Hill towns south of Rome
 

We have been to Rome several times and have seem most of the "must" see sites in and around Rome and are looking looking for information regarding a possible 4 to 6 hour day trip to some of the following towns:
Frascati, Castel Grandolfo, Nemi, Anagni, Sermoneta and Nifa. Any information on these towns and especially suggestions on "how" to visit them, especially Sermoneta and Nifa, from Rome, would be appreciated. Really do not want to rent a car, so any suggestions for tours, busses and/or hiring a driver (if it is reasonable) would be great. Thanks

First, a couple of corrections: Castel Gandolfo (not Grandolfo), and I think you mean Ninfa (not Nifa).

Frascati and Anagni are reachable by train from Roma Termini. Just search them by name.

Castel Gandolfo is also reachable by train, but due to the oddities of the Trenitalia website you need to search for trains heading to Albano Laziale. Castel Gandolfo is a stop on most trains to AL. Just click on the details for the departing train and then click on the train number to see all the stops.

Nemi is about 10 miles (or less?) from Castel Gandolfo.

Sermoneta is about 10-12 miles from Cisterna di Latina which you can reach by train from Roma Termini.

Ninfa is close to Latina which you can reach by train from Roma Termini. We took a cab (about 15 minutes). Like Castel Gandolfo, you need to search trains heading elsewhere, in this case Napoli Centrale. Not all trains on this route stop at Latina, so check the details. FYI, in case you aren't aware, the gardens at Ninfa are open on a very limited schedule. Research this before you go.

Hi LBev

We are just back from staying with family in Latina and were lucky enough to visit Ninfa and Sermoneta.

The only way you could get to Sermoneta without a car on your own would be to take the train from Termini to either Cisterna di Latina or Latina Scalo and take a taxi from there. The castle is not open at all on Thursdays (as we found out to our cost) and closes over lunchtime. However the town is fantastic. If you go be sure to find the washing pools outside the walls. The view, the blue water and the calm atmosphere combine to make one of my favourite memories.

We were very fortunate this year in that we got to see the gardens at Ninfa. They are only open on the first weekend of each month (from April to October I think) and are probably at their best in May and June. We just turned up at the gate last Saturday and there were not a lot of people there. There certainly did not seem to be any large scale organised trips taking place. You do have to join a guided tour around the gardens but our guide was happy enough for us to hang back, provided we did not wander off too far.

You say you do not want to rent a car but, other than the main roads out of Rome and down on the coast, all the roads in this area are very quiet even at the start of August. With a car you can see some of the other hill towns such as Norma (looking down onto Ninfa), Cori (with its temple ruins) and Rocca Massima and enjoy the hills. You could also go the 25 km to the coast south of Lido di Latina to the Circeo national park and drive the road running between the lakes and the sea. Do not do this during the day in August! (but for an evening stroll on the beach, and a drink in the temporary cabinas, it is great.)

I enjoyed Frascati a lot - neat old palace and usual clutter of old buildings and churches, etc.

Stopped there for a few hours en route to Castel Gondolfo all by train.

Thanks Jean, Spirfal and PalenQ, this is good information. I really do want to visit Semoneta and Ninfa. The train to Latina and a taxi to semoneta and then to Ninfi sounds good to me. Unless a reasonable driver appears, I will need to get the rest of these on a seperate visit. I will schedule our trip to include the 1st weekend in May 08. Thanks for the info.