7 Perfect Days in 7 Popular Ports
Port: Civitavecchia, Italy
PORT Civitavecchia
calling here Oceania, Princess Cruises, Windstar, and others
excursion Rome
distance covered 106 miles
WITH OUR PRO $625 for 6.5-hour private guided walking seminar for up to six, excluding museum entries, which Context Travel will purchase in advance; book through Paul Bennett of Context Travel, which has a Rome office (800-691-6036).
ON YOUR OWN The train and cabs are sufficient to get around
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but with some advance planning, that’s enough time to hit a good many of its highlights. Cruise ships that call at Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, usually stay about 12 hours, so factoring in the hour-long train ride (or 90-minute drive) to and from the city center, you’ve got about 8 hours, at most, for sightseeing.
First time in Rome? Start at the 1 Forum and the nearby Colosseum. Though it’s called the Eternal City, Rome does, in fact, have a beginning: “The story of Rome starts there,” says Paul Bennett of Context Travel. Though these can be two of the most crowded sights in Rome, the nearby Palatine Hill, with its palaces and views of the Forum, is much less-visited—but no less spectacular. “It is a quiet place to unravel the palimpsest that is Rome,” says Bennett, whose guides will greet you armed with tickets for your morning introduction to classical Rome. (If you’re on your own, you can buy tickets to the Colosseum, the Forum, and the Palatine Hill in advance at ticketclic.it.
Rest your legs during lunch at the nearby 2 Taverna Romana, where locals go for what is arguably Rome’s best cacio e pepe, pasta with olive oil, pecorino cheese, and black pepper (Via della Madonna dei Monti 79; 39-06-474-5325; entrées from $12). Then skip the dreary Dark Ages on your magical history tour and fast-forward to the Renaissance and Baroque eras with a short cab ride to the iconic 3 Piazza del Popolo, the starting point for a stroll past several can’t-miss sights. Stop into the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo to see two Caravaggio masterpieces in situ. “These paintings were created for the niche they inhabit and haven’t been moved in 500 years,” says Bennett. Continue on a ten-minute walk past Richard Meier’s Ara Pacis Museum, whose bold design in the city’s historic heart divided critics. Duck into lesser-known boutiques off the Via Condotti like Massimo Degli Effetti, which sells edgy fashion in a fifteenth-century building given a dramatic makeover by the hot modernist architect Massimiliano Fuksas (Piazza Capranica 79; 39-06-679-1650). A bit farther on you’ll reach the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, the Piazza della Rotonda, the Pantheon, and less-visited sights like Borromini’s unique and exuberant Church of Sant’Ivo.
If you need a pick-me-up on your way to the Piazza Navona (a 20-minute walk from the Spanish Steps), nearby 4 Tazza d’Oro (Via degli Orfani 84) and Caffè Sant’Eustachio (Piazza Sant’Eustachio 82) vie for the honors of best coffee in Rome. Once refreshed, grab a taxi and cross the Tiber to your final stop: 5 St. Peter’s Basilica, to admire Bernini’s canopy above the altar and Michelangelo’s powerful Pietà. If you want to see the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s crowning masterpiece, with your private docent, skip the aforementioned sit-down lunch, grab a slice of pizza on the go, and head directly to the Vatican from the Palatine Hill (Context Travel can secure advance tickets; if you’re on your own, book tours and tickets in advance on the Vatican Web site). Even with advance tickets, you’ll face a wait of up to 30 minutes (and do note that the Vatican Museums close at 6 p.m.). Finally, head to the San Pietro train station for the hour-long ride back to Civitavecchia.
