# Day trip from Rome to Subiaco: St Benedict's monasteries and the Aniene river

An hour from Rome on the A24: the monastery hanging from the Sacro Speco, lunch in the Benedictine guesthouse, Santa Scolastica and the afternoon on the Aniene river.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/lazio/subiaco/itineraries/rome-subiaco-st-benedict-monasteries-day-trip · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 08:00 · Salida: 1 h by car (A24 to Vicovaro-Mandela and the Tiburtina; without a car, Cotral from Ponte Mammolo)
- 09:15 · Monastery of San Benedetto, the Sacro Speco (Rock churches, St Benedict's cave and the portrait of St Francis · 1 h 15 · with a guide)
  - 10 min on foot
- 11:00 · Monastery of Santa Scolastica (The three cloisters · 1 h · accompanied visit until 12:15)
  - 2 min on foot
- 12:30 · Restaurant of the Foresteria of Santa Scolastica (Home cooking in the monks' dining room · € · book by phone) · Restaurant of the Foresteria of Santa Scolastica, €
  - 10 min by car, 4 km
- 15:00 · Rafting on the Aniene river from Subiaco (5 km soft rafting · 1 h 30 · from €25 · booking) · Vivere l'Aniene, From €25 per person
  - 15 min on foot
- 17:00 · Subiaco: the old town, the Rocca and St Francis's Bridge (The medieval bridge over the Aniene before heading back)
- 17:45 · Vuelta (About an hour to Rome)

Subiaco joins the spiritual and the physical in one day. In the morning, the two monasteries of St Benedict: the Sacro Speco, built over the cave where the saint lived and hanging from a rock wall, and Santa Scolastica, with its three cloisters. At midday, lunch in the monks' guesthouse. And in the afternoon, the Aniene river by raft, or a walk to the medieval bridge.

## The day, hour by hour

8:00 · Leave Rome. A24 motorway to Vicovaro-Mandela and the Tiburtina, about an hour. Without a car, a Cotral bus from Ponte Mammolo, about an hour and a half.

9:15 · The Sacro Speco. Park at the foot of the monastery and climb the path between holm oaks, ten minutes. You enter accompanied by a guide: superimposed churches covered in frescoes, St Benedict's cave and the portrait of St Francis in the chapel of San Gregorio. It opens at 9:00 and the last morning admission is at 12:00.

11:00 · Santa Scolastica. A few hundred metres further down. The accompanied visit is open from 9:30 to 12:15: the Renaissance, Gothic and Cosmatesque cloisters, and the story of Italy's first printing press.

12:30 · Lunch at the foresteria. The dining room of the Benedictine guesthouse, next to the monastery, open also to those who are not staying. It does not publish opening hours: book by phone.

15:00 · Rafting on the Aniene. With Vivere l'Aniene, in the village: 5 km of soft rafting, an hour and a half, from €25. You do not need to be able to swim and children from 2 or 3 years old take part. Book beforehand.

17:00 · The bridge of San Francesco. A short walk to the medieval bridge over the Aniene before heading back.

17:45 · Return. About an hour to Rome.

## What if it is a Sunday?

On Sunday morning part of the Sacro Speco is closed for Mass. Go first to Santa Scolastica, to the 10:00 Mass with Gregorian chant or to the visit afterwards, and leave the Sacro Speco for the afternoon, when it reopens at 15:00. The rafting, in the morning.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
About an hour from Rome on the A24 and the Tiburtina. Parking at the foot of the Sacro Speco.

### Without a car
Cotral bus from Ponte Mammolo, on metro line B, about an hour and a half. In Subiaco, a taxi to the monasteries.

## Consejos

### Book the rafting and lunch
Both fill up at weekends.

### Comfortable shoes
The path to the Sacro Speco and the old town have slopes.

## Un consejo más

### If it rains
The monasteries can be seen just the same; swap the rafting for the old town and the Rocca.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How do I get from Rome to Subiaco?
By car, about an hour on the A24; by Cotral bus from Ponte Mammolo, an hour and a half.

### Can you see both monasteries in one morning?
Yes, starting at 9:00 at the Sacro Speco.

### Can children go rafting?
Yes, soft rafting admits children from 2 or 3 years old.

### Where do you eat?
At the foresteria of the Santa Scolastica monastery, with a booking.