After an early Vatican tour and a Trastevere food tour, it was our last day on land before boarding the Royal Princess in Civitavecchia.

A Stop at Rome’s Famous Keyhole

We booked a tour and transfer with RomeCabs to Civitavecchia, and on our way out of Rome, our driver, Savino, stopped at the keyhole as a treat — a church gate where you can see a magnificent framed view of Rome, with St. Peter’s dome perfectly centered through the opening.

Odescalchi Castle on Lake Bracciano

From there we drove to Odescalchi Castle on Lake Bracciano for about an hour’s visit. It’s a 15th-century castle on the southern shore of the lake — a very interesting diversion on the way to the coast.

Lunch in the Hilltop Village of Ceri

Next was Ceri, a tiny town perched atop a hill. Once a fortress, it’s now home to just one road, one lane up and one down, with two restaurants, a bar, and a store around a small square. That’s it. Adorable.

Lunch here was wonderful: meats, cheese, peppers, and fried dough topped with prosciutto, along with some of the best ricotta we’ve ever had. For our entrée, we had gnocchi in a fresh porcini mushroom cream sauce — delicious, and so light it almost had a skin on it that made each piece nearly explode in your mouth.

Boarding the Royal Princess

We arrived at the ship around 3pm and basically walked right on.