7 Places to Visit near Rome

Medieval cities, ruins, imperial villas, vineyards, the Tuscan landscape...beyond the outer walls of Rome, there are countless places to see, touch and feel Ancient History.

Read on and I'll tell you which excursions near Rome are worth doing!

Booking an excursion to Assisi and Orvieto is the ideal complement to a trip to Rome: you can enjoy a simpler and quieter atmosphere than that of the City of Seven Hills, you will travel to the region of Umbria and get to know Orvieto and its incredible cathedral whose facade resembles a pictorial triptych, showing scenes from the New Testament in mosaic.

At the end of the visit of Orvieto you will head to Lake Trasimeno, a beautiful expanse surrounded by villages and inhabited by cormorants and fishermen, where you will stop for lunch. And to end the day you will go to Assisi, where you will visit key places of the historical figures of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare. You will visit convents, basilicas and palaces, as well as an ancient Roman temple. Upon returning to Rome, the tour will end with a short tour of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs, next to Piazza della Repubblica.

In my opinion, this tour is totally worth it, as it includes round-trip transportation, a professional guide who will explain all the details about the visits and lunch at the lake.

Recommended if

If you have a day to spare on your trip to Rome and want to explore the history of St. Francis of Assisi.

Ostia Antica is the name given to the archaeological site of what was once an important port near Rome. These ruins are an open window to the ancient world, and you can walk through a perfectly preserved open-air theater, a commercial square with mosaics of the different guilds of the settlement, the forum, the temple and a number of warehouses, as it was a site dedicated to the exchange of goods.

If you book an excursion to Ostia Antica you will have at your service a professional guide who will know the ruins like the back of his hand and will know how to set the scene for you to imagine yourself in the days of splendor of the Roman Empire.

The experience includes the narration of the guide and transportation to and from the site.

Recommended if

If you have been left wanting to explore ancient ruins after a visit to Pompeii (or want to take a shorter tour than Pompeii).

Booking an excursion to Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa is one of the best experiences you can include in your trip to Rome.

• Villa Adriana, as its name suggests, was the place of residence of Emperor Hadrian, the place from which he ruled the vastness of the Roman Empire. It is a unique place, built in an environment of pools and natural aqueducts on which gardens were cultivated for the emperor's rest. The more than 30 buildings of Hadrian's Villa are ruins today, including residences, dining rooms, a theater, baths and buildings inspired by various corners of the world. With the narration of a guide it is not difficult to imagine yourself in the times of the Empire.
• Villa d'Este offers a diametrically opposite visit, being a luxurious 16th century villa with spectacular gardens and an infinity of fountains and statues, with such exquisiteness that during my visit I felt as if I were inside a theatrical stage.

Included in this tour is round-trip air-conditioned coach travel from Rome, as well as full narration by a professional guide.

Recommended if

If you feel like combining two visits of architectural and historical interest and prefer not to take an excursion to another city outside of Rome.

If you book a visit to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus you will see the most important for the first Christian cult in history and burial place of some of the most famous martyrs of Rome and the first sixteen Popes.

Because of this, you will find an immense amount of early Christian symbolism and art, such as the Chrismon, the monogram of Christ, the Alpha and Omega, and the icthus, all elements that were part of the secret code of this early persecuted cult.

One of the main attractions of these catacombs are the Papal Tombs, as well as the numerous tombs and beautifully preserved pieces of art, which constitute the most important sample of Christian art in the world.

Recommended if

If you are particularly interested in Christian history or want to literally visit Rome from top to bottom.

Castel Gandolfo is the summer residence of the Pope, located 25 kilometers from Rome,

Opened to the public in 2014, this place boasts the beautiful Barberini gardens, Lake Albano and the Apostolic Papal Palace, which hides with a collection of works and objects of great value.

You can book an excursion to the papal villas of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer residence, which includes round-trip transportation, so you don't have to worry about how to get there.

Recommended if

Visiting the Vatican.

If you book a ticket for the Villa Gregoriana in Tivoli you will have the opportunity to enter this park located just half an hour from Rome, a place described by many as a real "fairy tale" with its Cascata Grande, which has been the source of inspiration for many artists and writers.

You can lose yourself in the trails, natural caves, ruins and forests, and you will see the second highest waterfall in Italy. Commissioned by Pope Gregory XVI in the early nineteenth century, this park is a haven of peace just a few kilometers from the Italian capital.

Recommended if

You are passionate about getting into nature.

Book your excursion to Frascati and get to know this wine city with an expert guide. You will delight yourself with Italian wines and taste an exquisite and typical lunch that will include local products such as breads with olive oil, biscotti or porchetta.

You will also have free time to look for little treasures in the stores of the town.

The trip starts at the central train station in Rome and you will have the opportunity to tour the vineyards of the region.

Recommended if

You are a lover of wine and beautiful scenery.

Rome is an exciting city that you will never get to know completely, but the endless possibilities it offers when it comes to making an excursion is, without a doubt, something to take into account in your trip. You can read more about the other excursions we recommend in this link: The 9 best excursions from Rome.

If reading about Ostia Antica has made you want to visit Pompeii and see with your own eyes the ruins that remained after the eruption of Vesuvius, you can read more about how to make an excursion to Pompeii from Rome here: Day Trips to Pompeii from Rome.

In addition, it is also possible to visit the famous cities of Florence, Naples and Pisa from Rome on a day trip. In these experiences, you can see Michelangelo's David, discover the wonderful Florence Cathedral and its architectural genius, or taste the authentic Italian pizza. Here are two articles where you can read all the details about these experiences: Day Trips to Florence from Rome y Day Trips to Naples from Rome.