thousands and freezing the people of Herculaneum and Pompeii in time with ash casts You can still visit the preserved towns and people today (which we’d recommend as a combination for this day trip) peering into the smoking crater of Mount Vesuvius is something you can’t miss Mount Vesuvius is best accessed by rental car or guided tour you must take a high-speed train to Napoli and then catch an (expensive) 40-minute taxi to the bottom of Mount Vesuvius you can reach the volcano in less than a few hours – totally hassle-free and it takes between 1.2 hours to complete the out and back trail Seeing a smoldering volcano that has wreaked havoc for centuries since the Roman Empire is one of the most fascinating This is another day trip idea that would fit ideally with an overnight visit but can be squeezed into a single day with enough effort It is the film-star-heaving coastal stretch of glitzy bars The Amalfi Coast is where the rich and famous flock is and if you want to see the best of the region you need to plan a road trip as one of your day trips from Rome The Positano to Amalfi section is the prettiest all the beaches and narrow streets of the coastal towns so you’ll need to hire a car for this day tour It is a 3-hour and 30-minute drive from Rome to Positano cutting through tons of beautiful coastal towns Then the scenic drive is 50 minutes long – taking you to Amalfi – where you’ll drive 30 hours and 40 minutes back to Rome Capri is one of the most exciting day trip options and an absolute jet-setter magnet. The island is really glitz and glam, and it is also an adventurous day trip to orchestrate. To reach Capri, you’ll need to take a train trip that lasts just over an hour to Naples plus extra waiting time between the train and ferry service you’ll have the whole day to explore You could shop for classic handmade Capri leather sandals While not one of Italy’s largest islands You’ll need to catch a bus or funicular to get around if the attractions you are interested in are spread out It is also famed for designer brands and a beautiful coastline with novel attractions like the Blue Grotto We couldn’t just bypass Naples as a mention in other day trip options without mentioning it as a day trip in its own right Naples is seen as a nitty gritty kind of second city to Rome And if that isn’t enough to sway you Naples also has some pretty famous archaeological sites including the Catacombe di San Gennaro and Parco Archeologico del Pausilypon And despite the age-old sneer that comes with taking Naples seriously as a tourist destination the city provides hundreds of riveting activities with what can only be described as nonchalant rebellion It is perfect for sightseeing and tasting delicious pizzas in the home of the original pizza You catch the train direct from Rome to Naples Central Station The journey takes just over an hour – barely enough time to get into a good book It is one of the most accessible day trips from Rome and a definite recommendation for anyone fancying a new city experience after a few days in Rome Pompeii is an ancient Roman town buried under ash and preserved for centuries before being rediscovered in the 16th century from streets to cobblestones and even the remains of people The stat that most blew us away was that around 13% of the population perished during the eruption many of these people were preserved by ash most well-known additions to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list A Pompeii day trip is one of the best day trips from Rome It is best carried out with a rental car if you want to combine it with a climb up Mt Vesuvius But you can catch a train directly to Pompei in just 1 hour and 40 minutes (with a single change at Napoli Centrale) just minutes away from the archeological site on foot Alternatively, purchase a day trip tour like this small group skip-the-line tour on Get Your Guide. Pompeii has fascinated people for decades and decades – take advantage of this tragic but incredible archeological site The hill towns surrounding Rome are in the Lazio region and are full of wineries to go wine tasting. You can take the train to most of these wineries or organize day tours from the city center directly to the winery doorstep Other wine regions a little further away include Tuscany and Chianti you’ll need a slightly more expensive tour It is undoubtedly one of the most romantic things to do when day-tripping from built-up Rome It is thought that the Romans began drinking wine in the 8th Century BC – which seems like a ridiculously long time for people to have been sipping on vino but actually gives the experience a historical edge wine tasting continues to be one of the most sought-after activities when people visit Italy There is a massive association between Italian cuisine and wine and embrace the Italian way with a wine-tasting tour from Rome Ostia is a less common suggestion in a conversation about Rome day trips But it is a suggestion that should crop up more often Ostia is a huge beachside region that was once a major port in the Roman Empire and now has a gorgeous beach and plenty of history because of this It is said that Ostia was the Roman’s first colony And you can walk around the Parco Archeological di Ostia Antica grounds to see the early city’s remains – including a giant amphitheater and Roman temple Check out the ‘first Roman colony’ before heading down for a beach day and swimming to cool off from sightseeing Ostia is one of the easiest day trips from Rome if you are okay with getting a 20-minute taxi for the last leg The journey involves a 40-minute train from Roma Tiburtina to Fiumicino Parco Leonardo It’s easy to see why those in the know love visiting Ostia as a day trip from Rome – the beach and archeology make it impossible to resist Florence is the widely declared home of Renaissance art and architecture and the capital of Tuscany If we were to conjure up a postcard for reference you’d see a terracotta-domed Duomo cathedral bravely jutting its head over the skyline of mismatched apartment-style buildings Florence is roughly an hour and 30 minutes by train from Rome and while distance-wise it is one of the longest day trips from Rome A train journey to Tuscany cuts through some of the most beautiful Tuscan countryside Florence is the place to be for art galleries and architecture as Florence is hailed for delicious sweet treats We had to add Florence to this guide as it represents so much and is an essential part of Italy’s culture you’ve not heard of the Etruscans before because they are quite a niche The Etruscans had incredibly advanced technologies the Etruscans were either wiped out or assimilated by the Romans Cerveteri is home to one of the most famous archaeological sites belonging to Etruscan civilizations The small town has Necropoli della Banditaccia – a remarkably well-preserved necropolis that was once part of an ancient city belonging to the Etruscans and you can take a self-guided tour at your own pace book a guided experience if you are interested in a more detailed history you can consolidate your learning at the National Archeological Museum of Cerveteri – a small but detailed local museum in the town center Aside from Necropoli della Banditaccia and Etruscan history Cerveteri has some beautiful waterfall hikes You can fit your sightseeing into the morning and then go hiking through shaded Cerveteri is an hour and 20 minutes from Rome – so easy to reach and spend a whole day This small city is set on a cliff as a remote hill settlement and most of its medieval charm survived Mussolini’s ‘re-architecturing’ of Italy You can wander through those deliciously narrow streets Orvieto is a welcome break from the chaos of Rome’s hectic streets It is also renowned for its ceramics industry so watch for any potential souvenirs when visiting The practices date back to the Etruscan times specializing in tin-glazed pots in the Medieval era And visiting as one of your day trips from Rome is a brilliant way to embrace Italy’s history outside the capital Getting to Orvieto takes an hour and 30 minutes but it is a bit of a mission (in the most fun way possible) You’ll have to catch a train first to Orvieto train station which lasts approximately an hour and 10 minutes Then you have a funicular ride to the old town and main tourist area The funicular ride lasts a matter of minutes it saves your legs and makes the experience much more entertaining Before diving straight in and heading to the train station Here is what you need to know before taking the best day trips from Ancient Rome You could easily visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa or stay closer to Rome with attractions like Hadrian’s Villa The Umbrian countryside is connected by plenty of high-speed trains and roads with the main Roma Termini Station in central Rome Naples is one of the closest cities to Rome by train just an hour and 15 minutes away by high-speed train And there are plenty of large towns to visit nearby as well There are off-the-beaten-track spots near Rome like charming hill towns and archeological sites that are ridiculously empty of crowds Rome was the original hill town in the Roman Empire don’t let that dissuade you from day trips; it never harms to spread your wings a little you’ll be rewarded tenfold for your efforts But there are also classic escapes from the ancient city – like the Leaning Tower in Pisa and Mount Vesuvius near Naples Below are some of the top day trip tours from Rome Don’t forget to plan ahead when visiting Italy Top Day Trip Activities and Tours from Rome: there are plenty of ways that you can boost your experience – so take some time researching these other factors Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly Book Your Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner. We have used them for years and have found that they have the best flight deals Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor. Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO Learn a Language: We recommend and love both Rosetta Stone and Babbel Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it Book Your Activities: Looking for walking tours, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more? Then we recommend Get Your Guide. Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling One Day in Milan Itinerary: The Ultimate Guide for First-Timers Where to Stay in Florence: Your Area And Neighbourhood Guide (2024) Where to Stay in Rome: Our Favourite Places And Neighbourhoods (2024) Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "ad1e04e019a21b13e47fcf0868b60079" );document.getElementById("bb6e812255").setAttribute( "id" and website in this browser for the next time I comment About Dave and Deb Contact Us Privacy Policy Work With Us Press and Media Best Travel Tips How to Save Money for Travel The Ultimate Travel Packing List Travel Safety Tips How to Travel on a Budget