Rome airport to Civitavecchia

[Islandbc]

Has anyone rented a car at the Rome airport and driven to Civitavecchia? It seems that the driving time would be about an hour.  We are arriving late afternoon of Dec. 2nd for a Dec. 4 cruise.  We think that we might do a bit of touring prior to returning the car to Hertz in Civitavecchia on Dec. 3rd. The car rental is about 1/2 of the price of a transfer, as shared transfers are not available at 4pm when we land.  Would like your opinion of the road conditions.  We have driven in Italy in the past, but are wondering about what this highway is like.  OK for driving on a Sunday night?

Thanks for your input.

[Compass Rose Monica]

I've rented a car before at the Rome airport to go to Tuscany, which I pass by Civitavecchia. The last time I did this (the fall of 2017), I spent several nights in Pitigliano before going to Civitavecchia.

 

I stay at Hotel Traghetto, which is in a very good location, basic hotel, wonderful hotel manager Giuseppe. There are two rental car companies a block away from the hotel (Avis and Europcar - I've used both), and the cruise pick up point (I was going on a Celebrity cruise).

 

Have a good  map of the area, especially for Civitavecchia. The first time I drove into town from Tuscany off the main highway (2014), I missed one round-about exit and ended up further south. I'm good with directions, so I was able to get back on track. It's very easy to get from the airport to Civitavecchia.  Signs are well posted, but you should know in advance what the signs look like. Here's one sample website to review: http://www.reidsitaly.com/planning/get_around/car_road_signs.html

 

If you are going from the airport to sightseeing to dropping off the car in one day, I would be very concerned about your luggage in your car getting stolen. When I go from airport to my destination, I go directly to my apartment. If you do this, be careful and make sure nothing is showing in the front and back seats. Rental cars are easy to spot and you could possibly be a target for a break-in. 

 

When I'm out sightseeing (nothing of value in my car except maybe some shopping), I typically find a parking lot that I can back my car so that the back end is against the wall and my trunk can't be opened. Of course that won't stop anyone from breaking a window and going in from the inside. 

 

Don't mean to sound so negative but I know this has happened to others. Back in 2014, I was with a friend and we took turns (we were going to Siena from the airport) staying at the car to keep an eye on our things (we had to put one suitcase in the back seat) at a rest stop for our bathroom break. 

 

Monica 

 

 

Edited October 20, 2018 by Compass Rose Monica

[Islandbc]

Thanks for the thorough response.  We have an  apartment booked in Civitavecchia for 2 nights, so would be driving directly there from FCO on the evening of Dec. 2nd.  We would leave our suitcases in the apartment while we go exploring on Dec. 3rd.  Our car is booked with Hertz, which I think is not far from where we will stay.

We were thinking that a car rental might be preferable to taking the train, although that would be another option.

[Compass Rose Monica]

11 hours ago, Islandbc said:

Thanks for the thorough response.  We have an  apartment booked in Civitavecchia for 2 nights, so would be driving directly there from FCO on the evening of Dec. 2nd.  We would leave our suitcases in the apartment while we go exploring on Dec. 3rd.  Our car is booked with Hertz, which I think is not far from where we will stay.

We were thinking that a car rental might be preferable to taking the train, although that would be another option.

 

Good plan. Yes, having a car gives you a lot of flexibility.

 

Not sure if you have made a decision on where to go for your two days, but here's what I did with my husband and friends one year (2015): We drove to Vetralla, Viterbo, and Tuscania for the day. Here's a portion of my journal:

 

...we visited Vetralla, Viterbo, and Tuscania for the day.

 

Along the way to Vetralla (about 45 minutes from Civitavecchia), we stopped twice to take photos of the Roman aqueducts in the area. It’s amazing these aqueducts are still in existence.

 

Vetralla is a beautiful hill town. After a quick stop at the side of the road to take photos of the town, we walked around for a short while. There are lots of small, pretty streets.  Christine and I ducked into a church or two.

 

Next was Viterbo, another town atop a hill. I made the mistake of not checking the opening times for the Pope’s Palace, so we missed going through it. We did have a nice time walking around town and stopping for a coffee break. The day turned into a lovely sunny day.

 

Lunch was very good: Pizza at Taverna Etrusca. It was not crowded, as we arrived in the afternoon. I loved the decor with its exposed brick/stone and Tuscan burnt orange colors on the walls. The pizza was delicious! Thin and crispy – the way like it. Tony and I had one with sausage and mushrooms (only 7.50€) along with a small carafe of white wine (3€).  

 

Tuscania was our last stop of the day. I think this was the prettiest towns between the three; and the Tuscania landscape in the area was gorgeous! This town has a Romanesque church, a tower, and lovely streets to wander around. It was the late afternoon so the sun was hitting the hills and trees in the distance.  We had spectacular views from the Torre Lavello Park. In the distance were a couple of old fortresses.

 

The next day:

 

I elected not to keep the rental car for this day, as several of us wanted to visit Tarquinia.  After breakfast, Tony and I, along with our friends, walked to the bus stop, which was located across the street from the Duomo in town. Nearby was a tobacco shop where we bought our tickets (5.7€ round trip for two).

 

Tarquinia is an Etruscan town located about 30-40 minutes away. The day was beautiful. Perfect blue skies.

 

Just around the corner from the bus stop in Tarquinia is the tourist office. Further up on the left is the National Archeological museum. All of us paid for the combo ticket which included the Monterozzi necropolis. The archeological museum has a huge collection of Etruscan artifacts. There are three floors to explore - sarcophagi, pottery (some amazingly in excellent condition), jewelry, coins, and the restored paintings from the tombs of Monterozzi; don't miss the winged horse’s relief. On the upper floor is a large empty room with wonderful city views. You can see the ocean in the distance. The room had a plexi-glass window, which was a shame, as we would have gotten better pictures without glass or open windows.

 

After an hour or so in the museum, we walked up the main street and turned right to walk to the Etrucsan tombs. It was a good 30-minute walk, passing thru a residential area (small grocery store on the left for bottled water and snacks).  This Etruscan archeological site has about 20 tombs, all of which were similar in design but with different fresco paintings. I checked out probably eight or so. Outside there are signs to read about each one. One has to be careful using the steps to go down to see the tombs. It's dark but there's a button at the bottom to turn on the light to see inside the tombs. If anyone goes here, be sure to do this in cooler weather, as I can't imagine visiting these tombs in hot, humid weather with the crowds of tourists.

 

Not timing things correctly, we 'missed' lunch. It seemed the town shut down when we were ready for lunch so we took the bus back to Civitavecchia.  We had a light lunch at the pizza place next door to the hotel. Pizza is sold by the 'etto' (by the weight).

 

Enjoy your trip!!

 

Monica

 

Edited October 21, 2018 by Compass Rose Monica

[Islandbc]

Thanks for the detailed description!