Ports of Italy: where cruise ships dock

PHOTO BY user32212 – Pixabay
Italy is more and more a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. With its exciting nature, cities of art and culture with a thousand-year history, good food, our country is a tourist engine without time or season. Every month is perfect for a holiday in Italy. And every means of transportation is perfect for reaching it. Often, people use the airplane landing at international airports such as Roma Fiumicino or Milano Malpensa or Venice, or the car, but there is also the possibility of arriving by ship. Maybe… a cruise ship.

Italy, a country of ports and sea

Italy is almost completely surrounded by the sea. The relationship of this nation and its people with ports has always been intense. It is no coincidence that Italians have always been excellent navigators, explorers and sea fighters, fishermen, traders and today great connoisseurs of the coasts. Dotted with hundreds of ports and piers, our peninsula is a “universal landing place” that, especially as regards tourism, relies on the lure of cruise ships.

Italian ports are divided into two categories:

•  category 1: ports, or port areas, aimed at military defense and state security;
•  category 2 – class I: ports of international economic importance; class II: ports of national economic importance; class III: ports of regional and interregional economic importance.

Where do cruise ships dock?

Cruise ports are an important resource for alternative tourism in Italy. Whether large or small, they are all capable of accommodating national and international cruise ships. Making a precise list of all the cruise ports in the country is impossible, in a short space, but we can certainly indicate the most important ones, which are divided – ideally, not officially – into three categories.

The most famous cruise ports in Italy are: Civitavecchia (Lazio), Naples (Campania), Genoa, Spezia and Savona (in Liguria), Venice (Veneto), Bari (Puglia), Palermo (in Sicily).
Other ports famous for welcoming cruise ships are: Livorno (Tuscany), Trieste (Friuli-Venezia Giulia), Messina and Catania (Sicily), Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna), Ancona (Marche).
The third category includes Gioia Tauro and Reggio Calabria (Calabria), Taranto and Brindisi (Puglia), Salerno (Campania) and Cagliari (in Sardinia).

To describe just a few: the port of Civitavecchia is the maritime gateway for those who want to quickly reach Rome, Florence, Umbria; the port of Genoa, in addition to being very important for intercontinental connections, opens its doors to those who want to visit the north-west of Italy; Naples is the tourist port par excellence, so deeply “a part of” the splendid Neapolitan city and so close to places like the Amalfi Coast or Pompeii; Venice is the most magical and romantic port there is, needless to say! Bari and Palermo are the ports of reference for those who love the warmth of the extreme south of Italy, dreaming of proximity to Greece and direct routes to the Middle East. Not to be forgotten are ports such as Ravenna, the gateway to the city of mosaics and the medieval routes of the Apennines, and Cagliari, the jewel in the crown of Sardinia.

Connections to and from ports

Italian cruise ports are all well connected to the surrounding area, especially to nearby airports and major capital cities.
Usually, there is a dedicated bus service that allows travelers to move easily and quickly from the port of arrival to the destination. Many ports, however, also rely on trains and subway lines to reach urban centers. Less common, but certainly not rare, are taxis.

Private transportation to/from Italian ports

The convenience of having transportation ready and waiting upon arrival is important, especially for tourists. Ports, even if they welcome cruises, are not always safe and liveable places. So, looking for public transportation can put you at risk of stress or worse … at risk of scams, if you fall into the hands of fake taxi drivers.

The ideal is to book a private transfer before arrival. In this way, a reliable and safe driver will be ready to pick up the customer as soon as they disembark from the ship. Companies such as Transfeero guarantee a private transportation service from numerous Italian ports. The possibility to book in advance, decide on times and rates as well as destinations, allows the user to start the holiday right away without worries. Even arriving late, even having only a few hours to explore the area, before the cruise sets sail again.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the invitation is to experience a holiday in romantic Italy through a very romantic cruise. An ideal combination that passes through the efficiency of Italian cruise ports and private transport which, through chauffeurs, shuttles and dedicated driver-guides, favor an ever-growing tourism in our country.