Italy Guide
Lazio
Beyond Rome, the region of Lazio inevitably pales in comparison, with relatively few centres of note. Much, however, can easily be seen on a day-trip from the capital, not least the ancient sites of Ostia Antica and the Roman Emperor Hadrian's villa at Tivoli – two of the area's most important ancient sites. Further afield, in the north of Lazio, the Etruscan sites of Tarquinia and Cerveteri provide the most obvious tourist focus, and are again just about visitable on a day-trip, but you'd do better to use the pleasant provincial town of Viterbo as a base. Romans, meanwhile, head out at weekends to soak up the gentle beauty of lakes Bracciano, Vico and Bolsena. The south arguably holds Lazio's most appealing enclaves. The coast is home to unpretentious resorts like Terracina and Sperlonga – relatively unknown outside Italy; and the island of Ponza, accessible from Terracina and Formia, further down the coast, is out of season at least one of the most alluring spots on the entire western seaboard.