A Day Trip From Rome to Castelli Romani and the Wonderful Lakes

The track

The movement from Rome south towards the hills began after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, when a number of important families preferred to move the center of their lives, assets and businesses outside the city, in order to better protect themselves. This is how residential and life centers developed and the local population grew. By the way, in modern times, after the Second World War, the area experienced beautiful and significant economic growth, and it has a significant number of businesses in various fields, so the population is not only rural but diverse and rich from a socio-economic point of view.

Today, the Roman Castelli area serves as a permanent destination to which many Romans flock during the weekends, during the spring and summer season, and on holidays. The residents of the city enjoy the opportunity to spend several hours in an area that offers a beautiful view, quiet and clean air to breathe, and of course the opportunity to take advantage of the visit for a local lunch based on local sausages, good wine and fresh pasta. And all this just a few kilometers from Rome.

The word “castello” means palace in Italian. The great majority of the palaces and fortresses were of course destroyed over the years since the area knew many wars, both during the Middle Ages and later, until the Second World War during which various towns such as Velletri and Lanuvio were bombed by the Allies.

Where will we travel?

The most beautiful villages in the area and the ones that attract the attention of the tourists and Romans who come to vacation there (mainly during the weekends) are the whale town and the Pope’s summer residence – Castel Gandolfo, where you can enjoy the direct view of Lake Albano (Lago Di Albano) at the foot of the village. By the way, the whole area was volcanic in the past (about 5000 years ago). In the center of the village is the palace where the popes used to go during the summer to rest, isolate themselves and work on their spiritual abilities. Today the palace is a museum and you can visit it.

The village of Nemi is a village known for producing strawberries and it is also located near a (smaller) lake called Lago Di Nemi. You can enjoy a short stroll through the ancient alleys and stone houses of the village and of course stop for lunch at one of the local peasant restaurants (Le Fraschette) .

The town of Marino is known for the fine wine produced in its vines. In the town of Grottaferrata you can find the Abbey of Saint Nilo (Abbazia Di San Nilo), one of the only fortresses that have been preserved in the area. It is an impressive building that you can visit and inside it is also a valuable library where rare writings have been preserved.

One of the largest urban centers in the area is the town of Frascati where there are many impressive panoramic points overlooking Rome, one of which is in the ancient villa from the 17th century belonging to the noble Aldobrandeschi family – Villa Aldobrandeschi.

The culture of gastronomy and local celebrations has been very important since ancient times and each village has its own days in which the local saints who protect it are celebrated, or other holidays that mark the coming of the harvest and the gathering, as well as local folklore legends that receive a place of honor in the life of the village to this day.

The service offered is a service of a car and an attached driver for all the hours of the trip. The vehicle is a large and spacious van suitable for up to eight travelers, or alternatively a Mercedes or BMW if there are up to three travelers. Our drivers are local Italians and know the area very well, they speak English at a basic conversational level and will be happy to answer general questions and assist with technical aspects such as reserving a table at a restaurant. In addition, our customer service will be happy to accompany you from the first moment and also during the trip in Hebrew in response to questions and requests.

The route we offer is about 8 hours long, including the round trip from the hotel, and will include passing through the villages of Castelli Romani according to your pace. We recommend not to miss the villages of Nemi and Castel Gandolfo, which are the highlight of the area.