Tivoli in Rome's Sabine hills is the Villa d'Este town with the Sabine farmhouse cuisine: castagnaccio (chestnut cake), pasta carbonara, lamb dishes and the Sabina DOP olive oil cooperatives.
Tip: Combine Villa d'Este with lunch at Trattoria del Falcone. The Sabine olive oil cooperative shop is the take-home buy.
Orvieto in Umbria, 1 hour 20 minutes from Rome by train, is the medieval hill town with the Orvieto DOC white wine, umbrichelli al tartufo and the underground Etruscan caves of Pozzo della Cava.
Tip: Funicolare from the train station up to the old town; lunch at Trattoria La Palomba for umbrichelli al tartufo.
Viterbo in Lazio's Tuscia region is the hazelnut-and-acquacotta capital, with the Nocciola Romana DOP and the medieval acquacotta tomato-and-bread soup served at Vecchia Tuscia and La Loggia.
Tip: Lunch at La Loggia for the acquacotta and the porchetta. Take a bag of Nocciola Romana hazelnuts home from the producers.
Sperlonga on Lazio's Tyrrhenian coast 1.5 hours from Rome is the white-house fishing town with the day's catch at trattorie like Gli Archi, fresh anchovies and the Tiberio Imperial villa.
Tip: Easier as a summer day trip (June-September) when the beach is open. Lunch at Gli Archi for the spaghetti alle vongole.
Civita di Bagnoregio in Lazio's Tuscia region is the medieval volcanic-tuff hilltop town reached by footbridge, with Tuscia hilltop cucina including lamb, fresh pasta and the local Aleatico wine.
Tip: Half-day trip combined with Orvieto. Lunch at L'Antico Forno for the local pasta and lamb dishes.
Ariccia in Rome's Castelli Romani hills is the home of porchetta: slow-roasted herb-stuffed pork, served as a sandwich with rosetta bread and salt. The Sagra della Porchetta runs each September.
Tip: Half-day trip; lunch at one of the porchetta stalls under the Piazza di Corte loggia. Tickets €5-€8 for sandwich.
Frascati in Rome's Castelli Romani is the historic Frascati DOC white wine town, with cantine like Castel de Paolis and Fontana Candida open for cellar tours and lunch at trattorie Cacciani.
Tip: Book a 10:00 train and 14:00 cellar tour. Lunch at Cacciani is the Roman-day-trip institution; tastings €5 each.