Get out of the city and plan a scenic day trip from Rome

Rome is a magnificent city, but if you don’t take the time to step out and explore the surrounding regions, you’ll be missing out. Offering a welcome escape from the busy city streets, there are plenty of easy trips you can make from Rome in a day where you’ll enjoy fresh air, natural scenery like nowhere else on earth, great food and wine, and spectacular historic landmarks.

Home to two World Heritage sites and their surrounding natural landscapes, a visit to Tivoli could be a welcome break from the busy streets of Rome. A short hop south will take you among the hilly vineyards and volcanic lakes of Castelli Romani, with the nearby town of Frascati a popular place to visit.

Garden of Ninfa - The most beautiful romantic stroll in the world.

Widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world, the Nymph Garden can only be visited on prior booking but is an experience to share with people you love. Eight hectares of gardens and 1300 botanical species will especially appeal to people who love plants. Magnolias, Birches, Iris, Japanese Maples and Cherry trees are just some of the species that create the setting for this enchanting place. Crossed by the River Ninfa and its streams, the garden is a magical and exciting place for a whole day full of romance and nature. Don't miss a visit to the nearby Castello Caetani in Sermoneta.

Circeo National Park - The experience of sea and nature

The Circeo National Park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and offers a wide variety of outdoor experiences. The tourist offering ranges from paths immersed in the park's natural setting, to treks around the Circeo promontory overlooking the sea, as well as itineraries for bikers and easy walks for everyone. The Park is home to historical and archaeological finds and an impressive offering of food and wine products, such as Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP. The nearby sea means that people who love water sports can organize scuba diving or sailing trips.

The Park of the Five Continents - Nature in its entirely in a single park.

Enjoy a full-immersion experience on a trip around the world with nature as your guide: from the giant sequoias of North America to the sugar maple, boulders from the Mexican desert and Australian sand to typical oriental gardens and the splendid collection of flowering cherry trees, not to mention the tree of youth. These are just some of the treasures you will find in the Park of the Five Continents 100 km from Rome. A frenzy of colours, shapes and perfumes one after the other as you stroll among rare and very rare plants from various corners of the globe and all with a story to tell. As the name implies, the Park of the Five Continents provides an overall glance at the wealth and biodiversity of the world around us; it is a centre of excellence for communication and enhancing awareness among visitors as regards environment protection and sustainability issues.

The park is currently under renovation. It is scheduled to reopen in 2024.

Sperlonga and Gaeta - Historic villages close to the sea

Sperlonga and Gaeta are two jewels made of sea, shopping and good food not far from Rome ideal for a weekend away.

Sperlonga is known to be one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. This enchanting place rises from crystalline sea with a breath-taking view for people to admire from the upper part of the village. Sperlonga welcomes a great many visitors every year because of its beauty: evocative white glimpses and narrow alleys unwinding through the historic centre and its typical restaurants, craft shops and bars for enjoyable aperitifs. A long strip of white sand extends at the feet of the ancient village, where beaches with kiosks alternate with free areas for those who want closer contact with nature. Visits to the archaeological site of the Villa of Tiberius, the Truglia Tower and the famous Piazzetta del Pozzetto are highly recommended.

Gaeta: Thanks to its rich heritage of natural history, Gaeta is a popular Italian and international tourist destination. Largely made up of two focal points - the Mediaeval Sant'Erasmo quarter and the Porto Salvo quarter once inhabited by fishermen - Gaeta is the place to go to find the perfect combination between visiting a village with plenty of history and the desire to enjoy a fairy-tale sea. The typically Mediaeval historic centre is characterized by numerous restaurants, craft workshops and stalls selling locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables. The coastline has a sequence of enchanting beaches, bays and coves connecting Gaeta and the beautiful Sperlonga.
* ENIT - Italian National Tourist Board, sydney@enit.it