Tvioli or Orvieto

[Norwegianlatvian]

I am flying in to Fiumicino (Rome) around 1300 the day before our cruise. Transport to, and hotel in Civitavecchia, is already paid. I guess we will be ready for some fun from around 16:00 (04:00 pm). I believe that it will be too boring to just hang around in Civitavecchia the whole afternoon, and decided to check out some tour options.

 

From one limo company I got the follwoing offer:

 

"Civitavecchia - Orvieto (1.5 hour sightseeing in the town) - Civitavecchia

Cost for 2 people is Euro 420.00

 

Option no 2:

Civitavecchia - Tivoli (1.5 hour sightseeing in the town) - Civitavecchia

Cost for 2 people is Euro 420.00

You can visit Villa d'Este

 

Option no 3:

Civitavecchia - Castello Orsini-Odescalch (Bracciano) (45 min

sightseeing) - Civitavecchia.

Cost for 2 people is Euro 320.00

 

Or you can visit the Necropolis of Banditaccia, the nearest place to Civitavecchia.

Cost for 2 people is Euro 320.00

At least 1 hour to visit it."

 

So dear and beautiful CC members - help me to make the right choice! What should I pick?

 

Thank you in advance!

[euro cruiser]

Holy cow, that's a lot of money for not a whole lot of service. None of these offer you more than 90 minutes of actual time at your destination, some a whole lot less.

 

Are you unwilling/unable to rent a car and drive yourself? Orvieto is an easy drive, Tivoli takes a little longer but isn't particularly difficult.

[Norwegianlatvian]

 

Are you unwilling/unable to rent a car and drive yourself? Orvieto is an easy drive, Tivoli takes a little longer but isn't particularly difficult.

 

Thank you for your answer!

 

Im not too keen on driving in Italy.

 

It is quite expensive, but according to Google maps the ride for example to Orvieto and back to Civitavecchia itself is aprox 200 KM/3 hours and 30 minutes. And then adding on 1 hour and 30 minutes sightseeing on the spot.. Then 420 EUR is something I can defend.

 

But what should I choose? Orvieto, Tivoli or Castello Orsini-Odescalch?

[dogs4fun]

Thank you for your answer!

 

Im not too keen on driving in Italy.

 

It is quite expensive, but according to Google maps the ride for example to Orvieto and back to Civitavecchia itself is aprox 200 KM/3 hours and 30 minutes. And then adding on 1 hour and 30 minutes sightseeing on the spot.. Then 420 EUR is something I can defend.

 

But what should I choose? Orvieto, Tivoli or Castello Orsini-Odescalch?

 

Since price does not seem an issue for you and you would not mind the short visit, I would opt for Tivoli.

The gardens at Villa d'Este are amazing. When I was last there, I spent an entire day exploring Villa Adriana (Hadrian's Villa) & Villa d'Este. If you google "Villa d'Este you can see if the site interests you.

 

Orvieto has a lovely cathedral...can't remember anything else there that really "rang my bell".

Haven't been to Castello Orsini-Odescalch...someone who has experienced this venue will chime in I suspect.

jill

[euro cruiser]

Given the time of day and the limited amount of total time you have, I don't think it makes any sense at all to go to Tivoli. Keep in mind that you'd be hitting the Rome ring road at the beginning of the evening rush hour, and for the last 15 miles or so you'll be right in the heat of commuters heading home from the city. Therefore, while a "typical" drive to Tivoli from Civitavecchia might take 90 minutes, there's little chance you'd get there in less than two hours.

 

Add to that the fact that both Villa Adriana and Villa d'Este close an hour before sunset, and you might get there only 30 minutes before they close anyway.

 

Orvieto, which is about 10 miles closer and won't have the rush hour traffic issues, is a wiser choice. Also, shops and other sites in Orvieto will still be open when you get there.

 

Ultimately, I can't imagine spending this much money for such a short visit to any of these locations.

 

Would you consider seeing the Etruscan museum and ruins at Tarquinia? It's less than 15 miles from Civitavecchia and could easily be reached by taxi (no need for an expensive car and driver).

[ksps cruise fan]

But what should I choose? Orvieto, Tivoli or Castello Orsini-Odescalch?

 

If you are particularly interested in the Emperor Hadrian and the way he lived, then, I recommend Tivoli. The scale of the place is amazing.

 

Tivoli is also fascinating if you're interested in the development of architecture/engineering since Hadrian kept building structures with domes that kept collapsing until his engineers figured out the process.

 

Hadrian had a thing about getting away from it all since even at Tivoli he constructed a private island connected by drawbridges within the grounds. The drawbridges are long gone, but you'll recognize the spot if you visit.

 

A visit to Orvieto would be a more multi-dimensional experience with its Etruscan, medieval, and current day parts of the town. I visited Orvieto recently, and fell in love with the place. However, Orvieto may be more frustrating since I can't imagine how you could spend only 90 minutes in the town. I probably spent a half hour alone looking at the carvings on the facade of the beautiful cathedral. (The carved panels on the facade are said to be the inspiration for the carved bapistry doors in Florence.)

 

There are museums dedicated to Orvieto's Etruscan past, but, given your time limits, if you're interested in Eustrucan-era sites you'd do better to stay closer and go to the Necropolis.

 

Strolling around the town is a delightful experience. We were there the day before Corpus Christi Day, a day of special importance to the town and the place was decorated with heraldic banners. It was an enchanting experience. Still, even without that bonus, views off the plateau and the wonderful buildings make Orvieto great. Again, I can only repeat, I would be frustrated in the extreme to visit there for such a limited time.

 

We took the train down from Rome and spent approximately 5 1/2 hours, although that did include a nice lunch.

 

Incidentally, another strike against Orvieto is that you'll have to take a funicular from the parking lot to the top of the plateau and a bus from the funicular station to the piazza in front of the cathedral. Making these connections will chew into your limited time there. We were told to make sure we were on a bus pulling away from the cathdral piazza no less than 45 minutes before the time of our train back to Rome. Now apply that recommendation to your situation and you'll know how little time you'll really have in Orvieto!!!

[Hlitner]

We agree with Eurocruiser's assessment...but probably would not be so kind :) The idea of doing any of those tours for that amount of money...at 4 pm....is totally nutz. In fact, to do any of those tours at any time for that amount of money is nutz :).

 

Hank

[Norwegianlatvian]

We agree with Eurocruiser's assessment...but probably would not be so kind :) The idea of doing any of those tours for that amount of money...at 4 pm....is totally nutz. In fact, to do any of those tours at any time for that amount of money is nutz :).

 

Hank

 

Thank you all for honest and straight forward feedback! Thats what I love with CC!

 

Thanks!:)

[Carolyn R]

Assuming nothing goes wrong with flights etc. I still think 4 pm is too late to begin a tour, especially after a day of traveling. Think about taking a stroll along the beautiful waterfront and stopping for a leisurely dinner. Another idea would be to book private transport from the airport and stop somewhere along the way. I cannot imagine traveling to Civitavecchia and then backtracking on a tour. :confused:

[cruisemom42]

Add me to the list of those who've said 4pm (under the best case arrival) is late to start a tour. Most tourist sites in Italy do not stay open late (unlike restaurants). I can't imagine spending however much time flying, then the commute to Civitavecchia, then ANOTHER couple of hours in a car to get somewhere for maybe an hour???

 

Go to the beach near Civitavecchia if you must go somewhere, then find a good place for dinner. Or for heaven's sake, go back into Rome on the train. It's easy and, although I've been there multiple times, I have yet to "see" it all.