Pocket city guide : Santa Marinella

Santa Marinella, Lazio, Italy

Tired of the touristic side of Rome?
Are you looking for some non-touristic places around the eternal city and to experience how the "real" italians live?
Well, keep on reading this blog, in the "Places" section.

My house in Santa Marinella

I'll tell you about all the less known places around Rome that can be easily reached in 1 hour and that are perfect for getting in touch with the "real" italian mood and history.

I will start with Santa Marinella. The place where I live.
It is known as the Tirrenian Pearl, (yes, there are lot of Tirrenian Perals in Italy, but this is the original one) a cosy village by the sea.

Where is it.
It is 50 Km north of Rome, on the via Aurelia and it has good connection by train.
So, if you are tired of Rome and you want to go to the beach you can take a train from Termini Station and in 50 mins you'll be in the Santa Marinella very central beach. That's it. Easy, isn't it?

What to see.
The Medieval Castle of Santa Severa is a beautiful castle on the beach. There is a nice sea museum inside and it's open all the year.

In the city center you will also find the characteristic fishermen's port, where you can eat also good fish in the local small restaurants. (ask me if you want the name of good ones).

During the summer, you can go to the beach in the city center. It's nice, small, quiet and close to the city train station.

How to reach it.
By car from Rome :
Between Roma and Santa Marinella, better use the motorway A12 or the Aurelia way; similarly, if coming from the North, avoid crossing Civitavecchia on the Aurelia. Inside the village, there is not much way to get lost: just follow the Aurelia up to the main square (Piazza Civitavecchia)
By train

By Train from Rome :
Train schedules are available on www.trenitalia.it
NOTE: if you deal with an automatic machine, the name should be spelled as "S. Marinella" (with a space after the dot)
Santa Marinella is conveniently located on the main train line between Roma and Pisa.
All regional (R) and interregional (IR) trains stop in SM. The intercity (IC) and eurostar (ES) trains do not stop in SM, but stop in the nearby (10km) station of Civitavecchia; this might be an option if you come by train from the north.