Published on: 17 April 2014  | Last updated: 24 December 2019

Overview

This tour takes you for 344 kilometres along the coast of Lazio from the border with Toscana to the border with Campania where you are within easy reach of Napoli.

The highlights of the northern Lazio coast are undoubtedly the UNESCO-listed Etruscan sites at Cerveteri and Tarquinia (unesco.org). These really are some of the most important and inter­esting ancient sites in all of Italy.

At the midpoint of the route is Ostia. Ostia is a small city in its own right, with a speedy metro rail connection into Roma. Just outside is Ostia Antica, the remains of the ancient port city, the remains are as extensive as the remains at Pompei.

Ostia itself is worth consid­ering as a base for visiting Roma.

I would allow a good half day each for visiting each of the sites. If you were really in a hurry and took the most direct options, bypassing Tarquinia and Cerveteri you could perhaps complete the northern section in one long day.

The southern part of the coast, after Anzio, offers a long stretch of unspoilt coastline, for my money is one of the nicest parts of the Italian coast. The scenery isn’t dramatic but it’s never­theless a great ride. As far as the town of Sabaudia. Once past Sabaudia the landscape and the feel of the area starts to change: you very much start to feel that you are in the south. The coastline becomes rockier and more dramatic. There are also the atmospheric and historic towns of Terracina, Sperlonga, Gaeta and Minturno.

Map and altitude profile

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Lazio Coast Distances Table
Chiarone Scalo to Marina di Minturno	344kms
Chiarone Scalo to Tarquinia	38.5kms
Tarquinia to Civitavecchia	25.5kms
Civitavecchia to Cerveteri	38kms
Cerveteri to Fiumicino (town)	40.5kms
Fiumicino to Ostia	14kms
Ostia to Anzio	47kms
Anzio to Sabaudia	46kms
Sabaudia to Terracina	29kms
Terracina to Marina di Minturno	51.5kms

Options

The main attrac­tions of the northern section of the route are the sites at Cerveteri and Tarquinia - the coast itself isn’t partic­u­larly inter­esting. If you want a scenic route through Lazio I would go via the Lago di Bracciano and the Lago di Bolsena. The coastal route is less hilly than the inland route and passes close to the airport at Fiumicino so you might option for this route if you have a plane to catch - or altern­at­ively if you’ve just arrived and looking for a convenient route north. The download package includes the more direct options for those in a hurry.

If you are heading south the other major option is to head inland and then go via the Lago di Bolsena and the Lago di Bracciano to Rome and from Rome follow the Ciclopista del Sole (Eurovelo 7) to the coast at Terracina.

If you are heading north, you could link this route with the Tuscan Coast tour, or you could head inland, picking up the Gran Tour della Maremma at Capalbio.

The Tuscan Coast tour in turn links with the route Cycling the Liguria Coast. So you could combine the three together - and indeed continue along the coast to Napoli and beyond. However, I’d recommend planning your tour to take in some of the inland areas for a more variety.

When to go

The best times would be May, June, July and September. Bear in mind that the seaside resorts within reach of Roma will be busy at weekends and during the peak holiday season. 

Articles in this series

• Cycling the Lazio Coast 1: Tarquinia and Civitavecchia
• Cycling the Lazio Coast 2: Cerveteri and Ostia Antica
• Cycling the Lazio Coast 3: Anzio and Sabaudia
• Cycling the Lazio Coast 4: the Riviera di Ulisse