This private shore excursion from Civitavecchia is the alternative for travelers who have already seen Rome or who prefer to spend the day at ancient sites without the crowds of the city center. The itinerary visits two destinations rarely included on standard shore excursions: the Etruscan Necropolis at Cerveteri and the archaeological park of Ostia Antica.
Your driver guide meets you at the pier and drives you approximately 45 minutes south to Cerveteri, once one of the most powerful Etruscan cities in Italy, with origins dating to the 9th century BC. The Necropolis of Cerveteri — known in Italian as the Banditaccia — was built between the 7th and 3rd centuries BC and is one of the largest and best-preserved Etruscan burial sites in existence. In 2004 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Etruscan Necropolis at Tarquinia.
Walking through the necropolis feels unlike any other archaeological site in Italy. The tombs are arranged along narrow terraced streets in the manner of a city, and the burial chambers are designed to resemble the interiors of Etruscan homes — stone beds with carved pillows, chairs, and household objects rendered in stucco relief. The Tomba Bella, burial ground of the Matuna family, is the finest example, with painted walls depicting domestic scenes and everyday objects believed to have been placed in the tomb for use in the afterlife. Audio guides are available at the site.
From Cerveteri, you drive approximately 30 minutes to the archaeological park of Ostia Antica, the ancient harbor city of Rome. Ostia was founded as Rome's first colony, traditionally attributed to King Ancus Martius in the 7th century BC. At its peak the city had a population of approximately 80,000 residents and served as the primary gateway for goods arriving from across the Roman Empire — grain from North Africa, marble from Greece, spices from the East.
Unlike the Roman Forum in the city center, Ostia Antica is largely intact and easily walkable. The site includes a Roman theater seating 4,500, the Square of the Corporations with its mosaic floor depicting the trade emblems of nearly 75 merchant offices, patrician homes with original mosaic floors and frescoes, a gymnasium, public baths, temples, a Jewish synagogue, and the warehouses that once stored the empire's imported goods. A small on-site museum houses sculptures and frescoes excavated from the ruins. A cafe on site provides a lunch break under umbrella pine trees.
Ostia is only partially excavated — most of the major monuments are uncovered, but much of the city remains underground. Audio guides are available at the site.
Contact us if you would like to customize this Civitavecchia shore excursion or arrange transportation for a larger group.
Review Location- Civitavecchia 
