I will be traveling to Rome in Feb with my 14 yr old daughter and was wondering if you had any suggestions for day trips

If you want to see a hilltown, Orvieto is an easy train ride. There's plenty to see there, including an amazing cathedral. It makes for a very long day, but Florence is another city you may want to investigate, if you don't already have plans for staying there. Naples is two hours away by train; again another long day, but it has an entirely different flavor and look to it than Rome. Just some thoughts to get you started!

Depending on train schedules, Siena would be closer than Florence, still a long day but a wonderful city.

The "usual suspects" have been noted above. Now, here are some lesser known, but worthwhile, smaller destinations within an easy commute from Rome:

Narni
Spoleto
Tarquinia/Etruscan tombs
Viterbo
Cerveteri/Etruscan tombs
Bolsena
Bracciano
Caprarola/Palazzo Farnese
Ostia Antica
Tivoli/Villa d'Este
Villa Adriana (Hadrian's Villa)
Subiaco
Palestrina
Castelli Romani
Alatri

Thank you all for the help - How far would Naples be? I also want to be sure my teenager is not bored : )

By Eurostar train, Naples is 1 hr. 45 mins. from Rome.

ccarroga -

Naples is aprox. 2 hours by train from Rome. I love Napoli, but I wouldn't consider it a "day" trip. You could go to Napoli, then on to Pompeii, returning the same day. But, if you are planning to go to Pompei, then I recommend a day at the Archeological Museum in Napoli. Napoli really deserves at least one overnight.

That said, I think that Florence would be a better day trip. It's aprox. 1.5 hours by train. There's tons a shopping, a great market, and museums. It's also easy to navigate by walking. This is probably the better choice for keeping a teenage girl from getting bored.

Let us know what you choose. I have tips for Napoli.

Surely Florence is more than 1.5 hours by train from Rome?

Another vote for Orvieto. Close, convenient, and for your daughter there is an underground tour and lots of cute little shops. And some of the best gelato in Italy.

Forgot about this before, but has your daughter seen the Lizzie McGuire movie? There's a scene where the boy takes her to a town outside Rome that is full of fountains. We didn't have the chance to go there when we were in Rome, but it looked really pretty. Perhaps someone will know the name of the place I'm talking about, and chime in.

My daughter went to Italy when she was 12, and her cousin a year older, and there was nothing at all that bored them, and they certainly lapped up all the gelato they could! You'll have a good time no matter what side trip you choose.

Orvieto is the best place to go.
Siena is very difficult to go to; first the train to Chiusi and then the bus to Siena is too time consuming for a day trip.
Definitely Orvieto.

Another vote for Florence. I was tehre last week - I set out from Rome at 0730 and returned on the 1800 train. I managed to fit in a museum, some shopping and lots of walking.

dln: I ahve only seen photos, but I think you are referring to Villa D'Este. Hadrian's villa is in the same area and also worth seeing. A friend recently took a day trip with a tour company that included both. H\

My friend also took a guided day-trip to Pompeii/Naples: the bus picked him up from his hotel at 0630 and dropped hime back late in the evening.

Orvieto.

Florence is definitely close to 1.5 hours away. Took the ES a few weeks ago, the actual scheduled time was 1 hour 35 minutes.
We got a train just before 9:00AM, arrived 10:30AM; returned on train about 9:00PM, arrrived Rome 10:30PM. A nice 10 hours in the city, with lunch and dinner there. Skipped the Uffizi, but visited the Duomo, Baptistery, Accademia, and strolled and shopped. Your daughter will enjoy the outdoor markets and smaller town feel.

Since avoidance of teen boredom is driving part of this it might be helpful if you told us what she might be most interested in. Have you asked her what she might like to see or do?
And as much as folks like the hilltowns I am not certain that staring at the hills, as enchanting as they are, is going to prevent a few "Oh, Mother, pleeeeeeeze" grunts and groans.

I cant tell you how much I appreciate all the helpful information so far it sounds like Florence would be a good pick and Orvieto is getting so many votes as well. To be honest, I dont know much about Orvieto so I will try to look up some info online to see if it would be a good fit for us.

If you should choose Orvieto, check out th Orvieto Underground tour. My kids enjoyed it. Orvieto is a charming hilltop town, a nice change of scenery from the hustle and bustel of Rome. FLorence owuld be a good possibily if you daughter is interested in art & art history. ALso in FLorence is the History of Science museum. Also Pompeii is great, it would be a long day, but well worth it. All the suggestions posted are good ones, ask your daughter what she thinks.

I too keep mentioning to people the importance of discussing these issues with the child or teen in question. Nothing will make a teenager say "I'm bored" quicker than taking them some place they never had a say in. But if he or she has read a little about a place and has helped in the decision with "this is the place I want to go", it's a whole lot harder for them to get bored -- or at least to admit they're bored!

Going to Ostia Antica, 16 miles (25 km) southwest of Rome, would achieve much the same goal as going to Pompeii, but it would make for a shorter and hence more comfortable excursion.

This is not to detract from Orvieto. I don't know how long you'll be in Rome. It would be nice if you had time for both Orvieto and Ostia Antica.

But then central Rome has tons of stuff to see too.

As others have suggested, you might get your daughter involved in the planning, if you haven't already done so.

Thank you again for all the help : )
I am including my daughter in the planning ..........we will be there for 8 days - so I think we may be able to get in Orvieto AND Ostia Antica or maybe Pompeii - I have to look into some more.....Thanks again