Our adventure continues! I left off with our flight from Vienna to Rome’s Fiumicino (FCO) Airport. Originally, I planned to book a hotel in Rome, but after looking at the map, I realized it didn’t make much sense.
We were landing around 5 p.m., needed to board our Princess cruise the following morning, and Rome’s city center is out of the way from the Port of Civitavecchia. Besides, we were just in Rome a couple of years ago (and I’ve been there many times), so squeezing in one evening wasn’t worth the extra expense or hassle.
I also learned my lesson two summers ago when our transportation canceled the morning our ship arrived in Rome. It turned into a madhouse trying to get a taxi. I spent an hour in the hot sun trying to outmaneuver other passengers who were in the same situation, and we ended up paying $400 for a taxi to take our family into the city. Normally, I would take the train, but with two young kids and heavy luggage, it’s not worth dealing with the effort.
Since I had an Expedia credit I needed to use, I searched for hotels in Civitavecchia instead. The one that immediately caught my eye was Alloggio Turistico Port View because of the price and it had a family room. The only drawbacks were that there wasn’t an elevator and the bathroom wasn’t inside the room. Instead, it was a private bathroom just across the hallway.
Since we’d only be there for about 12 hours, I figured we could make it work. The room cost $172.72 plus $17.27 in taxes through Expedia, and the property charged an additional mandatory €7 fee, bringing our total to $196.99. Considering that most hotels in Italy require a family of four to book either two rooms or a junior suite, I thought it was a great deal.
One thing I appreciated right away was how responsive they were through Expedia’s chat. I asked if they offered a shuttle to the cruise port. They did, but it was €10 per person. They also offered to arrange a private taxi from Fiumicino Airport to Civitavecchia, a 53-minute drive, for €170 (roughly $215 USD). The exchange rate they quoted wasn’t great, so I paid in euros. They also wouldn’t accept a credit card. It wasn’t cheap, but I didn’t have to deal with Rome taxi drivers tricks and the driver was waiting for us at baggage claim.
The driver spent the ride quietly talking on his phone. What I didn’t realize beforehand was that if you arrange your own transportation, the hotel asks guests to text or WhatsApp them about 15 minutes before arriving because there isn’t a front desk. It’s really a bed-and-breakfast—minus the breakfast. One of the workers, later told me they used to serve breakfast but new regulations for a historic building no longer allow them to prepare food on-site.
When our driver stopped on the corner of a busy intersection, I asked, “This is it?” He smiled and said yes. I wasn’t convinced. As soon as I opened the door, a friendly woman greeted us. I later learned she was Anna, the owner. For a brief second, I wondered if she was really the owner or some elaborate scam, but she immediately made us feel welcome and had one of her employees help carry our luggage upstairs.
The building itself was one of my favorite parts of the stay. Anna told us it dates back centuries and once served as the Pope’s summer residence. You enter through a small old wooden door that immediately transports you back in time.
Just inside was a heavy iron gate that almost looked like the entrance to an old prison. The marble stairwell served as the “lobby,” where we met a couple from Australia who were also boarding our Princess cruise. Interestingly, the hotel had overbooked and offered to move them to a “nicer” property a couple of blocks away. I ran into one of the Australians on the last day of the cruise, and he said their hotel did have an elevator and an en suite bathroom, but I liked where we stayed. It felt authentic, like we were really in Italy instead of just passing through. Though it would’ve been nice to have an elevator.
We had to lug our luggage up several flights of stairs but once inside, the room was exactly what we needed.
It had soaring ceilings, two twin beds pushed together on one side
A queen bed.
A mini fridge, TV, coffee maker.
Snacks.
And most importantly air conditioning.
Just outside our room, which required an old-fashioned key to unlock, was a water station and our private bathroom, labeled “1A.”
It had a shower, toilet, and bidet. My kids thought the bidet was a tiny sink, and I quickly informed them that it definitely wasn’t. 😉
Our neighbors were from Central California, and like seemingly everyone else staying there, they were boarding the Princess cruise the next morning too. For reference, check-in starts at 3 p.m. and checkout is at 10 a.m.
After settling in, I asked ChatGPT where we should eat. It replied, “You’re in a great spot—your hotel is right by the port and historic center of Civitavecchia, within a few minutes’ walk of many of the town’s best restaurants.” It gave me several suggestions, but after I mentioned we don’t eat seafood and the kids wanted pasta and pizza, it recommended Il Conte Zio, saying it served classic Roman pasta, was reasonably priced, and was only a short walk from the waterfront for gelato afterward.
I pulled out my favorite navigation app, Well Beyond, which doesn’t give turn-by-turn directions. Instead, it simply points you in the right direction, tells you how far away your destination is, and estimates your arrival time.
The restaurant was on a charming side street next to another restaurant, decorated with flowers and string lights. Prices were reasonable: €12 for spaghetti pomodoro, €14 for cacio e pepe, and €12 for a Margherita pizza. We ordered a Roman-style pinsa, spaghetti pomodoro, cacio e pepe, and a rigatoni dish.
Everything was very good. I have to admit, though, I still think Trader Joe’s frozen cacio e pepe gives it a run for its money. The spaghetti pomodoro, however, was outstanding. Our young waiter was from Romania and spoke flawless English, which he said he learned by watching TV and YouTube. He was especially helpful navigating our son’s food allergies. Dinner for the four of us came to €66.
The next morning, I went for a walk to find an ATM and breakfast for the family. I have to say, Civitavecchia was much nicer than I remembered from the first two times I’d simply driven through it.
It felt like a small Italian beach town with a working port rather than just a cruise terminal. There were far more locals than tourists, which gave it a really authentic feel.
Then came one last surprise. Anna wasn’t just the owner, she was also our shuttle driver. She picked us up at 10:40 a.m., dropped us off at the cruise terminal at 10:51, we were on board by 11:07, and inside our cabin by 11:15. I couldn’t believe how smoothly everything went.
Staying in Civitavecchia instead of Rome ended up being easier, less stressful, and less expensive than schlepping into the Eternal City for one night. Looking back, I’d make the exact same decision again.
