vapersecutor

As promised I’m reporting back on our overnight in Civi. We arrived at FCO on Sunday about 11 am. Collected our luggage and walked out. We had already done immigration when we changed planes in Lisbon and customs seemed non-existent? By noon we were waiting on our ride to Civi. We used Shared Shuttle which was 30e pp and delivered us at our B&B. There was one other couple in the van with us. Would definitely use them again. Our overnight was at B&B Bel Sole which is located about 3/4 mile from the Michelangelo Fort. Price was very reasonable (64 e with private bath). The room was new and the bathroom was very nice. Clean, comfortable but not fancy. We needed a frig to store medication and the hardworking Maria lugged one up the steps and into our room before my husband could even offer to help her. Breakfast was typical European breakfast of good quality. Location was quiet. No view and not the closest to the port. Taxi to the port was available at about 11 e pp. After checking in on Sunday, we walked down Corso Centrocalle. Much of that street is pedestrian only. It was fairly busy as it was Sunday and a nice day and also a holiday weekend (Halloween and All Saints Day). Visited the Museu Archeologico Nazionale Di Civitavecchia (3e?, 0830-1930 but closed on Mon). Worth maybe 30 minutes. We enjoyed the exhibits explaining the history of Civi. Has some Etruscan artifacts. Very small museum but they seem to be adding on. Forte Michelangelo was rumored to be open on Sat and Sun from 1600-1900 but we found no indication that it was open. Continued our walk along the water. Restaurants were closing for siesta so we headed back towards the B&B. Stopped at Chalet del Pincio for gelato. Delicious. Took a nap and waited for restaurants to reopen. Walked back to the waterfront and ate outside at Ristorante Pizzeria Da Baffone. Two seafood pastas and a carafe of wine for about 35e. Pleasant to sit outside and watch people going by. Corso Centrocalle and its side streets were now filled with tables with what appeared to be both locals and tourists eating. The whole area from the B&B to the waterfront was clean and felt safe even after dark. Pre-teens and grandmas out walking alone. Monday - many things are closed on Mondays in Italy. We used the Stories and Secrets of Civitavecchia walking tour from Voice Map to see things we hadn’t seen the day before. We visited Piazza Leandra - Church of the Star and Casa Della Memoria (old photos of area/carpet bombings by American B-17s in WWII. Much of Civi was destroyed. M-F 10-noon, free). The old part of town was charming and uphill lol. We intended to go to the market (0630-1400) but ended up being short on time so we hit a grocery store and bought a couple of bottles of wine to take onboard. On my next trip to Civi, I plan to take the local bus to Tarquinia for the day or maybe for an over night. I talked to some people who had done that and said using the bus was easy and the town was charming. I also plan to go to the market in Civi on my next visit. Tourism is important to Civi and I think they are trying to make it more welcoming to tourists. If you weren’t catching a ship there, then there would really be no reason to visit. Nothing really stands out. On the other hand, if you want a relaxing start to a vacation and to be in a typical, real (not quaint or romantic) smaller Italian city then its a great place.

Sailing out of Civi on Halloween. When I told my husband we were leaving from Rome, he said fine as long as I don’t have to go to Rome. For him, its too big, too dirty, too many pickpockets, etc. He’s seen the main sights and is done. For him, Italy is pasta in a family run restaurant preferably overlooking the sea or a bike ride along a path through the countryside. In addition we only have the afternoon we fly in until mid-day when we get onboard. So we are staying in Civi and checking it out. This will be our third departure from there but first overnight visit. Here’s what we plan to see: Times vary by day of week. These were for a Sunday/Monday trip. Sunday: Corso Centocalle – in pedestrian section look for Etruscan ruins through glass sections of sidewalk Piazza Fratti Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Civitavecchia, Largo Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, 1 – across from Michelangelo fort (free, 0830-1930 but closed on Mon, allot 1 hour) – ¾ mi from B&B Forte Michelangelo – (free, Sat and Sun only 1600-1900, allot 30 min) – may only have courtyard area open Monday: https://www.cruiseportwalks.com/port-of-civitavecchia Market – 0630-1400 – Piazza Leandra – Church of the Star and Casa Della Memoria (old photos of area/carpet bombings by American B-17s in WWII. 500 civilian deaths designed to break morale of people.) (M-F 10-noon, free) Piazza Aurello Saffi – Church of the Prayer and Death There is also an online walking tour geared towards cruisers on an app called VoiceMap. The tour is Stories and Secrets of Civitavecchia and is done by an English ex-pat long term resident of Italy. It starts near the shuttle bus stop. I’ll try to remember to report back after our trip.

We will be in Valencia in early Nov and plan to rent bikes. We are in port from 7-4. I originally planned to use one of the rental sites near the port. As mentioned there are several which appear to be within a mile of the port entrance. However, I discovered that many of them don’t open until 9:30 or 10 am and then close again for siesta between 2-4ish. Therefore it appears we would only be able to rent a bike for about 4 hours (10-2). I prefer to get up and moving earlier and not feel pushed to get the bike back before they close. Therefore my current plan is to try the city Valenbisi bikes - https://www.valenbisi.es/en/offers/groups. I have not used them before so have no personal knowledge. Online research leaves me with the impression that the disadvantage is that they are probably heavier and clunkier than what you might rent at a bike shop. Advantage is you can rent 24/7. You can get a 13e weekly rental. Each ride of 30 min or less is included in that price. Anything longer than 30 min results in an additional charge (about 1 e for 1 hour of use and 3 e more for each hour past the first one). People get around the extra charge by stopping at a docking station/bike rack during the first 30 min and “turning in” the bike and then re-renting it. Seems like a lot of work to avoid paying 1 e but I might do it if the bike rack was conveniently located to where I was. Other caution is to make sure the bike is actually “turned in”. Apparently the machine makes some beeps to say it was docked properly but you can also get a receipt which shows the status of the bike. If not properly “turned in”, you’ll end up with a big bill. It also appears that you should download the app and sign up for the service prior to arrival. You can’t reserve a bike but you can have your account ready to go. Looks like you can only do this 15 days before you want to start your weekly pass. I plan to download the app before the trip and reserve a weekly pass. When we dock in Valencia, we’ll check the app for availability of bikes, disembark when we can, take free port bus to entrance, and walk to nearest Valenbisi location with bike availability. You can return the bike anywhere so if we get tired and want to ditch the bike, we’ll catch a bus or taxi back to port. I hope this may help someone else with their research. If anyone has additional knowledge that would help me, I’d certainly appreciate it.

This may help. The rules for those entering Spain from another EU country and from the US are different. https://www.sanidad.gob.es/en/profesionales/saludPublica/ccayes/alertasActual/nCov/spth.htm#collapse10

Sounds like a terrific family trip! Bologna and Venice are good smaller airports for your mixed travel group. If I was doing it, I’d fly into Bologna and spend the first night there. Reduces the stress if flight is late and people will be tired. I don’t think Bologna has any big, must do sites unless I’m forgetting something. I visited there many years ago but what we did was walk around and look at architecture and have a nice meal. There was also a small market (clothing not food). The next day I’d make my way to Ravenna. If you do a private transfer, they might take you to see something along the way? The third day I’d visit the tombs. We rented bikes in Ravenna so if you have any more adventurous people that’s an option. We used the path to get between the different tombs and to enjoy the countryside a bit. The treasures of the large cities of Italy are not to be missed but I love the feel of the smaller “real” towns.

I don’t remember anything about the transfer from the ship to the town but when we got to town we rented bicycles. There was a paved bike path which ran to several of the tombs. We enjoyed the country side and tombs. https://notaboutthemiles.com/ravenna-mosaics-how-to-see-in-one-day/

Thank you for taking the time to write the review. We’re on Odyssey for our first TA in October. Having been to many of the ports you visited, your photos were great for reminiscing. I personally am an Ephesus fan and have been twice. The level of city infrastructure created 2000 years ago is amazing. The ability to walk the streets versus just looking at ruins through a fence is a big plus. But I understand it isn’t for everyone.

Not sure what day you’ll be visiting. The museum and tombs are closed on Mondays.

You are correct that most ports don’t want people just wandering around for both safety and security reasons. However there will be pedestrian entrances. I would suggest you walk to a pedestrian entrance and then take the shuttle from there to your ship. As previously mentioned, even if you are allowed to walk inside of the port, the distance from the entrance to the ship can be substantial. A few years ago I walked from the train station to a pedestrian entrance in Civitavecchia and found the walk pleasant but I enjoy walking and don’t mind pulling a rolling suitcase.