The remnants of ancient Tusculum lie littered on a hilltop a few kilometres outside Frascati – you'll need a car to get to the site. The main ruins of this once-imposing 4th-century BC town – namely a small amphitheatre and crumbling villa – are enclosed in an archaeological area (visitable by guided tour), but you're free to walk around the grassy hilltop and enjoy the views.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Villa Aldobrandini Gardens

1.47 MILES

Looming over Frascati's main square, Villa Aldobrandini is a haughty 16th-century villa designed by Giacomo della Porta and built by Carlo Maderno. It's…

2. Scuderie Aldobrandini

1.62 MILES

The former stables of Villa Aldobrandini, restored by architect Massimiliano Fuksas, house Frascati's single museum of note, the Museo Tuscolano…

3. Cattedrale di San Pietro

1.66 MILES

Frascati is a long way from Scotland but it's here, in the town's 16th-century cathedral, that the heart of Charles Edward Stuart, aka Bonnie Prince…

4. Abbazia Greca di San Nilo

2.43 MILES

Grottaferrata's fortified monastery, the last of the Byzantine-Greek abbeys that once dotted medieval Italy, was founded in 1004. The walls and…

5. Lago Albano

4.14 MILES

The larger and more developed of the Castelli's two volcanic lakes – the other is Lago di Nemi – Lago Albano is set in a steeply banked wooded crater. It…

6. Palazzo Apostolico

4.72 MILES

Dominating Castel Gandolfo's skyline, the 17th-century Palazzo Apostolico was the pope's traditional summer residence. However, since 2016 it has been…

7. Giardini di Villa Barberini

4.75 MILES

For centuries a closed world, the papal gardens at Castel Gandolfo can now be visited, albeit accompanied and in groups. The regular one-hour tour…

8. Museo delle Navi Romane

5.29 MILES

This museum on the shores of Lago di Nemi was built by Mussolini to house two Roman boats salvaged from the lake in 1932. These dated from Caligula’s time…