# Castelli Romani

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.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/lazio/castelli-romani · Revisado: 2026-11-12

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.

## What can you see in the Castelli Romani in a day?

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.

## How do you get there from Rome?

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.

## How much time and when to go?

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.

## Where to eat?

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.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Rome (a 22.3 km), Tivoli (a 26.6 km), Ostia Antica (a 30.9 km), Garden of Ninfa and Sermoneta (a 32.3 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Apostolic Palace and Secret Garden of Castel Gandolfo** (2 h · People interested in the Vatican, art and history; families): The palace that dominates the square of Castel Gandolfo was for centuries the summer residence of the popes. Since 2014 it can be visited: the gallery with the portraits of the pontiffs, rooms with tapestries and works of art, rooms of the private apartment that were closed for centuries and the Secret Garden. It is run by the Vatican Museums and you enter by reservation on their website.
When it opens
According to the official 2026 calendar, on weekdays it is open from 9:00 to 13:00; on Saturdays, from 9:00 to 16:00 in winter and from 9:00 to 17:00 from March to October; on Sundays, from 10:00 to 17:00. It is usually closed on Tuesdays and for most of July, when the pope resides in Castel Gandolfo. In January and February, the Moro Garden and the Secret Garden can only be seen at weekends. Leaving the rooms begins half an hour before closing. Check the calendar before you go: it changes with the pope's presence.
What is included
The standard visit covers the palace and the Secret Garden. There are special guided tours, such as the rooms closed to the public and the astronomical domes of the former Vatican observatory, and family rates. On the ground floor there is a café with a terrace over Lake Albano and a bookshop in the Chinese Room.
Getting there
By regional train from Roma Termini on the Albano line: Castel Gandolfo station is below the village, about ten minutes' walk uphill. By car, along the Via Appia Nuova; parking in the centre is difficult on Sundays.
- **Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia** (1 h 30 · Baroque art, historic houses with their furnishings · €12 without guide · €15 with guided tour of the piano nobile): The Chigi family palace presides over Piazza di Corte in Ariccia, opposite the church of the Assumption, both remodelled by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the 17th century. It is one of the few Baroque houses that keep their furniture, paintings and tapestries in place.
What you see
The piano nobile, the main floor, with the Sala Maestra, the summer dining room and the gallery; the Stanze del Cardinale, and the Museum of the Baroque, with paintings of the Roman Seicento. The piano nobile is visited with a guide; the rest, on your own. There are temporary exhibitions on the mezzanine floor.
Opening times and tickets
Open Tuesday to Sunday; closed on Mondays. From 1 October to 31 March, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00; from 1 April to 30 September, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 15:30 to 18:30. The guided tour leaves at 10:30 and 11:45 in the morning, and at 15:30 or 16:45 in winter (16:00 or 17:15 in summer), with a maximum of 30 people. Ticket with guide, €15; without guide, €12; a reduced rate is available. Arrive half an hour before the guided tour to see the other rooms on your own. Buy on their website.
Nearby
When you leave, cross to the monumental bridge over the valley and go down to the fraschette, the taverns of Ariccia where you eat porchetta, the herb-roasted pork that made the town famous.
- **Organic Frascati tour and tasting at Merumalia** (1 h 30 · Couples and groups of friends; anyone who wants to understand Frascati wine): Frascati is the wine of Rome: a white of malvasia and trebbiano that used to be drunk in the city's taverns. Merumalia is a family organic farm in the hills below Frascati, with views of Rome, and visiting it is the most direct way to understand that wine.
What the visit is like
It lasts about an hour and a half. Giulia or Luigi Fusco, the owners, take you through the vineyard and the cellar, explain how they work organically and how the wine is made, and finish with a guided tasting of three wines and an extra virgin olive oil from the estate, accompanied by a board of organic cured meats and cheeses from the area. They like to adapt each visit to the group.
How to book
From the wine tours page of their website, with a form, or by phone. They do not publish a price. The estate is at Vicolo di Prataporci, 8, in the municipality of Frascati; you get there by car or taxi from the station. If you want to stay, they rent four apartments in the same farmhouse.
- **Tusculum Archaeological Park** (2 h 30 · Families, walkers, picnics · €3; with guided tour €5; free up to age 6): Tusculum was a Latin city, ally and rival of Rome, high in the Tusculan hills, at about 670 metres. It was destroyed in 1191 and never rebuilt, so today it is a park: the Roman theatre on the slope, the forum, stretches of road, remains of the medieval fortress and, all around, woodland and meadows with a view over the whole countryside as far as Rome.
When it opens
It is not open every day. In March and November, on Sundays from 9:30 to 13:30 (archaeological area only); in April and October, on Sundays from 9:30 to 18:30; from May to September, Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 to 19:30, with guided tours at 10:00 and 16:00. From December to February it only opens for groups by reservation. Confirm beforehand on 391 422 5048.
Tickets
€3 entry; €5 with a guided tour; €2 for ages 7 to 12; free up to age 6. There is a picnic area with tables and barbecues that is paid separately (€2.50 per person; €3.50 with a brazier).
Getting there
It is on provincial road 73B, in the municipality of Monte Porzio Catone, about 5 km from Frascati along a mountain road. You go up by car; from Frascati you can also walk up, with good footwear.
- **Nemi and the viewpoint over its lake** (2 h · A quiet stroll, families, photography): Nemi is one of the smallest villages of the Castelli: a few streets on the rim of the crater, sheer above a round lake surrounded by woodland. The Romans called it the mirror of Diana, because the goddess's sanctuary stood on its shore.
The walk
Enter by the square and follow Corso Vittorio Emanuele to the viewpoint, next to the Ruspoli palace and its tower: from there you see the whole lake. All around the village they sell the wild strawberries of Nemi, in jars, in tarts or with cream. You can walk round it in an hour; if you have time, have lunch at one of the terraces over the lake.
The ships museum, closed
On the shore is the Museo delle Navi Romane, built in the 1930s for two enormous ships of the emperor Caligula raised from the lake, which burned in 1944; it holds pieces and reconstructions. It is closed for works until 31 March 2027, according to the Ministry of Culture. When it reopens, the ticket price is published as €3.
Getting there
By car, about 40 minutes from Rome along the Via Appia Nuova and Genzano; you park at the entrance to the village. Without a car, the most practical way is the train to Albano and a bus or taxi, or to combine it by car with Ariccia and Castel Gandolfo.
- **Frascati: the square, Villa Aldobrandini and a glass of wine** (2 h 30 · First trip without a car, couples): Frascati is the gateway to the Castelli Romani and the easiest to reach: the regional train leaves from Termini and arrives in about half an hour. From the station you walk up, about ten minutes uphill, to Piazza Marconi, the great square of the town.
What to see
Villa Aldobrandini dominates the square from the top of its flight of steps: the residence of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, nephew of Pope Clement VIII, designed by Giacomo della Porta and completed by Carlo Maderno in the early 17th century, with fountains by Domenico Fontana. Goethe and the Grand Tour travellers called it the queen of villas. It is private property and used for events: the façade and the view can be seen from the square, but the garden and the Theatre of the Waters can only be visited on occasional openings or by arranged tours. Ask beforehand before counting on it.
The cathedral of San Pietro, Piazza San Pietro and the streets of the centre, with their cantinas and fraschette, complete the walk.
The wine
Frascati gives its name to the white wine of the Castelli. In the town there are wine bars and cantinas to taste it by the glass, and on the outskirts wineries that can be visited by reservation, such as Merumalia.
Where to eat
Cacciani, in the centre since 1922, has a terrace with a view over Rome and is open on Sunday at lunchtime.

## Dónde comer
- **Ristorante Cacciani** (Restaurant, Frascati, €€€). Qué pedir: porchettina frascatana with misticanza, the house cannelloni or tonnarelli cacio e pepe, and a local Frascati
- **Lo Specchio di Diana** (Restaurant, Nemi, €€). Qué pedir: tagliatelle with porcini, pappardelle with hare or lamb allo scottadito, and Nemi strawberries in season

## Car-free: Without a car: the Castelli train
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.
Presupuesto orientativo: 80–160 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel Castel Vecchio** (Hotel): An Art Nouveau palace above the lake
The Castel Vecchio is an Art Nouveau building at Viale Pio XI, 23, in Castel Gandolfo, overlooking the crater of Lake Albano. Most of its 50 rooms look onto the lake. On the roof, the roof garden has an outdoor pool with views; below, the Sala Domiziana houses an indoor pool. There is a restaurant, a 24-hour reception and free private parking, something worth its weight in gold in the Castelli.
Who it suits
For making a base in the Castelli Romani: Castel Gandolfo and its papal palace are a few minutes away, Ariccia and Nemi a quarter of an hour by car, Frascati twenty. Also for a quiet first or last night near Ciampino airport. The hotel organises cycling tours around the Castelli, around the lakes of Castel Gandolfo and Nemi and along the Via Appia Antica, with mountain-bike hire and guides, and walking excursions. It is much used for weddings and events, so ask if there is one on the day you go.
Getting there
By car, along the Via Appia Nuova from Rome. Without a car, a regional train from Termini to Castel Gandolfo on the Albano line and a walk to the hotel.
- **Hotel Cacciani** (Small hotel): Sleeping above a historic restaurant
The Hotel Cacciani is in the same building as the family's restaurant, opened in 1922 at Via Armando Diaz, 13, in the centre of Frascati, about 10 km from Rome, according to the hotel. It has 22 renovated panoramic rooms and four more units with a large balcony and a view over Rome and Frascati. There are doubles with a terrace, classic doubles and doubles for single use.
Services
Buffet breakfast is included, with home-made pastries and jams, and is served from 7:30 to 9:00 in the dining room or on the panoramic terrace. Wifi throughout the hotel, free overnight parking, a concierge who books visits and experiences, and the Cacciani restaurant on the ground floor.
Who it suits
For a night in the Castelli without a car: you arrive by train from Termini in half an hour, walk up to the centre and have dinner at home. The next day, Tusculum, Castel Gandolfo or a local winery. If you come by car, the free overnight parking solves the problem of parking in the centre.
### Servicios
- **Regional train Roma Termini – Frascati (FL4)**: Trenitalia regional train on the FL4 line between Roma Termini and Frascati, stopping at Capannelle and Ciampino, in about 30 minutes.
- **Regional train Roma Termini – Castel Gandolfo – Albano (FL4)**: The Albano branch of the FL4 stops at Marino, Castel Gandolfo and Albano Laziale: the car-free way to reach the papal palace and Lake Albano.

## By car: By car: the lakes and the villages in a day
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.
Presupuesto orientativo: 90–180 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Castel Vecchio** (Hotel): An Art Nouveau palace above the lake
The Castel Vecchio is an Art Nouveau building at Viale Pio XI, 23, in Castel Gandolfo, overlooking the crater of Lake Albano. Most of its 50 rooms look onto the lake. On the roof, the roof garden has an outdoor pool with views; below, the Sala Domiziana houses an indoor pool. There is a restaurant, a 24-hour reception and free private parking, something worth its weight in gold in the Castelli.
Who it suits
For making a base in the Castelli Romani: Castel Gandolfo and its papal palace are a few minutes away, Ariccia and Nemi a quarter of an hour by car, Frascati twenty. Also for a quiet first or last night near Ciampino airport. The hotel organises cycling tours around the Castelli, around the lakes of Castel Gandolfo and Nemi and along the Via Appia Antica, with mountain-bike hire and guides, and walking excursions. It is much used for weddings and events, so ask if there is one on the day you go.
Getting there
By car, along the Via Appia Nuova from Rome. Without a car, a regional train from Termini to Castel Gandolfo on the Albano line and a walk to the hotel.
- **Hotel Cacciani** (Small hotel): Sleeping above a historic restaurant
The Hotel Cacciani is in the same building as the family's restaurant, opened in 1922 at Via Armando Diaz, 13, in the centre of Frascati, about 10 km from Rome, according to the hotel. It has 22 renovated panoramic rooms and four more units with a large balcony and a view over Rome and Frascati. There are doubles with a terrace, classic doubles and doubles for single use.
Services
Buffet breakfast is included, with home-made pastries and jams, and is served from 7:30 to 9:00 in the dining room or on the panoramic terrace. Wifi throughout the hotel, free overnight parking, a concierge who books visits and experiences, and the Cacciani restaurant on the ground floor.
Who it suits
For a night in the Castelli without a car: you arrive by train from Termini in half an hour, walk up to the centre and have dinner at home. The next day, Tusculum, Castel Gandolfo or a local winery. If you come by car, the free overnight parking solves the problem of parking in the centre.
- **Merumalia Wine Resort** (Apartment): Four apartments in the vineyard
Merumalia is an organic wine and oil estate in the hills below Frascati, at Vicolo di Prataporci, 8. Its wine resort has only four apartments, created from the renovation of a former farmhouse, so each one is different in size, shape and furniture. All look onto the valley of vineyards and, in the distance, Rome.
What it offers
The house says it is also designed for families with children and for people with reduced mobility, and it allows small animals. On request, they prepare lunches and dinners for guests only, with traditional cooking and local produce. And you are at the winery: the tour with tasting is given by the owners themselves, Giulia and Luigi Fusco.
Getting there
The estate is outside the village, in the countryside between Frascati and Rome: you need a car or taxi. Frascati centre, Tusculum or Castel Gandolfo are a few minutes by road; so is Ciampino, the airport.

## By plane: Fly to Rome and take the train to the Castelli
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.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Hotel Castel Vecchio** (Hotel): An Art Nouveau palace above the lake
The Castel Vecchio is an Art Nouveau building at Viale Pio XI, 23, in Castel Gandolfo, overlooking the crater of Lake Albano. Most of its 50 rooms look onto the lake. On the roof, the roof garden has an outdoor pool with views; below, the Sala Domiziana houses an indoor pool. There is a restaurant, a 24-hour reception and free private parking, something worth its weight in gold in the Castelli.
Who it suits
For making a base in the Castelli Romani: Castel Gandolfo and its papal palace are a few minutes away, Ariccia and Nemi a quarter of an hour by car, Frascati twenty. Also for a quiet first or last night near Ciampino airport. The hotel organises cycling tours around the Castelli, around the lakes of Castel Gandolfo and Nemi and along the Via Appia Antica, with mountain-bike hire and guides, and walking excursions. It is much used for weddings and events, so ask if there is one on the day you go.
Getting there
By car, along the Via Appia Nuova from Rome. Without a car, a regional train from Termini to Castel Gandolfo on the Albano line and a walk to the hotel.
- **Hotel Cacciani** (Small hotel): Sleeping above a historic restaurant
The Hotel Cacciani is in the same building as the family's restaurant, opened in 1922 at Via Armando Diaz, 13, in the centre of Frascati, about 10 km from Rome, according to the hotel. It has 22 renovated panoramic rooms and four more units with a large balcony and a view over Rome and Frascati. There are doubles with a terrace, classic doubles and doubles for single use.
Services
Buffet breakfast is included, with home-made pastries and jams, and is served from 7:30 to 9:00 in the dining room or on the panoramic terrace. Wifi throughout the hotel, free overnight parking, a concierge who books visits and experiences, and the Cacciani restaurant on the ground floor.
Who it suits
For a night in the Castelli without a car: you arrive by train from Termini in half an hour, walk up to the centre and have dinner at home. The next day, Tusculum, Castel Gandolfo or a local winery. If you come by car, the free overnight parking solves the problem of parking in the centre.
- **Merumalia Wine Resort** (Apartment): Four apartments in the vineyard
Merumalia is an organic wine and oil estate in the hills below Frascati, at Vicolo di Prataporci, 8. Its wine resort has only four apartments, created from the renovation of a former farmhouse, so each one is different in size, shape and furniture. All look onto the valley of vineyards and, in the distance, Rome.
What it offers
The house says it is also designed for families with children and for people with reduced mobility, and it allows small animals. On request, they prepare lunches and dinners for guests only, with traditional cooking and local produce. And you are at the winery: the tour with tasting is given by the owners themselves, Giulia and Luigi Fusco.
Getting there
The estate is outside the village, in the countryside between Frascati and Rome: you need a car or taxi. Frascati centre, Tusculum or Castel Gandolfo are a few minutes by road; so is Ciampino, the airport.
### Servicios
- **Regional train Roma Termini – Frascati (FL4)**: Trenitalia regional train on the FL4 line between Roma Termini and Frascati, stopping at Capannelle and Ciampino, in about 30 minutes.
- **Regional train Roma Termini – Castel Gandolfo – Albano (FL4)**: The Albano branch of the FL4 stops at Marino, Castel Gandolfo and Albano Laziale: the car-free way to reach the papal palace and Lake Albano.

## As a family: Ruins to run around, a lake and the pope's palace

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.

### What works best
Tusculum on a Sunday: open ruins, woodland and picnic; free up to age 6

The Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, with a family rate

Nemi: the lake viewpoint and the strawberries

### Where to stay
Hotel Castel Vecchio, with a rooftop pool and an indoor pool

Merumalia, in apartments, also designed for families

### Where to eat
Pizza at Lo Specchio di Diana, in Nemi

Picnic in the Tusculum area

### Good to know
The Nemi ships museum is closed until the end of March 2027

Tusculum only opens at weekends and in winter only to groups

### Qué hacer as a family
- Apostolic Palace and Secret Garden of Castel Gandolfo
- Tusculum Archaeological Park
- Nemi and the viewpoint over its lake

## Consejos

### Check the papal palace calendar
It closes almost all of July and usually closes on Tuesdays; on days when the pope is in residence the hours change.

### Choose train or car from the start
By train, Frascati and Castel Gandolfo. By car, add Ariccia, Nemi and Tusculum.

### Go up to Tusculum on a Sunday
It's when it opens, and it's the best view of all the Castelli.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How do I get from Rome to the Castelli Romani without a car?
On the FL4 regional train from Roma Termini: Frascati in about 30 minutes and Castel Gandolfo on the Albano branch.

### Can you visit the papal palace at Castel Gandolfo?
Yes, by reservation on the Vatican Museums website. It usually closes on Tuesdays and almost all of July.

### Is the Roman ships museum at Nemi open?
No. It's closed for works until 31 March 2027.

### Which Castelli villages should I see in a day?
Castel Gandolfo and Frascati if you go by train; by car, add Ariccia and Nemi.

### What do you eat in the Castelli Romani?
Ariccia porchetta, Roman pasta, mushrooms and game, Nemi strawberries and Frascati white wine.