where would it be? Venice is out, because of the distance from Rome. A side trip there would take 2 days, unless one flew. But if you had one day trip to make, outside the historical districts of Rome, where would it be?

It depends on what you're interested in doing/seeing, and what time of year it is. In the summer, I'd say get thee to the beach! in order to escape Rome's heat. Although it's a long day, you can do a day-trip to Pompeii from Rome if you want to. (A friend of mine wrote about her tips for making that trip.) There are also some national parks in Abruzzo, the next region to the east from Lazio. What kind of day-trip did you have in mind?

My side trip was Napoli area. Stayed in Sorrento for a few nights (off season, so not complete tourist mania like it supposedly is other times of the year - felt almost small town like). Took in Pompeii and Herculaneum (both towns destroyed by Vesuvius) and an afternoon on Capri.

By train, you still kill maybe 4 or 5 hours each way getting there - to the best of my memory, but it was worth it in my opinion. Capri was absolutely gorgeous - on my list to return to one day. And if you're into history at all, Pompeii/Herc was just amazing.

Florence (Firenze) is two hours by train and a stunning historic city with its great cathedral, old bridge, fantastic art museums (Uffizi and statue of Favid in the Accademia) and glorious architecture. Pompeii is a couple of hours south by train (change at Naples from memory) and is a famous and evocative look at an ancient town "frozen" in time. Also Tivoli is just outside Rome and has some great ruins (if you aren't sick of them) and Villa D'Este (with great fountains in its gardens).

Mark H
Travel Wonders of the World