What to See in Lazio, Italy

Lazio is the central Italian region built around Rome, where ancient history, coastal landscapes, hill towns and traditional food come together. The region is worth visiting for its exceptional succession of historical periods, its varied scenery between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the mountains, and the many different ways to experience its cities and countryside. Neywo offers free audio guides for 4 cities in Lazio, with 1,387 narrated places in total and 13 walking tours.

What to see and do in Lazio

Explore Rome, the historic heart of Lazio

Rome has remained at the center of Lazio’s story through the Roman Republic and Empire, the Papal States, the Kingdom of Italy and the Italian Republic. It is both the regional capital and the capital of Italy, as well as the region’s main destination for art, monuments, religious sites and tourism.

Neywo covers 1,311 narrated places in Rome. Among the highlights are Castel Sant’Angelo, the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls, Trajan’s Column and the Pantheon. Together, they reflect the different layers of the city’s history, from ancient Rome to its religious and civic monuments.

Visit Civitavecchia and its archaeological heritage

On the Tyrrhenian coast, Civitavecchia combines a seaside setting with important traces of Lazio’s past. Its Neywo route includes 8 narrated places, including the Civitavecchia National Archaeological Museum, the Cathedral, Forte Michelangelo and the Terme Taurine.

The city provides a different perspective on the region from Rome: its story is connected with the coast, ancient remains and the defensive architecture that shaped its urban landscape. Discover the city through the Civitavecchia audio guide.

See the villas and monuments of Tivoli

Tivoli lies among the hills east of Rome and is known on Neywo for 15 narrated places. The city’s main highlights include Hadrian’s Villa, Villa d’Este, Rocca Pia and the Cathedral of San Lorenzo Martire.

Its sites bring together grand residences, historic religious architecture and fortifications. Tivoli is one of the best towns to visit in Lazio for travellers interested in the way powerful figures and institutions shaped the region beyond Rome. The Tivoli audio guide helps place each monument in its wider setting.

Discover medieval Viterbo

Viterbo offers another side of Lazio’s history, with 53 narrated places available through Neywo. The Palazzo dei Papi di Viterbo, Viterbo Cathedral, the Fontana di Piazza del Gesù and Sant’Angelo in Spatha are among the city’s principal places to discover.

The city belongs to the medieval story of the region, when Lazio was shaped by struggles between powers and by Rome’s continuing importance. Its monuments make Viterbo a useful stop for seeing how the region’s history extends beyond the ancient capital. Follow the Viterbo audio guide as you walk through the city.

Experience Lazio’s changing landscapes

Lazio spreads from the Tyrrhenian Sea across coastal plains, hills, mountains and inland valleys. The coast is largely sandy, with the headlands of Cape Circeo and Gaeta, while the Pontine Islands lie offshore. Near Civitavecchia, the Tolfa Mountains interrupt the coastal plain of the Maremma Laziale.

Around Rome, the Roman Campagna forms a vast alluvial plain. Farther inland, the landscape becomes hillier and more mountainous. This variety is one of the region’s defining features: a journey through Lazio can move between sea, plain, hill and mountain without leaving the same region.

The climate changes with the terrain. The coast has Mediterranean conditions, with mild winters and warmer summers, while inland areas are more continental. Hill winters can be cold, particularly at night. Rome has more sunshine and clear days than any other regional capital city in Italy.

Taste traditional food from Lazio

Lazio’s cuisine draws on farming and herding, with vegetables, pasta, herbs and meat at its core. Guanciale—a salted, unsmoked cut from the pig’s cheek—is a characteristic ingredient in several local sauces. It is firmer and more strongly flavoured than pancetta.

Traditional dishes include saltimbocca alla romana, prepared with veal, prosciutto and sage, and abbacchio alla romana, roasted lamb seasoned with garlic, rosemary, pepper and chopped prosciutto. Local cooking also uses mentuccia with artichokes and mushrooms, while menta romana is paired with lamb and tripe.

Sheep and buffalo provide milk for pecorino romano and mozzarella di bufala. Agriculture remains important across the region, with wine grapes, fruit, vegetables and olives. Kiwifruit and hazelnuts are particularly significant crops, and most Lazio wine is white.

Understand Lazio’s long history

The region’s name comes from Latium, the land of the Latini, whose language was Latin and was passed on to ancient Rome. In remote antiquity, Latium was a smaller territory between the lower Tiber, the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Sabine Mountains and the Pontine Marshes. One proposed explanation for the name connects it with latus, the Latin word for “wide”, perhaps referring to the area’s flat or gently rolling land.

Lazio later expanded beyond the original Latin lands. Under Emperor Augustus, the territory of present-day Lazio was divided among several of Italy’s eleven regions. After the Gothic conquest and the war between the Byzantines and the Goths, it became part of the Eastern Emperor’s possessions as the Duchy of Rome. Conflict with the Longobards weakened the area, but Rome continued to anchor its political and cultural history.

Today, Lazio combines that long past with modern economic and industrial activity. Rome remains central to public services, international trade, industry and tourism. Agriculture, crafts, animal husbandry and fishing continue alongside industries including pharmaceuticals, hygiene goods and medical products. In Colleferro, Avio works on propulsion systems for launch vehicles and tactical uses.

Explore Lazio with Neywo

Download Neywo to explore Lazio with a free audio guide covering 4 cities, 1,387 narrated places and 13 walking tours. Narration is available in 11 languages.

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace. There is no group and no schedule: walk independently through Rome, Civitavecchia, Tivoli or Viterbo, and listen as the places around you become part of the journey. For more destinations across the country, continue with the Italy travel guide.