Civitavechhia - What to do OTHER THAN ROME?

[Cruisin'Jenny2]

Our ship stops in Civitavecchia 7am-5pm on Saturday, 17 November 2012. We have been to Rome many times and don't wish to fight traffic going again. We've also visited Tarquinia and Tuscania before.

 

We've got a car rental reserved for pick up at the port, and are considering driving north to Civita di Bagnoregio and Orvieto. Has anyone been to these towns out of Civitavecchia? How long is the drive? How was the hike to Civita? What is there to do in Orvieto besides sample wine? Any restaurant recommendations?

 

We are very adventurous and are willing to drive, train, hike - or do whatever it takes to see new places. We sightsee "at the speed of light" and generally can't tolerate the snail's pace of ship tours.

 

Does anyone have alternate suggestions for a Civitavecchia stop?

 

Thanks.

 

Jen

[KirkNC]

Our ship stops in Civitavecchia 7am-5pm on Saturday' date=' 17 November 2012. We have been to Rome many times and don't wish to fight traffic going again. We've also visited Tarquinia and Tuscania before.

 

We've got a car rental reserved for pick up at the port, and are considering driving north to Civita di Bagnoregio and Orvieto. Has anyone been to these towns out of Civitavecchia? How long is the drive? How was the hike to Civita? What is there to do in Orvieto besides sample wine? Any restaurant recommendations?

 

We are very adventurous and are willing to drive, train, hike - or do whatever it takes to see new places. We sightsee "at the speed of light" and generally can't tolerate the snail's pace of ship tours.

 

Does anyone have alternate suggestions for a Civitavecchia stop?

 

Thanks.

 

Jen[/quote']

 

We are having this issue for our Jul 2013 cruise as we are there on a Sunday and many things we want to see again are closed . What we are doing is going to Ostia Antica south of Rome. You do have to ride the train to Rome, make a switch to another train to Ostia Antica, total of around 1:45 minutes travel time.

[Crusin6]

Ceri...ceveteri..lake bracciano..ostia..the etruscans..orvieto

[Crusin6]

We are having this issue for our Jul 2013 cruise as we are there on a Sunday and many things we want to see again are closed . What we are doing is going to Ostia Antica south of Rome. You do have to ride the train to Rome, make a switch to another train to Ostia Antica, total of around 1:45 minutes travel time.

 

Other than the vatican museums..what else is closed? St. Peters...the colesium..most museums..all churches ..castal st angelo..all piazzas....parks..spanish steps...piazza navona..the pantheon.the foroum..are open

[Margarita Jane]

We did the exact trip you are considering in 2008. We rented a car and drove to Civita di Bagnoregio and Orvieto. I don't remember how long it took, but I would have remembered if we were stressed for time. There is not a lot of parking near the bridge to Civita di Bagnoregio, but the cars are small and we managed to find a spot. We walk a lot and work out, but the walk up was not easy. But when you see the older Italians walking up, you figure you can do this, too. I would not try it if I had mobility issues.

 

When we got to Orvieto, the Cathedral was closed for some reason - we had not checked in advance.

 

We enjoyed seeing the countryside and I remember we stopped at another town - don't remember the name- on the way back to the port. I was amazed at the aquaduct ruins we saw in the countryside.

 

~ Jane

[Hlitner]

Driving to Orvieto and Civita are a very good option. Some other options would be driving to Ostia Antica (a few minutes from FCO) or driving to Tivoli (a great day trip).

 

Hank

[wristband]

Consider Viterbo. Well preserved midevil city, like York & Lucca, Etruscan landmark, good musuem, nice atmosphere, much closer to the port than others.

 

Agree with the comment about walking over the bridge and then around Civita B. The place is a smelly, dirty dump. Ignore the hyper ventilating by Rick Steves.

 

Orvieto is beautiful, plenty of parking at the base of the town, great restaurants, plenty to see should the the Duomo is closed. Walk the walls for great views, check out the daily out door market, a number of important and beautiful landmarks in the town and of course the interior of the Duomo is a must.

 

You could drive over to Todi, Spello or Bevagna (or Amelia & Narni) for a late lunch. The Umbrian restaurant in Todi center boasts unbelievable views of the countryside from its unusual aerie perch. These are lovely Umbrian towns not far from Orvieto. Stop at the Roman ruins at Carsulae - more poignant than schlepping in/out by Lido train to Ostia and Carsulae is smack dab on your way to Carsulae.

 

Caution: distances in kilometers/miles on the map do not translate into comparabble driving time in the US. Roads in Tuscany and Umbria are often two lane blacktop (good condition) and twisting and slow. Very safe, very interesting but double your initial estimate on the drive time to/from the port.