Temperatures soar, the tarmac shimmers and the buildings glare in the sun. Yet less than an hour and a half by car from Rome, there are shady corridors, freezing streams and trails where the heat simply fades away. There is no need for epic journeys or eye-watering costs: just pick the right time of day, fill your water bottles and head for the right spots for an easy trip from Rome. Here are five destinations in Lazio that genuinely work when Rome is gasping in the heat.
Monti Lucretili, Licenza: Giardino dei 5 Sensi and stream
In the greenery east of Rome, the Giardino dei 5 Sensi (Garden of the Five Senses) offers a break from the city heat. You stroll along pushchair-friendly paths, past beds of aromatic herbs, and can have lunch on a well-kept lawn with benches, wooden tables and a fountain to refill water bottles.
