Bordered by the Tyrrhenian Sea, Latium's capital Rome (Roma) and the sovereign Vatican State, account for the region's, and indeed country's, largest number of visitors—lured by the staggering number of attractions within each. But outside of Rome's famous Colosseum and the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, Latium (Lazio) provides many attractions worth the wander from these busy centres.

Firstly, there is the coast, littered with beaches worthy of any sun-seeker or beach-comber. Tivoli, a quick day trip east of Rome, was made popular as a Roman resort town. Hadrian's Villa (Villa Hadriana), was built by its namesake, Emperor Hadrian, in the 2nd century A.D., and is almost a town in itself, once comprising more than 30 buildings, a pool, an artificial grotto and temples. Nearby, Villa d'Este is celebrated for its lavish gardens and grand fountains. Historians can trace the path of the mysterious Etruscans, who left markers of their existence and culture along the Tyrrhenian coastline, stretching north from Cerveteri to Tarquinia. Northwest of Rome, Viterbo is an important medieval centre and was once home to the popes, whose former residences' now play host to tourists. Located only 3 km (2 mi) west of Viterbo, the hot sulphur baths of the Therme dei Papi are a soothing retreat.