Help with do it yourself day trip from Civitavecchia

Please help me with a day trip from Civitavecchia. I have a noon flight from FCO the day after debarking my cruise. I would like to do something different and have been researching different places to visit. My plan is to rent a car in Civitavecchia and drop it off at FCO. This is the itinerary that i came up with so far, although it might be too ambitious. Civitavecchia to Tarquinia to Lake Bracciano and visit Castello Odescalchi then the town of Trevignano Romano, have lunch there and walk around. From there drive to Ostia Antica then Fco.

From google maps the total drive is 3 hours. As I'm writing this, I realize it's definitely too ambitious. I don't like to run around like a chicken with my head cut off, I'm more of a stop and smell the roses kind of person. I'm intrigued by Lake Bracciano and the town of Trevignano, the reviews are outstanding and it looks like heaven on earth and a good place to unwind after the cruise. Has anyone been to all these places? Which place would you eliminate or should I try to fit them all in? How is parking in these places and do you think our luggage will be safe? Thanks.

It sounds like Lake Bracciano and Trevignano Romano are the places of most interest to you and, geography-wise, the only thing that pairs with them is Tarquinia.

The museum and necropolis at Tarquinia open at 8:30 AM but whether or not you can get there at opening time depends on when the rental car office opens. It takes about a half hour to drive there, plus time to find parking and walk to the museum and the ruins. More info here: http://www.tarquinia-cerveteri.it/museo-e-necropoli-di-tarquinia/info-e-contatti

By the time you're through there and drive to Lake Brancciano it will already be lunch time, so I would plan to eat somewhere along the lake and spend the afternoon exploring the area, then head to your hotel. I would leave the other sites for another visit.

As for safety of your luggage, there's really no place you could say is "safe". You can do things to lessen the chances of having a problem, like ensuring that all of your luggage is out of sight in the trunk of the car, and not opening the trunk after placing it there, but nothing is completely safe.

There is a decent sized parking lot in Tarquinia outside of the walls that's about halfway between the necropolis and the museum. If you use Viale Bruschi Falgari, 2 as your target address you can make a google map to get there from Civitavecchia, and from there to Lago Bracciano.

Thank you so much! That's exactly the information I was looking for! The address for parking was also very helpful.

Bonnie

Bonnie; can you share who you rented the car via and what the cost was please? This seems like a great idea!

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I rented with europcar. They are at the port and had the best rates. The price was $94usd for an economy car. If you Google car rentals in Civitavecchia, you'll see all the companies listed.

We are doing something similar, although driving farther and being more ambitious. Mostly driving through the countryside and stopping for brief pictures and then hit the road again. Europcar was definitely the cheapest option for us too. No additional one-way fees, and from what I can tell close to the cruise terminal (Budget is close as well, Hertz farther away.) Much of the information about the location of the rental car places relative to the cruise terminal is outdated as they've changed where you enter and exit for the cruise.

Google maps is a great way to see the street view and locate parking in these little towns. Be aware that in many towns you can't drive through the old part of town without getting a ticket, so make sure you research where it's allowed to drive or not. I like to plan obsessively so I know where the parking is, how far a walk it is to get to the sites I want to see, etc. I also plan several alternatives so if we decide to stay somewhere longer or see something different, we can deviate based on how we feel that day.

 

Google maps is a great way to see the street view and locate parking in these little towns. Be aware that in many towns you can't drive through the old part of town without getting a ticket, so make sure you research where it's allowed to drive or not. I like to plan obsessively so I know where the parking is, how far a walk it is to get to the sites I want to see, etc. I also plan several alternatives so if we decide to stay somewhere longer or see something different, we can deviate based on how we feel that day.

I plan the same way. Last summer we rented a car in Florence and drove 2 weeks through Tuscany and the Italian Lakes region. I googled earth every parking lot of every town we planned to visit and knew exactly how to get there without going through any ztl zones. I was surprised that we didn't get any tickets. I really thought I went through one in Lucca and I messed up exiting Florence, but I was already across the arno. Thanks for reminding me. I didn't think ztl's might be in these little towns also.