This day tour in Rome's vicinity will take you through scenic landscapes inhabited since ancient Roman times and allow you to stroll through some of the small historic towns to see how the locals live. If you fancy, a stop for a wine tasting and a tour of a local winery can be arranged; and you may want to enjoy a taste of the Roman culinary specialties in a typical country trattoria.
The Castelli Romani hill towns, of ancient and medieval origin, are celebrated for their lush green scenery, volcanic lakes, genuine and abundant cuisine, and local white wines.
Rome is situated on a plain at the edge of a vast volcanic area. Some of ancient Rome's most important building materials were of volcanic origin. The tufa, peperino and basalt you still see today in the Roman ruins came in part from the area of the Roman hill towns. While you enjoy the stunning vistas of Lake Albano and Lake Nemi you will actually be looking at sunken volcanic craters surrounded by green slopes.
During the drive, about 35 minutes from Rome, we will pass the remains of ancient aqueducts and other imposing ruins.
Frascati is the biggest of the Castelli Romani hill towns, Nemi the smallest.
Frascati and Marino are famed for the aristocratic Roman villas built in the vicinity of the towns and also for their white wine, but every town of the Castelli Romani boasts its own wine production. Nemi is renowned for its tiny wild strawberries ("fragoline"), a real treat in springtime. Ariccia is known for its pork ("porchetta") - stuffed with garlic, rosemary, other herbs and spices and roasted whole on the spit. Castel Gandolfo produces wonderful peaches in summertime.
In Ancient Rome, the area we now call the Castelli Romani became, along with Tivoli, one of the preferred spots near the city for wealthy Romans to build their country villas.
In medieval times, the towns became the domains of various powerful land-owning families. Many of these families also controlled the fortunes of Rome and the papacy during this epoch.
The town of Castel Gandolfo became the property of the popes. At the end of the 16th and early 17th centuries, aristocratic Romans began to build luxurious villas in and around the Castelli Romani hill towns, just as the ancients had done.
The popes decided that they, too, should have a country villa in the Roman hill towns, and the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo is the result. Part of the papal palace and gardens are built over the ruins of a Roman emperor's villa, bearing witness to the continuity of Rome's history.
In the summer, when the Pope is on vacation here, weekly papal audiences are scheduled on Wednesday mornings. On summer Sundays, at noon, the Pope recites the Angelus prayer and imparts his blessing.
Both events are held in the courtyard of the papal palace and are open to the public, so it is possible to combine a day tour through the Castelli Romani hill towns with an opportunity to see the Pope at a papal audience or to receive the papal blessing.
If you appreciate fine food and wine, you can savor the local cuisine and taste the prized wine in a lovely trattoria or restaurant in the area. Some of these restaurants are housed in centuries-old rustic buildings with dining areas situated on shady green terraces or patios in the warmer months.
If you are serious wine aficionados, a wine tasting tour can be set up at one of the local wineries, where you can enjoy a sampling of their best labels and a tour of the winery.
So save a day to head for the hills of Rome on a private tour designed to your wishes, to visit the charming Castelli Romani in the Roman countryside.
The day tour from Rome to the Castelli Romani can be a half-day excursion (4 to 5 hours) or a full-day excursion (6 to 8 hours) depending on how you would like to design the itinerary. Transportation for this private guided tour is by air conditioned Mercedes limousine or minivan with courteous, professional driver.
