Daytrip: foliage hunting around Rome

Climate change is a very divisive subject, but whatever your thoughts on the matter you must have certainly noticed how the weather has indeed changed a lot around where you live: perhaps there are more wildfires, or more floods, or seasons are shorter. Here is some proof when it comes to Rome: summers are hotter and last longer, and for this very reason leaves start to yellow and fall way later than they used to. So this is why photography lovers looking to do some leaf peeping sometimes have seen their plans disrupted by the milder autumnal season.

We held onto this post for exactly this reason: had we published this too early in November, you wouldn’t have been able to find any spectacular set of colours in the woods around the city!

This article also comes with a caveat: temperatures are going down fast, so there’s a very small window to really enjoy some foliage. In the event you can’t make it, bookmark this post and come back to it next year, as you plan your next travels to Rome!

Without any further ado, here’s some woods and forests around the Eternal City deserving of a visit if you’re after dramatic palettes and photogenic changes in color. Some are more difficult to get to if you don’t have any trekking experience so we recommend researching on Google before you decide for a specific destination. This includes looking for pictures, location or the weather report for the day when you intend to go!

The beech forest (“Faggeta”) in Oriolo Romano

Basically at the border between the provinces of Roma and Viterbo, this beech forest has sat undisturbed for a number of centuries, so much so that the UNESCO named it a heritage site because of its ecological worth. The entrance of this area is easily reachable from the train station at Oriolo Romano, one of the stops down the FL3 line departing from Roma Tiburtina/Roma Ostiense and calling at Roma Trastevere, Roma San Pietro or Valle Aurelia (among others). This forest is part of the Parco di Bracciano e Martignano.

The Valle del Treja, by Calcata

No easy public transport commute will take you to Calcata, but this hamlet is so popular many tourist agencies set up daytrips to here. A village that was made habitable again by a diverse community of artists, it shares the same appearance as Civita di Bagnoregio or Orvieto, with the added bonus of being surrounded by woods. The Valle del Treja (“Treja valley”, after the creek with the same name) sits below Calcata, which was another recommended day trip for us, here.

The Monti Cimini area, by Viterbo

As you get closer and closer to Viterbo (either by train or, better yet, by car), north of Rome, you’ll start noticing a change in colours around the wooden areas on the horizon: this means you’re getting closer to the Monti Cimini area, the hills dominating the landscape around these parts. Explore them around Lake Vico, or plan a hike to the Eremo di San Girolamo (a religious retreat) by the small town of Vetralla.

Valle del Vezza, by Vitorchiano

Close to another of our day trip destinations, this is another valley standing at the base of yet another perched village in the area around Viterbo. Vitorchiano deserves a visit anyway, for being the only place outside of Rapa Nui to be the home of a moai that was not looted from the island.

Foliage in the city: Villa Ada

For those who can’t hike or do not have a vehicle handy, do consider a visit to one of Rome’s larger parks, like Villa Ada, which is easily reachable from the city center and spans for miles. Feeling lazy? Try the Botanical Gardens in Trastevere!