41.75° N · 12.66° E
A day trip from Rome: Frascati and its wine, the papal palace at Castel Gandolfo, Ariccia and its porchetta and Nemi above its lake, by train or by car.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
The popes' summer residence above Lake Albano: rooms, portraits of the pontiffs, the private apartment and the Secret Garden, with reserved entry.
Baroque palace of the Chigi family, remodelled by Bernini, with the piano nobile and its original furniture, the Stanze del Cardinale and the Museum of the Baroque; closed on Mondays.
A walk through the vineyard and cellar with the owners of Merumalia, in Frascati, and a tasting of three wines and an oil with a board of organic cured meats and cheeses.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
Spring and autumn, with the grape harvest in September and October. In July the papal palace at Castel Gandolfo usually closes because the pope is in residence. Tusculum opens only at weekends, and in winter only for groups.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Two of the Castelli have a direct train from Roma Termini: Frascati and Castel Gandolfo, on different branches of the FL4 line. That gives you a full day without a car: the papal palace in the morning, Frascati in the afternoon, or the other way round. Nemi, Ariccia and Tusculum call for a car, a taxi or good legs.
By car you combine in one day what the train cannot: Castel Gandolfo above Lake Albano, Ariccia and its palace, Nemi on its crater, Frascati and the ruins of Tusculum on the heights. Distances are ten or twenty minutes. The problem is parking in the centres on Sundays: look for the car parks at the entrance to each village.
The Castelli Romani are at the gates of Rome, between the city's two airports. Fiumicino (FCO) receives direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Alicante, Palma and the Canary Islands, among others; Ciampino (CIA), some low-cost routes, and is only a few kilometres from Frascati and Castel Gandolfo. By car, from Ciampino you reach the Castelli in a quarter of an hour; from Fiumicino, in a little under an hour by the ring road.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
The Castelli work with children if you choose one or two things a day and do not turn the trip into a marathon of villages. Tusculum, with the Roman theatre, meadows and picnic tables, is what they like best; the papal palace at Castel Gandolfo has family rates and the Secret Garden.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Art Nouveau palace in Castel Gandolfo above Lake Albano, with 50 rooms, most with a lake view, a rooftop pool, an indoor pool and parking.
Why we like it: The Cacciani family's hotel in the centre of Frascati, above their 1922 restaurant: 22 panoramic rooms and 4 with a large balcony, breakfast included.
Why we like it: Four apartments in a former farmhouse among organic vineyards, below Frascati, all with views of the vines and Rome; small pets allowed.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: porchettina frascatana with misticanza, the house cannelloni or tonnarelli cacio e pepe, and a local Frascati
What to order: tagliatelle with porcini, pappardelle with hare or lamb allo scottadito, and Nemi strawberries in season
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
41.89° N · 12.48° E
Car-freeBy planeBackpackingLuxury
41.96° N · 12.80° E
Car-freeBy plane
41.76° N · 12.29° E
41.57° N · 12.97° E
By carBy plane
Tips
It closes almost all of July and usually closes on Tuesdays; on days when the pope is in residence the hours change.
By train, Frascati and Castel Gandolfo. By car, add Ariccia, Nemi and Tusculum.
It's when it opens, and it's the best view of all the Castelli.
It's closed for works until 31 March 2027.
The Castelli Romani are a dozen villages on the Alban Hills, the ancient volcano you can see to the south-east of Rome on clear days. They are 20 or 30 kilometres from the centre, among vineyards and chestnut woods, around two crater lakes, Albano and Nemi. Romans come up here at the weekend to eat porchetta, drink Frascati wine and breathe slightly cooler air. For a traveller flying into Rome, they're the nearest excursion and one of the easiest: two of the villages have a direct train from Termini.
Don't try to see all the villages. Choose two or three, depending on whether you go by train or car.
Castel Gandolfo, above Lake Albano, is the pope's village. Its palace was the popes' summer residence and since 2014 it has been visited by reservation: the portrait gallery, the rooms, part of the private apartment and the Secret Garden. Pope Leo XIV has returned to spend time here, and so the palace closes for almost all of July and, the rest of the year, usually closes on Tuesdays.
Frascati is the wine village: Piazza Marconi, the Villa Aldobrandini above its staircase and the cantinas. Above it, at 670 metres, the ruins of the Latin city of Tusculum, with its Roman theatre and views over the Roman countryside, open on Sundays. And below the village, among vineyards, wineries such as Merumalia run visits with tastings.
Ariccia has Bernini's Baroque ensemble, with the Palazzo Chigi and its furnished rooms, and the fraschette, the porchetta taverns. Nemi is a tiny village peering over a round lake, famous for its wild strawberries. Its Roman ships museum is closed for works until 31 March 2027.
By train, the FL4 regional line leaves Roma Termini and branches: one reaches Frascati in about 30 minutes; another, the Albano branch, stops at Castel Gandolfo. That gives you the most convenient plan without a car: Castel Gandolfo in the morning and Frascati in the afternoon, returning to Termini each time. Nemi, Ariccia and Tusculum have no train and buses are scarce: take a taxi from Albano, or a car.
By car, the Castelli are 30 to 45 minutes from the centre, via the Via Appia Nuova towards Castel Gandolfo, Ariccia and Nemi, or via the Tuscolana towards Frascati. Between one village and the next it's ten or twenty minutes. The problem is parking on Sundays in the centres: use the car parks at the entrance.
From the airport, Ciampino is literally at the foot of the Castelli: the CIA Airlink bus takes you to Ciampino station, which is on the same FL4 line.
One day is enough for two or three villages. With a night, in Frascati or in Castel Gandolfo, you add Tusculum and an unhurried tasting. Spring and autumn are the best seasons: in September and October the grapes are harvested, and in spring the Nemi strawberries arrive. In summer the Castelli are a few degrees cooler than Rome, but the papal palace closes almost all of July.
In Frascati, the Cacciani, open since 1922, has a terrace over Rome and opens on Sunday lunchtime: Castelli cooking and the house porchetta. In Nemi, Lo Specchio di Diana serves mushrooms, game and pizza on a veranda with a view of the lake. In Ariccia, the typical meal is porchetta in a fraschetta: long tables, cured meats, cheese and wine by the jug.
Questions
On the FL4 regional train from Roma Termini: Frascati in about 30 minutes and Castel Gandolfo on the Albano branch.
Yes, by reservation on the Vatican Museums website. It usually closes on Tuesdays and almost all of July.
No. It's closed for works until 31 March 2027.
Castel Gandolfo and Frascati if you go by train; by car, add Ariccia and Nemi.
Ariccia porchetta, Roman pasta, mushrooms and game, Nemi strawberries and Frascati white wine.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/lazio/castelli-romani
