For a Half Day

Ostia Antica: A 40-minute train ride from Piramide station or a pleasant drive along Via del Mare is Ostia Antica - Imperial Rome's main port from the second to ninth centuries AD. It was founded in the seventh century BC by King Ancus Marcius, but silting gradually saw it fall into disuse, and it lay abandoned until excavations in the 19th century. The shoreline has now withdrawn 3km (2 miles) away to the present Lido di Ostia. Some of the ruins are in remarkable condition, and it's easy to conjure up the former thriving town and the day-to-day lives of its inhabitants, for example, the bar, Thermopiliu, with its wide marble counter and fresco depicting food, feels like the direct ancestor of a contemporary Italian bar. The main artery of the site, the Decumanus Maximus, leads to an amphitheatre with fantastic acoustics, which is perfect for a peaceful picnic. Mosaics at the Forum of the Corporations depict the produce sold or trade practised. Temples to a host of deities summon up the spiritual life, while communal latrines evoke more mundane activities. The museum displays coins, glassware and statues. The site (Viale dei Romagnoli 717, tel: 06 5635 2830; www.ostiaantica.net) is open Tues-Sun 0830-1900 (last entry at 1800) Apr-Oct, Tues-Sun 0830-1700 (last entry at 1600) Nov-Feb, and Tues-Sun 0830-1800 (last entry at 1700) in Mar.

For a Whole Day

Tivoli: A 20km (12.5 mile) drive east of Rome (along the A24) lies the hilltop town of Tivoli. Alternatively, travellers can take a Cotral bus from Ponte Mammolo metro stop or a train from Tiburtina station. Only some of the Cotral buses stop at Hadrian's Villa so be sure to ask first. From Tivoli train station, take local shuttle bus 4 or 4X to reach Hadrian's Villa.

Conquered by the Romans in 338BC, the town became the prized spot upon which to build luxurious villas and homes for wealthy families. The Villa d'Este (tel: 0445 230 310; www.villadestetivoli.info), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one such folly, converted  from a Benedictine monastery in 1550, into a summer villa, according to the whim of art patron Cardinal Ippolito d'Este (son of Lucrezia Borgia). The state apartment is decorated with the swirling frescoes and paintings of Correggio, Da Volterra and Perrin del Vaga, while outside are vast Renaissance gardens filled with extravagant fountains, one of which is designed to echo bird calls, and the Fontana dell'Organo Idraulico, which imitated the organ's burblings.

Equally fantastical but considerably more ancient, is the Villa Adriana (Hadrian's Villa) (tel: 06 3996 7900; www.pierreci.it), which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's more like a village than a villa, a massive complex, of which enough ruins, fountains and statues remain to evoke the splendour of its past. Constructions such as Canopus fountain (with its sturdy columns and statues overlooking a central pool) made this an escapist country retreat for Rome's great military campaigner. It is thought that his favourite spot was the tiny island, cut off completely from the surrounding man-made pool (Teatro Marittimo) by an ingenious retractable bridge.

The standard opening hours for Villa Adriana are 0900-1900 April & Sept, to 1930 May-Aug, to 1830 Mar & Oct, to 1800 Feb and to 1700 Jan, Nov & Dec, while for Villa d'Este they are 0830 to one hour before dusk.