On our fourth day of our 12-day Mediterranean cruise, we arrived at Civitavecchia, Italy. This quaint seaside town and port welcomes hundreds of cruises, ships, and enthusiastic travelers looking to make the 50-mile trek to historic Rome. And with more than half of the people on our cruise ship rushing off the boat and on the road to see the famous Coliseum and the Vatican, it’s safe to say Rome is the big-ticket destination upon arriving at Civitavecchia.
However, having seen the bustling city of Rome on more than one occasion we chose to forgo a tour to the city and a visit to the Catholic epicenter of the Vatican City and the steep Spanish steps to leisurely explore our current surroundings. Since Rome seemed to be the highlight of this port we had no idea of what to expect in Civitavecchia, but we were not deterred in our quest to take in the sites, tantalize our noses, and maybe even catch a bit of sea breeze on our faces along the way.
Fortunately our cruise line provided a complimentary shuttle to the downtown so we did not have to worry about hailing a taxi. Not an easy feat in Italy. Within 15 minutes we were dropped off and given a map of the city. As born adventures of spontaneity we were not worry in the least that our Italian was limited to a few words and phrases (end up not being a concern since most speak English) or the fact that just an hour ago we’d never heard of Civitavecchia. Speaking of which, if you’re wondering how to pronounce Civitavecchia, the proper way to do so is Chee-Vee-Tahvek-Kyah (source). We are brave (and a bit embarrassed) to admit that at the beginning, we walked around the city pronouncing the name completely wrong until some friendly locals corrected us later on.
As we made our way further to downtown, we came across St. Francis Cathedral, an 18th century Baroque church dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. Taking a few minutes to capture the exquisite exterior, we continued on. It wasn’t soon after arriving on Corso Centocelle that we noticed several of the shops and restaurants here were still closed, and were not planning to open until later on in the day. Of course this didn’t keep us from exploring the area at a steady pace—spotting the Guardia di Financial, a restaurant with a few outdoor tables, and several specialty stores including an outlet shoe store.
While we don’t always recommend walking a new city with no set directions, sometimes it’s good to let our hair down both literally and metaphorically speaking. So with a burst of daring on our side, we rounded a pizzeria and continued to trek on until we caught the tantalizing smells of baked pizza dough and ripe tomatoes permeating from a few of the pizzerias coming in view. Tempted as we were to roll up our sleeves and bite into a delicious margherita pizza, we wanted to keep exploring the city as much as possible.
Having vetoed on the inviting slice of pizza, we passed the Piazza Antonio Fratti, and headed towards the beachside. Along the way we took in the architecture and watched an endearing moment when an Italian mother hugged her little boy and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. Soon after we watch our first glimpse of the beachside promenade up ahead.
After a few minutes of enjoying the view of the ocean and a handsome Italian man decked in a navy suit and Italian leather shoes (covertly of course), a familiar large statue in the distance caught our attention.
Curious to see the statue up close, we were surprised to see it was in fact a Navy sailor kissing a nurse (known also as “Unconditional Surrender”), and inspired by the famous photo taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt at the end of World War II in Times Square, NY.
Alfred Eisenstaedt .
Without a doubt, one the most unexpected sites to see in Civitavecchia, but a welcome one at that. It’s a shame the handsome Italian guy was long gone or we’d have been tempted to forgo all caution and recreate this famous kiss. But we were more than happy to settle for a few selfies with the statue instead.
Although we still had a few more hours before our ship left port, we decided to head back to catch the next shuttle bus but not before stopping to purchase a few magnets and hats from one of the outdoor stalls to take home. Back on board the ship, we quickly dropped our belongings and took the elevators to the upper deck to sit back on one of the loungers and see an upper view of the fort of Forte Michelangelo (Michelangelo’s Fortress) that was commission by Pope Julius II in 1508 in order to defend the city and port from invasion.
Now as we sat back to enjoy the lovely city before us, we were completely happy with our decision to skip Rome—incredible as Rome is—to see the sights and sounds of Civitavecchia. It might not necessarily hold the same allure as the busy streets of Rome, we couldn’t help be charmed by this tranquil seaport town. For us it was the perfect respite from the on-the-hour tour bus, and a much-needed reminder to simply put away the stress and enjoy the here and now.
