Hotel Mediterraneo

Civitavecchia-Roma train and... best gelato!

by abraxa

Well I thought we were looking for trasportation solutions or maybe .. gelato?
For the first question, remember you will find a free shuttle from harbour to station, for you and your luggage.
There is a reliable and accetably fast train service to/from Roma-Civitavecchia, is more hassle than a a shuttle of course, and it takes from 55min to 1h20min, but is 4.20€- info and timetable:www.trenitalia.it
A vital tip may be: chose the station depending on where are you staing in Rome. In fact, you might be able to avoid going to crowded Termini station where you have to walk from platform 23 (the further away) to the exit, about 1km.
For example if you stay near S. Pietro or in the Trastevere area, you have a local station, far more comfortable.
Now to the vital second question: where to find a good gelato. Well almost everywere.. but for those who want to go back and say "I had the unquestionable best"...you must go to San Crispino (Via Acaia - San Giovanni) Check: http://www.ilgelatodisancrispino.it/ It is widely recognized as the top in Rome, possibly in Italy, it is more expensive but a sensorial experience, let me know if you tried
Excellent also:
Pica (via della Seggiola - Campo de fiori)
Tony (viale dei Colli Portuensi - Monteverde Nuovo)
Gracchi (via dei Gracchi - Prati)
Keep away from tourist ice cream like Blue ice, many spread around town!

..so I left Roma, my home town, for Civitavecchia!

by abraxa

"Civitavecchia: the ancient CENTUM CELLE..."

Most travellers, including the italian summer turist passing through this little harbour city have considered it little more than the main gateway to Sardinia for many years, but there is much more to this place and if you are likely to pass by it is worthed some homework and a few hours to spare, may be a break from Roma or from a cruse.

(more turist info:)

"A city of sailor, artists, patriots,.and samurai !"

The place, etruscan then roman, important harbour and defence in Gotic wars, with monuments designed by Michelangelo and Vanvitelli,visited in the XVI century by samurai traveller from Osaka. Later was so heavly destrojed by bombing during II WW to be the only city actually abandoned by its inhabitants for many months. For decades after the war reconstruction lagged, railway running across the centre and a power station towering just south of town. Then...

(for more pictures and much more details visit: it is interesting!

"Roman thermal baths, sea food cooking, great cakes"

..finally, a flow of reconstruction € and goodwill hit the town and in a few years Civitavecchia changed its face: a well restored old centre, displaced power station and railway, modern services and cleaned up monuments. Now they are working on a new harbour south of the town, and projects like the largest aquarium of Italy and many important facilities and sites. But the monuments, museums, thermal baths, woods, beaches are there now for you with an eccellent location near Roma and Viterbo, close to Tolfa, well served by transport and on the edge of Tuscany Maremma, the land of the italian cowboys that challanged BuffaloBill Circus, and actually won!

(...drop a line for more info on local monuments, spots and of course...foods.)