Lazio, Italy — Towns & Travel Guide

What is Lazio known for?

Rome sits roughly at the centre of Lazio, and it draws most first visits. The region rewards travellers even apart from the capital, with many cities, several lakes, and long stretches of open country for hill walks. The coast runs as near-continuous beach.

Fish restaurants line much of it. North-south communications across central Italy are good, so moving between the coast, the capital, and the inland hills is straightforward.

Where is Lazio?

Lazio lies across the central part of the Italian peninsula, with Rome set roughly in the middle of the region and reachable from almost any corner of it. The capital anchors the whole region. Inland, the ground rises into hills and open country, and several lakes sit among the higher terrain.

From there the land slopes westward toward the sea. The scenery shifts quickly with the gradient. The coastline is almost entirely beach, a long run of sand rather than cliff or rock, and hundreds of fish restaurants stand along it.

Walking country reaches close to the shore. Quiet lakes give an inland alternative to the busier beaches. Because routes through central Italy run mainly north to south, travelling the length of Lazio is straightforward, while crossing it from coast to interior takes longer.

Many cities and towns spread through the region beyond Rome. Each keeps something of its own. The whole of it would repay a visit even without the capital.

What is Lazio like?

Rome shapes life across Lazio. As the capital of both the region and the country, it concentrates national government and draws visitors in a way no other Italian region quite matches, and its pull reaches well beyond the city limits. Yet the region keeps a life apart from the capital.

Many cities across Lazio hold distinct characters of their own. Food leans on the sea. Along the coast, hundreds of fish restaurants set the tone of an evening, and the day's catch shapes most menus.

Inland, walking in the hills and open country is part of the rhythm too. The scenery is the draw as much as any single town. In economic weight Lazio ranks second among Italy's regions, behind Lombardy alone.

Even so, the appeal spreads far wider than Rome.

What is the history of Lazio?

The Latin name for this part of Italy is Latium. Rome stands at its centre, and the city that became the capital of Italy has shaped the surrounding country for far longer than the modern region has existed. As an administrative unit, Lazio is a recent creation.

It took its present form as one of the country's regions in 1970. Through the centuries before and since, Rome has stayed the focus of the whole area.

What is the climate of Lazio?

The weather across Lazio keeps to a temperate rhythm. The coast runs warmer and drier than the hill country inland, a contrast the region owes to its place in central Italy and the rise of the land away from the sea. Summer suits the beaches best.

The walking country inland stays cooler through the warmer months. Lakes and higher ground offer relief from the heat of the shore.

How do you get to Lazio?

Rome is the way in. At the centre of the region, the capital gathers the main connections, and the rest of Lazio opens up from it by road and rail. Communications across central Italy are good, and they run best from north to south.

Travelling the length of Lazio is simple. Crossing from the coast to the inland hills takes a little longer.