Things to do at civitavecchia cruise port

[worldlady]

My husband and I have both been to Rome several times and with Rome being one of our ports on upcoming cruise we would like something to do at the port itself. Is there an actual city with things to see and do? Everything just refers to Rome. Thanks for any advice.

[cruisemom42]

Civitavecchia offers very little in the way of sightseeing.

 

You could consider taking a bus to nearby Tarquinia, a charming medieval town with a world-class Etruscan museum and just outside the city (accessible via a shuttle from near the museum) are the magnificent painted Etruscan tombs.

 

Otherwise you'd have to range further afield to find much.

 

[majmaj4]

That museum looks great.  When I put it in google maps I am only seeing 1 bus a day.  
 

is that correct or am I doing something wrong?

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, majmaj4 said:

That museum looks great.  When I put it in google maps I am only seeing 1 bus a day.  
 

is that correct or am I doing something wrong?

 

Google has a habit of using the time where YOU are to show upcoming buses. Adjust the time parameter to local for Italy and you should see more options.

[majmaj4]

26 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Google has a habit of using the time where YOU are to show upcoming buses. Adjust the time parameter to local for Italy and you should see more options.

Thanks, I am familiar with that behavior and had already adjusted the time.  But maybe I am doing something else wrong.  Is the shuttle your are talking about the one from the port to the train station or something else?

[cruisemom42]

59 minutes ago, majmaj4 said:

Thanks, I am familiar with that behavior and had already adjusted the time.  But maybe I am doing something else wrong.  Is the shuttle your are talking about the one from the port to the train station or something else?

 

No -- once you are in Tarquinia, there is a local bus depot just about a half a block or so from the Etruscan museum. At that depot there is a local bus or shuttle (not sure what it is officially called) that takes you to the nearby cemetery where the painted tombs are. The museum can provide you with specific info.

 

Regarding the the transportation by bus from Civi, not sure what endpoints you're inputting. When I tried just now (randomly picked a 10:00 am departure time) this is what I see:

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by cruisemom42

[euro cruiser]

Google is a good starting point but it's impossible for them to be up to date with every bus, in every city and town across the known world, so I always like to check the provider's website if possible.

 

The provider in this case is Cotral and their website is awful, but I've fought with it enough over the years to have at least a marginal understanding of it.  

 

The bus stop called Porto is on Via XVI Settembre, just north of Via Cadorna.   Cotral runs about one bus per hour to Tarquinia from this stop.

 

Looking at a weekday morning this week, there are buses at 7:56, 9:21, 10:06, 11:03, 12:06.  Travel time is between 24 - 29 minutes, so I'm not sure what google is finding, possibly connections?

 

Cotral. (cotralspa.it)

Edited July 2, 2023 by euro cruiser

[cruisemom42]

12 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

Google is a good starting point but it's impossible for them to be up to date with every bus, in every city and town across the known world, so I always like to check the provider's website if possible.

 

The provider in this case is Cotral and their website is awful, but I've fought with it enough over the years to have at least a marginal understanding of it.  

 

The bus stop called Porto is on Via XVI Settembre, just north of Via Cadorna.   Cotral runs about one bus per hour to Tarquinia from this stop.

 

Looking at a weekday morning this week, there are buses at 7:56, 9:21, 10:06, 11:03, 12:06.  Travel time is between 24 - 29 minutes, so I'm not sure what google is finding, possibly connections?

 

Cotral. (cotralspa.it)

 

Thanks; the Cotral site makes my head explode.

 

I believe Google maps counts the walk time from the port to the bus stop in addition to the actual time on the bus.

 

[marazul]

4 hours ago, majmaj4 said:

That museum looks great.

The museum is great, but do not miss going to the necropolis.

[euro cruiser]

Also, now that I think about it, the starting times on the Cotral site could be off by a few minutes, because these buses start at the Braccianese bus depot and stop at the Porto stop on the other side of the road before making a u-turn in town and stopping again at the Porto stop heading toward Tarquinia.

[portofrome]

From Civitavecchia to Tarquinia and back there is also a local pubblic transport:

 

https://www.eusepitrasporti.it/index.php?l=l2&t=pag&id=106725

[majmaj4]

Wow thank you all for the detailed information!

[herbanrenewal]

On 7/2/2023 at 11:47 AM, euro cruiser said:

The bus stop called Porto is on Via XVI Settembre, just north of Via Cadorna.   Cotral runs about one bus per hour to Tarquinia from this stop.

 

Cotral. (cotralspa.it)

Does the bus also run on Sunday? I've tried various websites to try to find a Sunday schedule but unsuccessfully. I find the times for trains on Sunday but the 7:15 and 11:15 times won't work. (I'm on a B2B and looking for something to do on the connecting day.)

[irisbax3]

Does anyone know the name of the hotel that is across the street from Forte Michelangelo by the Civitavecchia cruise port?

[Girr]

18 minutes ago, irisbax3 said:

Does anyone know the name of the hotel that is across the street from Forte Michelangelo by the Civitavecchia cruise port?

Do you mean Hotel San Giorgio?  If so, please read the reviews and comments here.  It is real hit or miss.

[irisbax3]

That's probably the one. Thanks so much. I'll definitely check out the reviews.

[euro cruiser]

6 hours ago, herbanrenewal said:

Does the bus also run on Sunday? I've tried various websites to try to find a Sunday schedule but unsuccessfully. I find the times for trains on Sunday but the 7:15 and 11:15 times won't work. (I'm on a B2B and looking for something to do on the connecting day.)

I'm on the road and can't check to be sure until tomorrow. I'll let you know then.

[euro cruiser]

I checked, Cotral doesn't run the bus to Tarquinia on Sundays.  You may be able to find a private tour service, however.

 

Orari (cotralspa.it)

 

 

[pkadventures]

We are in the same situation and thinking about making this a spa day on the ship!

[Damo74]

Same here, not sure what to do when in Civi, is there anywhere fairly close by where we can go and get some lunch/shopping?

[euro cruiser]

There are plenty of restaurants and shops in the town of Civitavecchia, walking distance from the port.

[euro cruiser]

In a successful attempt to avoid some work I should be doing, I've been digging around on the city of Civitavecchia's web site and found some possibly interesting things to see and do in the city.  The website is entirely in Italian so I've used google translate for the descriptions.

 

Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Civitavecchia

The National Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia, also known as the Civic Museum, is located inside the eighteenth-century building built by Pope Clement XIII in the eighteenth century, a few steps from Fort Michelangelo. If you are nearby and have a couple of hours to spend in the city, we recommend a visit. Entrance is free!
The Museum houses numerous finds from the ancient city of Centumcellae (the name with which the Romans baptized today's Civitavecchia) and from the necropolises of the area. The collection was then enriched with materials discovered following the restructuring of the port area during the 1950s, and from the excavations carried out at the Baths of Trajan (Terme Taurine).

 

Original content here:  Museo Nazionale di Civitavecchia : Città di Civitavecchia

 

Biblioteca Comunale “Alessandro Cialdi”

 

The library is located in a wing of the old hospital. The palace was built in the 17th century. and was used as a healthcare facility until the 1970s, when the new hospital was built. After years of abandonment, the building was restored and today houses the Library, the Historical Archive and the Culture Office.
In 2005 the Lazio Regional Council awarded the Library the Quality Mark: this is an important recognition given to structures with quality standards in the services provided to users.

 

Original content here:  La Biblioteca : Città di Civitavecchia

 

Cattedrale di San Francesco D’Assisi

 

From the main square of the city - once included, towards the east between the medieval walls and the new Sangallo wall - the cathedral of the Diocese of Civitavecchia - Tarquinia still offers the backdrop of its façade to the port of Trajan. The dedication to St. Francis of Assisi transmits the memory of the Conventual Minors, to whom the church remained linked during the first two centuries of its history.

The Cathedral is located in the historic center of the city, in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele.

 

Original content here:  Cattedrale di San Francesco D'Assisi : Città di Civitavecchia

 

Chiesa Santa Maria dell’Orazione

 

Santa Maria dell'Orazione, better known as the Church of Death, is the oldest church in Civitavecchia: history, art and tradition in the historic center

It is easily reachable on foot.

From Via Largo della Pace you just need to head south onto Via XVI Settembre, cross Piazza Luigi Calamatta and turn onto Via Colle dell'Olivo to find the Church in front of you.

Free admission.

From Piazza Leandra, passing through the Archetto, you pass Piazza Aurelio Saffi and reach the Church of Santa Maria dell'Orazione, formerly the Rotonda del Suffragio but known by all as the Church of Death.

The Church of Death is by far the oldest in all of Civitavecchia and if you are walking through the characteristic streets of the historic center it is worth a visit. Built in 1685, the church is linked to the birth and work of the Confraternity of Death and Prayer, established in the second half of the 16th century to give worthy burial and suffrage to corpses abandoned outside the city walls or lost at sea.

The Church is a true architectural jewel, with a structural layout typical of the Baroque churches of the second half of the 17th century. Completely restored in 1702, it also withstood the bombings of the Second World War.

The building has a central plan with a Greek cross and a large elliptical room that recalls the shape of a skull. At the end of the room there are three chapels: the Chapel of the High Altar, the Chapel of the SS. Crucifix and the Chapel of the Blessed Benedict and Anna. Furthermore, four symmetrical doors lead respectively to four other chapels: the Guglielmi chapel (dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of the Seven Sorrows), the chapel of San Michele (which served as an Oratory), the sacristy and the parish office.

In 1698 the church was equipped with a baroque style bell tower, surmounted by a very particular bulb-shaped dome.

Inside the Church of Death it is possible to admire works of art of great value. Among these are the frescoes of the famous Knight Giuseppe Errante of Trapani such as the "Madonna with Child" and others that decorate the interior of the dome and two famous wooden statues, representing the Crucified Jesus and the Risen Jesus.

 

Original content here:  Chiesa dell' Orazione e della Morte : Città di Civitavecchia

 

Chiesa dei Santi Martiri Giapponesi

 

The Church of the Holy Japanese Martyrs is located in Largo San Francesco d'Assisi, easily reachable with a pleasant walk that starting from the Marina of Civitavecchia and passing through the Pirgo platform takes you to the Lungomare Thaon de Revel, with its small restaurants open and the small marina of the Naval League.
Once you get here, just turn left into Largo San Francesco d'Assisi and you will find yourself in front of the large church. In the small square in front there is the statue of Saint Francis of Assisi while inside the church it is possible to admire the splendid frescoes by the Japanese painter Luca Hasegawa. Unique in its kind and famous throughout Europe is the beautiful Madonna and child with the kimono (with oriental features and wearing 16th century clothes) and the scene of the 26 Japanese martyrs, who fell on the Nagasaki hill on 5 February 1597, imprinted in the five paintings of the apse.

 

Original content here:  Chiesa dei Santi Martiri Giapponesi : Città di Civitavecchia

 

Santuario Madonnina delle Lacrime

 

Borgo Pantano, Via Fontanatetta, s.n.c – 00053 Aurelia di Civitavecchia (RM) – Italy.

Parish of Sant'Agostino - Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tears
0766 560185
Opening of the Sanctuary – from 6.15 am to 10.00 pm – Sunday from 7.00 am to 8.00 pm without afternoon closing.

 

Since 1995, a phenomenal event of a, we might say, paranormal nature has occurred; a miraculous event which left national public opinion literally stunned and which sparked wide debates in Italian and foreign Catholic circles, even attracting the attention of the Holy Father.

On February 2 of the same year, in fact, on the occasion of the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and Purification of Mary, a small statue of the Madonna, depicting the Queen of Peace and coming from Medjugorie, began to cry blood in the garden of a family in parish of S. Agostino, in Civitavecchia. Well, from that date until March 15th the Madonnina cried 14 times in the presence of many people who gave their sworn testimony before the Theological Commission established by the Bishop who held the statuette in his hands during the last tear of blood ; from here he, having overcome all doubts, paved the way for official recognition. During the succession of those events, there were numerous debates and open clashes between those who asserted the authenticity of the miracle and those who, animated by a feeling of skepticism, hypothesized that the event was absolutely the result of human action and not Divine action. . The statuette was thus scientifically examined with positive results: there were no tricks or devices hidden inside and the tears were made of human blood. Finally, after many difficulties of various kinds, on 17 June 1995, the Bishop placed the statuette in a shrine located in the Parish of S. Agostino and thus exposed it to the veneration of the faithful. From that day, a considerable pilgrimage began, of even global importance, aimed at the veneration of the one who everyone now calls "The Madonnina of Civitavecchia". The pilgrimages are nocturnal and take place on February 1st and May 31st.

 

Original content here:  Santuario Madonnina delle Lacrime : Città di Civitavecchia

 

Terme Taurine

 

The archaeological site of the Terme Taurine rises on a hill surrounded by greenery, about 5 km from the center of Civitavecchia. Also known as the Baths of Trajan, from the name of the Roman emperor who founded the city, they are one of the most important Roman thermal complexes in all of southern Etruria.

If you are in Civitavecchia even just passing through and have a few hours available we highly recommend you visit the Terme Taurine for a suggestive dive into the past. After the visit we recommend a relaxing break at the nearby Ficoncella Thermal Baths, famous for the therapeutic properties of their hot water.

The name comes from the Latin term taurus which means bull. The baths were described in the travel diary of the poet Rutilio Claudio Namaziano (416 AD), who narrates that the name comes from a legend according to which a bull (probably assimilated to a divinity) would scratch the ground before starting a fight, and thus the spring of hot sulphurous water with beneficial properties would have arisen. In reality, legend aside, it is very likely that the name Terme Taurine comes directly from the ancient lake of Aquae Tauri, from which the spring flowed.

In fact, on the slopes of the Tolfa mountains, near the ancient Aquae Tauri lake, the spring flowed which still passes through the Terme Taurine today. Several studies hypothesize that the area of the complex was identified with the villa of the emperor Trajan and it is known that the thermal springs were well known and appreciated for their therapeutic virtues since ancient times.  The first to exploit its waters were the Etruscans who built rudimentary baths, which in turn were developed and expanded only in Roman times.  In the Sillan age (90-70 BC) the new building was erected which took the name of Terme Taurine and had its maximum development in the Trajan age, followed by a further expansion towards the end of Hadrian's empire. The spa area was considerably frequented throughout the imperial age until the decline of the empire. During the war between the Goths and the Byzantines the complex was completely abandoned; only in the middle of the last century were projects started to restore the baths which unfortunately were never completed.

Today the water no longer flows in the archaeological park of the Terme Taurine, but if you want to appreciate the therapeutic properties of its warm waters we recommend you visit the nearby Ficoncella thermal complex.

 

For further information you can consult the website https://www.prolococivitavecchia.com/

TIMETABLES
Open every day (including Monday) from 9.30am to 1pm. The ticket office closes at 12.30.

Possibility of extraordinary afternoon opening for groups of minimum 8 people with reservation at least 48 hours in advance.

PRICES

Entrance:
€5.00 over 25 years;
€3.00 from 18 to 25 years old and teachers.
FREE:

under 18 years of age if members of a family unit;
tourist guides: The first Sunday of the month.
Entrance and guided tour:
€8.00 over 25 years;
€5.00 from 6 to 25 years old and teachers;
FREE: under 6 years.

 

Original content here: Il sito archeologico delle Terme Taurine : Città di Civitavecchia

 

La Ficoncella

 

The thermal baths of the Ficoncella, which take their name from the fig tree that grows between the basins, is a complex of 5 pools open everyday. The hill where these springs are, is made of limestone, and the thermo-mineral water is crystal clear, colorless, pungent and slightly bitter taste. Its temperature goes from 30 ° to 56 ° C. The beauty of the natural environment around the springs, the continuous maintenance of facilities and quality control of the service of the system allow users to enjoy the spa with great benefits to the body’s health and well-being of the spirit.

 

THE OPENING HOURS OF THE FICONCELLA BATHS

Monday – Sunday from 08.00 to 20.00.

Telephone number 366 632 3146 (active from Monday to Sunday from 8am to 8pm).

COSTS

The cost of individual entry varies depending on the times and between residents and non-residents:
– residents / morning (8:00 – 14:00): €2.00;
– residents / afternoon (6.00pm – 8.00pm): €2.00;
– residents / full day (8:00 – 20:00): €3.00;
– non-residents / morning (8:00 – 14:00): €3.00;
– non-residents / afternoon (6.00pm – 8.00pm): €3.00;
– non-residents / full day (8:00 – 20:00): €5.00;
– evening (8.00pm – 12.00am): €5.00.
FREE entry for children under 6 years old.

Entrance is to be considered unique. Once accessed, it is not permitted to leave the facility and re-enter using the same ticket. In case of bad weather there will be no refund for tickets already purchased. There are no exemptions from payment, as the site has a recreational and non-medical function.

 

Original content here:  La Ficoncella : Città di Civitavecchia

 

 

[marazul]

11 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

In a successful attempt to avoid some work I should be doing, I've been digging around on the city of Civitavecchia's web site and found some possibly interesting things to see and do in the city.  The website is entirely in Italian so I've used google translate for the descriptions.

 

Congratulazioni. Un meraviglioso esempio di procrastinazione.

[euro cruiser]

Magari potrei monetizzare questo talento!  🙄

[marazul]

18 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

Magari potrei monetizzare questo talento!  🙄

Come me. Faccio molte cose bene, ma nessuno di loro produce alcun reddito.