Ironically, I found cruising the Mediterranean quite strenuous. Every day, another port to visit, totally different to the last. Little wonder it took Odysseus quite a while to return home from his wanderings. There's simply too much to see and do in this magical corner of the world. So it's always nice to find a place where you can hop off the boat and simply be.

Civitavecchia proved such a place (as did Livorno, the port of Florence). Civitavecchia is the main port for Rome, and just about everyone from the boat headed off for a whirlwind tour of the Eternal City. A brave decision in the height of summer. Also an exhausting one.

When in Rome, it's easy to forget how close the city is to the sea. Ancient Rome was, after all, a major trading port with a significant navy. Only 80 km away from the capital,  Civitavecchia is built over an Etruscan settlement - as is so much of this area of Italy.

The harbour was constructed by Trajan in the 2nd C AD. Civitavecchia became a Byzantine stronghold, was raided by Saracens, liberated by a pope, occupied by the French, survived bombing by the Allies in WWII, became a free port under Innocent III, and then became the main port of Rome. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find Odysseus and his men rested here a few days, or years (especially if a goddess or two were involved).

Despite these historical claims, and the number of cruise ships docking each day, there is remarkably little to do in Civitavecchia, which makes it a perfect place to relax for a few hours.

Outside the fence marking the end of the port stood a line of non-registered taxis touting for business, complete with aggressive drivers who barely let us pass unscathed. After running the gauntlet, we caught a bus into town. The bus was empty, the driver chatty, and finally I could relax. Buses are, after all, a great way to see a new place. They potter along, go down side streets, and end up at the most amazing places.

Civitavecchia isn't large, and we alighted at the train station at the far end of town, then slowly walked back along the waterfront. It was a beautiful summer's day, and the water looked inviting - only the beach was rocks and pebbles. (As an Australian I'm incredibly spoilt, with beaches of the finest sand, and I've yet to find any in my travels a beach to rival our own.) People sat on the pebbles sunning themselves, and wore shoes when walking into the stunning blue of the Mediterranean because of the stones.

The Sunday markets were in full swing, selling clothes and handbags, touristy nic-nacs, fruit and veggies, as well as the most delicious-looking breads, cheeses and meats. The smell of salt filled the air. The massive Fort Michelangelo dominated the skyline. Commissioned by Pope Julia’s II to defend Rome, the upper tower was designed by Michelangelo.

In the historic centre, just off the Piazza Vittorio Emmanuelle, stands the Cathedral di San Francesco. Built in 1610 over the remains of a small Franciscan church, it boasts a magnificent Baroque façade, despite damage sustained during the bombing of WWII. The main entrance opens onto a single nave. The church is both very simple and very peaceful. It contains works by Domenichino, Pietro de Laurentiis and Antonio Nessi – including a fresco above the altar of St Francis Receiving the Stigmata.

The streets are filled with cafes and restaurants, and despite it being Sunday a few shops were open (and, yes, I managed to buy a skirt and a pair of shoes). After a leisurely lunch in the sun, followed by a great coffee, I caught the bus back to the boat, where my beloved and I partook of cocktails by the pool, while everyone else was still struggling with the chaos of Rome.

The Literary Traveller

What else to read when cruising Italy: Homer’s Odyssey. 

Composed perhaps as long ago as the 8th C BCE, it has been argued that between the creation of the earlier The Iliad and The Odyssey one can see the evolution of human consciousness.

The Odyssey is a tale full of tales, around the enduring theme of what it means to be human and how to best fulfil one’s place in society, even when dragged in different directions by conflicting forces of society, family honour and individual needs (and, in Odyssey’s case, an angry god or three.) 

Emily Wilson’s translation does justice to this poetic epic. The backdrop of the Mediterranean, her lands and her peoples, floods Homer’s writings – making it a perfect read when cruising the waters of the Middle Sea.