After leaving Corfu we sailed through the Straits of Messina in the daylight, passed the island of Stromboli and called at Civitavecchia for our visit to Rome. Our last port of call before Genoa was Ajaccio on Corsica.
Oceana sailed an estimated 1472 nautical miles from Venice back to Genoa.
Day 12 Sunday 16th October in transit to Civitavecchia and the Messina Straights
The day started cloudy but warm and the sea has calmed. The ship was still under a norovirus alert and perhaps this was why the queue for the breakfast in the restaurant was so long at 9 am. This was the first time we’d ever been issued with a bleeper to call us when a table was available.
After 10.15 am the Captain announced that pilot was onboard and shortly we would be entering the straits.
The Straits of Messina
On the our port side was Sicily and on starboard was mainland Italy. The forward upper decks were all closed due to high wind hazards. Instead I stood port side on the 14th deck (the Sun Deck) but this did make it difficult to judge the width of the straits.
The ferries that cross the straits go from Villa San Giovanni on mainland Italy to Messina in Sicily.
We could see a Carnival cruise ship docked in Messina but other than ferries we saw no other ships when passing through the straits.
Lunch was in the Cafe Jardin and was a steak panini plus salad followed by a blancmange that was labelled as Eton Mess (which it quite definitely was not!)
After lunch we passed Stromboli away on our port side.
Going North meant that the sun was on our port side balcony.
In the evening we had the last Black tie evening of the cruise along with a cocktail party in LeClub.
Dinner cream of tomato soup, steak and honey and ginger ice cream
Day 13 Monday 17th October Civitavecchia for Rome
A we were booked on an early P&O tour, we had a light breakfast in our room at just after 7 am. Our meeting time for the trip was 08.50 am and we were on the quayside at just after half past.
The coaches on our trip were leaving once filled and ours left for Rome at 8.40 am. This P&O organised trip was the ‘Three of The Best in Rome’. We were to be taken by coach to three of the most popular historical landmarks, where we were to be left to explore independently. We were scheduled to visit:
- The Colosseum – 1 hour
- The Trevi Fountain – 2 hours
- St Peter’s Basilica – 1 hour
We were warned that as the Pope had declared 2016 the Jubilee Year of Mercy there maybe larger than normal crowds in the Vatican.
Once on the coach, we passed Roman walls out of Civitavecchia’s port before joining the road into Rome. Before entering Rome proper our coach stopped at one of the rest points to give everyone the chance to visit the loos and have a quick drink. I took the opportunity to log in to the cafe’s free wi-fi to use email and WhatsApp as well.
We had received a map of Rome on our coach and an explanation as to how our day would be organised.
The Coliseum
The Coliseum was our first historical site of the day. We left the coach a few hundred meters from the Coliseum. Our first sight was of an archway as we walked up the road.
The queues were so long that we didn’t have enough time to actually go inside but instead walked all around the site.
There were armed troops positioned around the square but they were not allowing any photographs or selfies near them.
As is usual with trips off ships we had to wait past our allotted meeting time. When we finally left the roads were very busy and we passed the site of the remains of the Circus Maximus This was the arena where chariot races were held.
After more traffic jams we passed Rome’s Hard Rock cafe.
People’s Square
Just before noon the coach parked some distance away from People’s Square and we all walked through the archway there. People’s Square was the starting point to visit the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. This was to be our meeting point in a couple of hours time.
The Spanish Steps
We walked across the square taking the left hand road out of the square heading for the Spanish Steps. The map was more decorative than accurate but the Steps were so busy that it was impossible to miss them.
The Trevi Fountain
Next stop was the Trevi Fountain. The square was packed with tourists all of us trying to take pictures of the fountain.
And as we walked I did spot a painted panel.
After some more walking back towards People’s Square we picked a pizza place for lunch.
I did spot a small piece of streetart as we made our way back to the square in alleyway off the street.
Our guide had left us his phone number in case of emergencies. One of the couples off the coach had walked a long way away from the square and phoned to say that they were in a taxi making their way back. I chatted with the guide about how little street art I’d found and he promised to point out to me the murals alongside the Tiber.
We eventually left People’s Square at 14:20 and headed back to the coach for our last stop of the day. As we crossed the Tiber there was a series of street art and graffiti along the walls.
Vatican City
We arrived at the underground coach park at Vatican City at about 14:50 and made our way through tunnels to just inside the city.
After an ice cream we sat and watched the crowds up and down the street and the square.
We were back at the meeting point at 16:00 to begin our journey back to the ship. As promised our guide pointed out the streetart created all along the side of the River Tiber around the Ponte Sisto. I managed a few images from the coach as we passed by.
Once back onboard we went for a rest in Winners bar and I had a beer after a long day out.
Dinner was a chicken caesar salad followed by penne pasta bolognese with garlic bread and then vanilla ice cream. – keeping with the Italain theme.
We left dinner early to go aft to the Starlights lounge to wait for the Flyrights to begin their second show of the cruise. This was the smaller of the venues on the ship and I wasn’t sure just how many others would be there.
… The Flyrights …
As this was getting near the end of the cruise our embarkation and flight details were in our cabin for our departure on Wednesday.
The concierge post was £1.50 and left the ship at 4.40 pm.
The sights of Rome seemed to appear more times on the right hand side of coach – probably best then to try and sit this side.
Once back on the ship I discovered that the Hard Rock Cafe was only a short walk away from the Spanish Steps on Via Vittorio Veneto – maybe next time.