Private tour castelli romani day trip including castel del paolis winery from rome

Discover beautiful Lazio wine and the Castelli Romani region on this 5-hour private tour from Rome! With a local wine-expert guide, you’ll explore the villages of Frascati, Castel Gandolfo and Aricca, and spend time at Castel del Paolis -- one of the region’s up-and-coming wine estates. Sample their best wine and feast on locally produced meats, cheeses and breads, before heading to a volcanic lake for a stroll. Finish your tour by sampling a local pork speciality called ‘porcetta,’ and then return to Rome.

Leave your Rome hotel by luxury minibus and head out of the city to the wooded hills of Castelli Romani. The name of the area translates as ‘Roman castles,’ but in reality it simply refers to a collection of wine-producing hills just southeast of Rome. Home to 13 villages in total, the area is popular with Romans and visitors alike.

First stop is picturesque Frascati -- the best-known Castelli Romani village, famous for its crisp white wine. Soak up the slower pace of life away from frenetic Rome, and admire views toward the Tyrrhenian Sea from the terraces of Piazzale Marconi. On a clear day you can even see Rome, and the outline of St Peter’s Basilica in the distance.

Continue to Castel Gandolfo – the papal summer residence – and stroll around Lake Albano. This impressive lake is said to have been formed when two volcanic craters overlapped, forming the Lazio’s region’s deepest pool of water.

Next, head to nearby Castel de Paolis wine estate where you'll spend your afternoon. Tour the family run winery, and hear about its advanced winemaking processes has given their wine a burgeoning international reputation. After your tour, amble over to the panoramic terraces that overlook the vineyards and sit down for a tasting session, sampling several of the estate’s beautiful red and white wines including campo vecchio, Frascati superiore and rosathea. Alongside your wine, enjoy a selection of locally produced breads, meats and cheeses.

Leave the winery and head to Lake Nemi, an ancient volcanic lake that’s known locally as Diana’s Mirror – referencing the Roman goddess Diana whose temple once stood here. Stroll around the scenic lake in the shade of the trees that frame it, and then finish with a final visit to the village of Aricca. Relax here, enjoying a plate of porcetta (the region’s famous spit-roast pork) while admiring the village’s Church of the Assumption with its Bernini-designed dome. Then return to Rome, where your tour ends.