Sometimes I feel the best thing about living in Rome is Castelli Romani, so much so that I’ve even thought about buying a house there.
Away from the chaos of the city is this little peaceful oasis made up of small towns on the Alban Hills overlooking Rome. If you’ve ever noticed the nearby hills with towers on top that you can see looking south from Rome, either from Piazza Venezia lying in the distance behind the Colosseum or crossing the Tiber River towards Trastevere, from Parco della Caffarella, or even better from the viewpoint of Gianicolo, these are the collection of towns known as Castelli Romani.
From a distance, you can see that the shape of the hill is the collapsed crater of a long extinct volcano, which in fact is one of many calderas in the area. Two of these collapsed craters have formed the volcanic crater lakes of Lake Albano, the largest and deepest one, and Lake Nemi. These are two of many Volcanic Lakes of Lazio.
A day trip there is just over half an hour away and never disappoints. It’s the perfect getaway from the city when you’ve had enough of history, ruins, and people and want to experience some local culture. The highlights of Castelli Romani are eating authentic local food, driving the tree lined curved roads, and breathing some peaceful, clean air.
This takes you on my perfect day from Frascati to Tuscolo, Monte Cavo, Nemi, Ariccia, and finally Castel Gandolfo – though to be able to do everything properly you would need more than a day.
From the center of Rome, you can take Via Tuscolana towards Frascati, about a 40-minute drive. In Frascati, the center is pretty to explore with its main Villa Aldobrandini being the main attraction, and Piazza Marconi offering views of the surrounding metropolitan area of Rome. There are also wineries that can be visited. Things to try in Frascati are wine, especially white, with ciambelle (a type of biscuit dipped in wine).
From Frascati, a must-drive is to continue going up the hill towards Tuscolo. At the top, you will find a quiet park overlooking the surrounding hills and forests. You can take a walk around or have a picnic there. There are even picnic tables and a bar at the entrance to the park.
From there, come back down to the main road and continue on towards Marino and take Via dei Laghi towards Nemi. This takes you down the most picturesque road in Castelli Romani with a canopy of umbrella trees and Lake Albano to the right. If you’re hungry by now, there’s a truck on the side of the road selling tasty porchetta sandwiches, where you can grab a sandwich and a beer and have lunch at a small outdoor table overlooking the lake.
At some point while driving down Via dei Laghi and after passing Lake Albano, turn left onto Via Ariccia, then right onto Via Scalette and go up the hill towards Monte Cavo. This is the second highest point in Castelli Romani, where you can see the two lakes of Albano and Nemi and even find the infamous antennae that you can see fom Rome. Worthwhile if you have a couple of hours to spare is to park the car at the beginning of the road and walk up to Monte Cavo following the gradual but steep climb up Via Sacra, a suggestive walk through the woods down the ancient Roman road. When you get to the top, you’ll get views of both volcanic lakes and in the distance you can see the sea, on a clear day all the way to the mountain of Circeo.
Once back in the car, get back on Via dei Laghi and continue towards Nemi. This is probably my favorite village because it’s so pretty. Enjoy the view from the panoramic terrace, walk around the Roseto di Nemi, check out the shops selling its signature strawberry jam, and stop off for an aperitivo overlooking Lake Nemi as the sun sets – the most romantic setting. The stand in front of the panoramic terrace “Sirena del Lago” has excellent porchetta sandwiches. Check out the Terrace of Lovers with its panoramic walk “Terrazza degli Inammorati e Sentiero Panoramico”. Down this walk, you can find my favorite place to get a drink here – a little hidden bar with a terrace over the lake called Bar Belvedere, not open in winter. If it’s summer, you can drive down to the lake and go swimming by entering through “Il Giardino del Lago”. Under the village, there’s also access to walk around the lake.
After that peaceful stop, get back on the road towards Ariccia. This is the village where the famous porchetta (“roasted pork”) comes from. There are numerous delicious restaurants here. I really like Osteria Aricciainbocca, though I’ve never had a bad meal in Ariccia or anywhere in Castelli Romani actually. If the weather is nice and eating at picnic tables in the forest sounds like a good idea, check out La Selvotta, closed in winter.
After drinking some good wine and eating well, take the bridge out of Arriccia towards Albano Laziale. There are nice views of the village and down the hill all the way to the sea from this bridge. The last stop is Castel Gandolfo, named after the Pope’s summer home. The main sight here is the beautiful Lake Albano. In the summer, there are sunbeds and umbrellas which make for an excellent alternative to hitting the crowded beaches.
Finally from Castel Gandolfo, take Via Appia Nuova back to Rome. If it’s the weekend and you find yourself stuck in traffic with all the Romans that have done the same with their day and are now heading home like you, take this time to reflect back on the simple yet beautiful and peaceful day you just had.
An alternative could be to do this itinerary in reverse, especially if it’s summer and you want to enjoy some time at Lake Albano to go swimming or if you want to walk around the lake (about a 2-hr walk). As I said, this is the route of my “perfect day” in Castelli Romani if you rush it and can fit it all in just to get a feel of the area, but these are things I’ve done on various visits there, dedicating time to specific towns each time. I would expand this into a “perfect weekend” even staying in Marino or Castel Gandolfo for two nights.
Two other things worth noting, especially for active people, are Parco regionale dei Castelli Romani and Via Appia Antica. The former being the regional park of the area, a protected area covering a large portion of the hills. There are loads of hiking trails for those who like exploring nature on foot. The latter being the ancient Roman road that takes you from Porta San Sebastiano in Rome to Via Appia Nuova and eventually Castel Gandolfo. This is a beautiful, panoramic, and suggestive road that can be biked for those with strong legs. The bike ride goes up gradually and takes you from the center of Rome through the outskirt of the city which feels like countryside, and finally into the hilltop villages. I highly recommend dedicating a day to each one for unforgettable experiences. Plus, the physical activity will make you feel less guilty about all the wining and dining you’ll do while there.
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