What a perfect place to spend a few days prior to a cruise. The old town has charm, a unique character, and thousands of photographs waiting to be taken. We spent 4 days in a lovely B&B, toured the Museum and Necropolis, and took the train to Rome one day. I'd go back in a second.
For those who do not need to go on a day excursion from Civittavechia to Rome , a half day trip by local bus to Tarquinia is a trip to the middle ages ,with its old houses and narrow streets and simple locals . Tarquinia stands high on a mountain overlooking from distance Mediterranean sea,it was a community of the aristocracy who traded with the world and enjoyed independence until they finally were conquered by the Romans. The town is now sparcely populated as it does not offer job opportunities. There are only couple of modest restaurants for the locals. Bus trip from Civittavechia takes about 45 minutes ,ticket is €1.56 ow,Traquinia museum provides historical information about this little known town out of the middle ages
A must if you are in Tarquinia or Civitavecchia a visit to the medieval city is well worth the experience , good pair of walking shoes and extra memory cards for your camera , we pretty much walked the entire area about 3 times , the lookout points are amazing for the views a true look at Tuscany. The Museum of Archaeology just leaves you awe struck the history and the detail of the dig sites is and what has been un covered is just amazing. Keep in mind that afternoon siesta's occur and restaurants are open for lunch from 12:30pm but most other shops will close at 1pm, and check as they close on a certain day.
In June we sailed into the port of Civitavecchia. Having been to Rome three times including on this, our latest trip we decided to look for an alternative. I did some research before we left home and opted for a day trip to Tarquinia. When we arrived in port my partner and the couple we were travelling with all decided to spend the day relaxing on the ship, so I decided to go it alone. I was not disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed this lovely little walled town. I caught the local bus which I bought tickets for on the main street as you come out of the port (7 euro return trip).Tarquinia is 20km north of Civitavecchia and took about half an hour to get there on the bus. The bus drops you right at the entrance of the city - at the wall entrance. Just inside the wall is the tourist information centre where I picked up a map of the town. The helpful woman there gave me directions to the Etruscan tombs which are a 500mtr walk from just outside the township. I walked there with another fellow passenger who had also left his travelling companions behind on the ship and was doing the same thing as I was. We walked around the tombs together with only half a dozen other people at the entire site at the same time we were. I enjoyed the tombs immensely and spent another hour there after my new found friend had gone on his way. At the entrance to each tomb there is a sign with detailed information about the tomb and what each fresco decorated on the tomb means. You walk down a number of stairs to visit each tomb underground. The entrance ticket to the site cost 8 euro and also included the entrance to the museum which is back inside the walled town. There is a small cafe at the tombs, a nice clean toilet, and a stall outside the entrance on the roadside selling tourist knick knacks. After leaving the tombs I walked back into the town and spent the next few hours just walking around snapping photos. It is such a picturesque little town with small narrow streets and lovely old buildings, pretty window boxes, nice cafes and restaurants, but not packed with tourists at all, in fact there were hardly any. You do not need a guide to go to this town or visit the tombs; it is quite easy to do it all on your own. I travelled around Europe for five weeks and can say that this little town was a highlight for me.The shop that sells the bus tickets is from memory called 'Rome shop' and had an 'I' (information) sign on the shop signage. The shop is a women's clothing/jewellery shop which seemed an unusual place to sell the tickets. There was a sandwich board sign outside advertising 'bus tickets to Tarquinia'. The bus stop is down the road and around the corner outside a large church. From the shop, with your back to the sea walk up the main street to get to the bus stop. The street naturally curves to the left. Walk about 200mtr and you will see a large church on your right hand side. The bus stop is right outside the church. Get on the blue bus marked Tarquinia and validate your ticket on the bus (you will get two separate bus tickets, one for going, one for returning) When you return the bus will drop you off in the same street across the road from the church.I caught the bus at 10.15am and returned at 4.45pm. When I bought the tickets the girl at the shop gave me a timetable.
This beautiful city is a gem unto itself even if you do not visit the the necropoli. Of course, the necropoli is well worth a day trip from Rome. There is something about the old city that draws you in and makes you want to stay. The views to the sea are outstanding and do not overlook the view from the back of the old church in the medieval part of the city. Bellisima!
I've been there on my cycling trip last year. if you are looking for calm medieval town, this it the place you could spend a couple of days just walking around this place. it's worth it
We just completed our cruise of the Western Med. Prior to our trip, I communicated with Valerio Nacci at NCC Port of Civitavecchia about a tour of Tarquinia and Tuscania. We had visited Rome on several other trips and wanted to see something closer to the port so that we did not lose the 3 hours of transport to Rome and back. Our friends wanted to see some of the Etruscan ruins so we decided to see these towns. Through several emails, we set up a tour through Valerio. We had set up the trip to include another couple who we had met through Cruise Critic. He told us that on the day of our trip, he had a booking to Rome, but that he would supply a driver, not a guide, who spoke english. We met the driver at the port and he spoke very limited english. Fortunately, our friend had lived in Rome and with her limited Italian and the aid of one of the drivers from another company, we communicated with the driver, Mario, and off we went. We first went to Tuscania. We visited the old town on our own and then went to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggoire and the Church of San Pietro. Both were very interesting examples of medieval churches modified and repaired through the ages and included both Roman and Etruscan artifacts. From there, we went to the San Marco restaurant. The food was excellent and our driver did his best work of the day to explain the menu. It was totally in Italian. After a great lunch, we traveled on to Tarquinia. We first visited the town and saw the Etruscan Musem. Their collection is largley comprised of artifacts from the local neropolis and quite extensive. From there we went to the necropolis and visited the tombs. Most are cut into the rock and are 20 - 30 feet under the ground. All of those that are open are well lit and sealed to prevent deterioration. It is amazing how vivid some of the crypt paintings are considering that all are pre-christian and some date back to 600 - 800 BCE. After the visit Mario got us back to the port with more than enough time to board. Mario was courteous and a good driver, but the language isse was at times a challenge. Even with the language issues we really enjoyed the trip. The towns and the sites are fantastic. The only caveat that I would add is that when booking, make sure the driver speaks fluent english.
It will no doubt sound like heresy to some but there are those who have seen enough of Rome, don't want to risk the pickpockets, hate the crowds or simply cannot face the long bus rides from their cruise ships. We were on a cruise and a couple of those comments applied.We did a bit of research and came across this lovely walled hilltop town about 20 minutes bus ride from Civitivechia. It is relaxed and once there it is cheap - three bottled waters waiter served at the table in a pavement cafe cost ONE EURO! It is a small place, very easy to walk around, and very authentically Italian. It reminded us very much of the lovely little town of Carmona near Seville in south-west Spain, visited earlier in the summer. Tarquinia's main claim to fame is the Etruscan tomb excavation just outside town. This is open to visitors but for those who prefer to simply study what the archeologists have turned up there is a charming museum inside a centuries-old palace just inside the the town's main gate. Over 65s get in free, 25s and under get a discount and 18s and under an even bigger one. The collection is housed over three floors and shares space with other exhibits which illustrate the history of the building itself. Most exhibits have translations in English.You can get there by taxi, train or bus. The train is OK but there is a 10-minute shuttle bus ride from the station which is located below the town. The bus service is run by a local company, Eusepi Trasporti, which operates from a small bus station at the town gate. The fare is E1.50 per person one way and you pay on the bus, unlike most other Italian companies whose tickets you have to buy from a Tabachi.Two Eusepi lines provide the service with slightly different routes - Lines L and I. The former is by far the more direct, and the most frequent. Both stop to drop off and pick up next to the fort which marks the entrance to Civitivechia cruise port. There are currently (September 2013) pick ups at 10.20am, 11.20am, 2.35 pm and the last bus back leaves at 5pm and gets to the port at 5.20pm. Service I timings basically fill in the spaces with the last service back at 3.30pm.I give the timings because though you can go on the Internet and find a schedule it is impenetrable - even the lady in the tourist information office just inside the town walls volunteered that fact.This is a super way to spend half a day.
This stunning and largely intact walled Etruscan city it truly delightful. It deserves many hours of your time - to meander the streets and wander the lane ways. marvel at the architecture and take in the breathtaking views.
小城在一座山顶上,塔尔奎尼亚的建设可以追溯到伊特鲁里亚时代。还有有趣的地下墓穴和壁画都是这个地区之前的杰作。小镇博物馆有三层楼的伊特鲁里亚时代的手工艺品,那博物馆修得很精致,花了很多钱,现在都还在还贷款。塔尔奎尼亚虽然只是个小镇,但我在这里过得很开心。丽都是一个典型的意大利海滨度假村,那里有一个相当不错的高尔夫9洞球场。