The Zuiderdam arrived to the port of Civitavecchia, Italy, around 7am this morning. The ship was cleared shortly after that. There were tours that took the folks into Rome, about 50 miles from here. Excursions going to this holy city were the best of Rome passing St. Peter's Basilica and the Colosseum with a stop at the Trevi fountain with lunch for 9 hours and $270. The countryside and catacombs was another tour for 9 hours and $230. A National Geographic Day Tour involved hiking out of town for 5 hours and $180. And there was a pasta -making lunch at a farmhouse for 4 hours for $320. Later on, another tour was added called Timeless Rome with a visit inside the Colosseum, Forum & Basilica for 9 ½ hours for $350. We also know that a group of crew members had a tour to Rome as well. And due to the Pope's dying yesterday, some of these excursions may have been adjusted.
Last night, the Captain strongly advised the guests with independent tours to Rome should check with their operators and confirm all of the details. He added that there may be an extraordinarily huge crowds, worse than Naples, and perhaps staying in the port city might be wise. Many of us agreed.
While we were enjoying breakfast, we watched as the Aida Cosma sailed into the slip in front of us. Another mega-ship, this vessel is 183,854 gross tons and holds up to 6654 passengers (full berths). The crew numbers 1646 and the ship was built in 2021. Later in the day, we saw a ship with Looney Tune characters on the sides. This was a Moby Corse cruise ferry, formerly one of the Big Red Boats belonging to Disney. A much smaller ship than both the Aida and Zuiderdam, we could not find any numbers on it.
We have been to Rome several times and saw each and every landmark. So today we decided to stay and enjoy this city as we have on some of the past cruises. Sometimes Civitavecchia is ignored as a place to see, but we always find it is easily accessible and easy to explore to sites in town. And they have great food.
We left the ship at 10:30m and boarded the shuttle that took us to Largo Della Pace, a short drive from the port area. We could have walked it, but decided the bus was a better option. With all of these ports in a row, our knees are getting a good workout….maybe a little too much for one of us. Once we reached the port gate, there were maps available of the entire city. This is perfect because the ship's map was entirely of Rome.
We walked from the gate up the main street full of cafes and shops and historical sites. Then we reached the main pedestrian street with more historical buildings and churches. One positive thing about being here was that there were no crowds….nothing like what we saw yesterday. We did remember that there was a strip of restaurants that faced the Tyrrhenian Sea, so we headed over the hills and ran right into that part of town. Passing the railroad station, we headed downhill and found we were at a park that faced the seaside.
Following the main street, Viale Garibaldi, we found the narrow street that led to the Pirgo, or what remains of a seaside resort with salt baths, restaurants, and entertainment from many decades ago. All that remains now is the jetty that went to the structures over-looking the sea. At the end of this walkway is a huge patio where one of us took many photos. Along the seaside, there were many evening restaurants with wine bars and pubs with restaurants featuring fish entrees. Only one of them was opening for lunch.
There was a beach down below, however, not a beach we are used to seeing. There was no sand, but pebbles and rocks. This was similar to what we found when we visited Cannes and Nice many years ago. The beachgoers just laid on thick towels on the rocks, while some brave swimmers went in the cool waters. Judging from the way they were trying to walk in the surf, there must have been a seabed of sharp rocks that were covered with a green algae.
We knew the restaurant we liked was on this stretch. And we found it. There were a few tables outside, but they were in the warm sun. We opted to go inside and ordered draft beers. We asked for large, not knowing the size. We assumed 50cl, which is close to a pint. The waiter who spoke very little English, said are you sure? Yes. Then he arrived with two giant mugs of a liter of beer. Wow. We all laughed, but this will work. We added one Margherita pizza with funghi (mushrooms) and asked if sliced onions could be added. Our waiter, who might have been an owner had no idea what an "onion" was. Ever try to describe an onion? So we said the mushroom pizza was fine. We also noticed there was a refrigerated display with desserts. So we asked for one slice of a torte. It was more cake-like with dried fruit in it. Very good. After a nice, relaxed lunch , we continued to walk back to the shuttle bus, about one mile away.
There were a few shuttles in the port gate area, but they sure were not in a hurry to leave until they jammed the buses with as many people that could fit seated or standing. It took a half hour before the shuttle left. In hindsight, we could have followed the waterline all the way to the same port gate the bus took 15 minutes to get to. We noticed a lot of the Aida guests were taking that more direct route. By the way, these shuttles took guests from both ships, stopping at the Aida first.
Captain Frank came on with his daily talk at 6pm saying he hoped everyone had a wonderful day in this port or the city of Rome. We have 125 nautical miles to arrive to Sardinia tomorrow. The speed will be 15 ½ knots with an arrival time of 7am. Temperatures should be in the 70's with some strong winds of 20 to 30 knots.
We got back to the room by 3pm and enjoyed sodas and relaxing. These many ports in as many days can be exhausting. There was a Solo Italiano Street Food & Wine Market in the Lido poolside from 6 to 9pm. The wine was not complimentary. We think this affair was directed to the folks that had done the all day tours to Rome and arrived back to the ship late.
Our dinner was in the dining room with starters of shrimp cocktail and two different salads. One of us was happy with a ½ order of Bolognese spaghetti and the other with the English roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. Dessert were simple – one scoop each of vanilla and strawberry sorbet.
Tom McTigue was the comedian entertainer tonight spicing it up for ages 16 plus. Not that we have a lot of kids, there may be a few.
The ship left he port by 9:15pm or so. We happened to come across a fellow passenger lady in our hallway, who was so stressed, she told us a story about a relative who had stayed in Rome after his wife went back to the ship. He said he knew the way to the train, but his cell phone went dead and he had no way to charge it. Long story short, he eventually made it back after 9pm to find the ship had waited for him. Lucky. But this lady really needed a strong drink to calm her nerves. She agreed…..
Tomorrow will be a new port for us in Sardinia – Olbia.
Bill & Mary Ann
