Hi everyone, I'm looking for a few great daytrips from Florence and Rome. I've been to San Gimagnano, Pisa, Greve, Panzano, Radda, and Siena. I haven't been really anywhere outside of Rome. Very unfortunately, I won't have access to a car, so I'll need to use a train to reach the towns. Thanks for any suggestions!
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,
Posts: 6 | Location: Arlington, VA USA | Registered: 25 September 2003
From Florence, perhaps Lucca or Arezzo. Lucca is a charming town (but very full of tourists when we were there last month) and you can reach it by train. Search this board for info on Lucca. Arezzo is also an interesting town and has the Piero della Francesca frescoes in the church.
From Rome, go to Ostia Antica to see the Ancient Rome ruins. Maybe a day trip to Orvieto? It also has wonderful frescoes in the church.
Another SlowTalk regular, Robert from Santa Monica, is in Rome now for two weeks. He was planning a day trip to Orvieto - so look for his posts when he gets back next week.
Ostia is the prime day trip, many times commented on here, access information, rave reviews from everybody, etc. (To dredge up all of which, use the handy-dandy search ferret, of course).
Almost never mentioned is the Appian Way, the proper way to see which is on foot with a picnic basket.
For Tivoli you will probably take a bus. There is no train station in town or near Hadrian's Villa: the closest is at Bagni di Tivoli/Villalba, which is a 6km walk, maybe 7km at the outside: if the day were fine, certainly within reach, that's a 1h-1h10m walk; an opportunity for you to see some of the countryside.
You're not giving us much to go on, though, as far as your interests! Italy is quite small, and within a reasonable 2-hr train ride from Rome there are literally many dozen possibilities: Civita Castellana (medieval and Etruscan), Ladispoli (beautiful beach town), Antrodoco (medieval), Anzio (beach, Roman, WW2 cemeteries etc.), Terracina (beach, Roman), Gaeta (Roman, medieval, scenery), Palestrina, Pyrgi (Etruscan); the train stations of Frosinone, Anagni, are each about 4km out of town.
Viterbo and Rieti are both medieval towns, Viterbo somewhat more attractive, but Rieti with Roman remains as well; both are provincial capitals to give you a sense of a more sizable town outside the run-of-the-mill tourist destinations).
Cerveteri, one of the 2 main Etruscan sites in the Lazio, is 6km from the Ladispoli train station and I bet you will find the bus schedules online; the other big Etruscan site is Tarquinia, about 3km from its station.
The Alban Hills, the protohistorical/mythical birthplace of Rome, and a beautiful area with good fresh air if the miasmal effluvia of the City gets to you, are reachable by train and/or bus depending on where exactly; particularly worth seeing are Castel Gandolfo and Nemi.
There is a bus to Tivoli from the Battastini stop on the Red Line. About a half hour trip, as I recall.
This spring I took train trip to Nettuno on the coast. There is a very sobering WWII US cemetary there as well as a trattoria lauded in Fred Plotkin's book.
Posts: 465 | Location: hilton head island, SC | Registered: 16 July 2001
Tony is right; a more careful squint at my map, there is in fact a train station in town, not absolutely downtown, but only around 1km, not 6.
Hadrian's Villa is still several kilometers, my guess is 3, from the station; there must surely be buses. The simplest thing might still be to take one of the very numerous guided tour buses straight from Rome. (Never thought I'd be recommending a guided tour, but in 10 years visiting Italy yes I actually took one myself -- once, in Ascoli Piceno -- and was happy with it.)
The walk from the station to Villa D'Este is about a 10-15 minute walk. Down a hill and right back up a larger one. From the center of the town it is under a 5km journey out to Hadrian's Villa. I have found the bus system there to be unbearable. Going from location to location trying to find tickets. Everyone wsa sold out. The bus refussing to take us with out a ticket. We didn't budge so he finally gave the ok. That was just one incident. But, I have always found the buses there to be ridiculous. I would recommend shelling out the few extra bucks for the taxi to and fro.
Or as bill had said try the group bus tours from Rome. One word of caution: alot of times those tours are multi-lingual. Check before you place your deposit that it is an English only tour.
Tony Polzer Tour Operator 3 Millennia Tours - Tours of Rome www.threemillennia.com tony@threemillennia.com
Posts: 1261 | Location: Rome, Italy; Zagreb, Croatia | Registered: 12 February 2003
Another vote for Lucca from Florence and Orvieto from Rome. Both are easily accessible by train.
I Sette Consoli in Orvieto is one of the finest restaurants in which I have ever had the pleasure to dine. They have a daily special lunch for about 40E pp plus wine.
Posts: 406 | Location: Madison, GA, USA | Registered: 31 October 2002
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