I escaped the crowds of tourists in Rome by taking a cheap day trip to a dreamy lakeside town just an hour away

My husband and I took a day trip to Bracciano when we were in Italy. Timothy Moore

• My husband and I really enjoyed our trip to Rome, but we wanted a less-touristy Italian adventure.
• We spent one of our last days in Rome enjoying the beach and a castle in a town called Bracciano.

During a 25-day trip to Italy, my husband and I spent six nights in Rome.

By the end of our time in the city, I would've done almost anything to escape the crowds.

Luckily, our tour guide for the Vatican told us about the less-populated lakeside town of Bracciano, just an hour's train ride away.

For our last full day in Rome, we packed a bag, hopped on a train, and got outside the city limits to explore something a little slower-paced.