Viterbo as a day trip from Rome

Old Jun 11th, 2010, 01:57 PM
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Viterbo as a day trip from Rome

I am thinking of going to Viterbo as a day trip from Rome but have read quite conflicting info as to the ease of it. One source says there are trains every 20 min from Termini and it takes under two hours. But I've also read it's a long slow journey requiring at least one train change. Sooooo - anyone done it in the last few years that could give me some details.

Also, did you like it once you got there. The photos I've seen on line make it look wonderful but nothing like a first hand account. Thanks
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Old Jun 11th, 2010, 02:05 PM
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There are direct Trenitalia trains every hour from Roma Ostiense and Roma Trastevere to Viterbo Porta Fiorentina or Viterbo Porta Romana. Round-trip fare is 9 Euros and the train trip takes nearly two hours in each direction. It's doable as a day trip out of Rome, since you can see the Town and its museums and churches in less than 5 hours.

www.ferroviedellostato.it
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Old Jun 11th, 2010, 04:35 PM
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"The photos I've seen on line make it look wonderful but nothing like a first hand account."

You've already given the very best description of Viterbo. I think there are better day-trip destinations from Rome. Would you consider renting a car for that day?
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Old Jun 12th, 2010, 08:37 AM
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Thanks GAC, that info will be helpful if we decide to go. But I guess the lack of information on it suggests not many people put Viterbo as a high priority day trip. I had never heard of the town until recently, doing research for this trip. I guess it kind of falls into the category of "touristy places are touristy for a reason" - meaning since this town is not touristy it may not have as much to offer. Or is it just that it's in such an out of the way location that not many people get to it?
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Old Jun 12th, 2010, 09:05 AM
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Oh well, the thought about touristy places is just partly true for Italy. There is such a terrific wealth of art and architecture there... even the least-known Italian towns would be major sights in about 192 out of 197 countries. And that's also true for Viterbo, so it's certainly worth seeing. It's beautiful as far as sights, but not overwhelming for Italian standards, and I always found it lacking on atmosphere.
So the problem is not that Viterbo is that bad; the point is that there are better destinations for a daytrip from Rome, as I said.
Hence once more the question, would you also consider renting a car for that day? And whether you would or you wouldn't, can you explain what it was that attracted you to Viterbo? We could certainly recommend you other places fulfilling the same desire that are perhaps more worth your time.
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Old Jun 12th, 2010, 01:17 PM
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franco - well, I was looking for day trips out of Rome. We will have 5 nights (but split 2 and then 3 with 8 days in Croatia in between. We also will have just spent 8 days in Sorrento at the beginning of the trip). This is our second time in Rome and we did the "biggies" - Colosseum, Forum, St Peters, Pantheon, etc on the first trip. I love cities but my husband prefers smaller towns. Also I am hopefully going to be able to be back in Rome later in the fall without my husband. Anyway, so I was looking for interesting towns easy to reach from Rome. We have already been to Orvieto and Assisi on previous trips.

So nothing really attracted me to Viterbo, I saw it as a suggestion somewhere and when I google image searched I thought it looked great. As you say, most Italian towns look great. Personally I've never met an Italian town I didn't like. Just though that since most of this trip (it's in July) will be coastal - the Amalfi coast and Dalmatian coast we might do one day at a town like Viterbo. I think we are also doing Tivoli so we may not even have time. But any other suggestions you have we will certainly consider. We usually do rent car but I'd prefer not to this time.
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Old Jun 12th, 2010, 01:52 PM
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Some years ago we used Viterbo as a base for visiting gardens in the area; the Villa Lante was particularly good although the Bomarzo appealed to my teenage son. But Viterbo itself was a bit gloomy, not really a place I want to revisit although absolutely untouristy.
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Old Jun 12th, 2010, 04:28 PM
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Here are examples of daytrips out of Rome which many travellers will choose ahead of Viterbo: Ostia Antica, Tivoli, Palestrina, Subiaco, Cerveteri, Tarquinia, Colli Romani. If you want to see a typical provincial town of Northern Lazio with a marvellous Medieval Quarter and a couple of interesting churches, Viterbo would be a good choice. But another reason to spend time in Viterbo is to see the wonderful towns in its vicinity: Bagnaia (Villa Lante), Tuscania, Tarquinia, Bolsena, Montefiascone, Caprarola (Palazzo Farnese), to mention a few.
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Old Jun 12th, 2010, 04:44 PM
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isabel, if you already go to Tivoli, IMO that would be enough daytripping. You need a full day (Villa Adriana, Villa Este, and don't neglect the town, which is full of ancient remnants, temples, walls, and nobody visits). If you really want to do something else, Tarquinia, Palestrina, Ostia Antica and - still missing from the list - Cerveteri are of course good choices, but these are archeological sites, not small towns (though Tarquinia is a nice small town, as well, but that's not the reason to go there - the splendid Etruscan tombs are!).
As far as small towns, I would try to get to Sutri, which has great Etruscan sights, as well (a theater cut out of the rock instead of built in stone, a former tomb cave that was later a Mithras sanctuary and is now a subterranean Catholic church), but is at the same time a lively, likeable small town; or the other way, south, to Sperlonga, with remnants of an ancient Roman imperial villa (yes, archeological sights are everywhere) and a picture-perfect mediterranean small town historic center; or to Anagni (medieval town with an excellent Romanesque cathedral), Alatri (pre-Roman town walls, preserved as if they had been built yesterday, and a provincial small town with a nice atmosphere that never sees a tourist) or Cori (several Roman temples in the center of town, one of them turned into a church). I cannot tell you about public transport connections, however, since I'm a stubborn car driver.
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