Wintering in Roma Italy - UPDATE

Created by doina. Last modified on 2005-04-20 13:47:48
Countries: Italy

We are now cruising in the Mediterranean and decided to stay at the Porto Turistico di Roma marina this winter. This decision was based partly on the strong recommendation made by MAGIC CARPET and TRUANT 2 in a previous Noonsite report. There have been many changes since 2002/2003 and the positive experience these cruisers enjoyed. There are now some serious deficiencies with this marina.

Porto Turistico di Roma is located in the city of Ostia, near the Fiumicino Airport and about 30 kilometers from Roma. This past year of 2004/2005 there were approximately 35 cruising yachts from many countries that spent the winter. At the end of the winter, several cruisers created a survey questionnaire to poll opinions and to provide the management of the marina with some feedback. While the docks and mooring rings, electricity and water are all acceptable, there are some serious issues with security and maintenance. Nineteen boats filled out the questionnaire, and the consensus is that the marina has serious security problems. Most would hesitate to recommend Porto Turistico di Roma to other cruisers.

It seems that a lot has changed in the past year. Security is almost non-existent. The guard service that provided security has been eliminated. The public has free access. The pontoons and general marina have no locked barriers. There have been fourteen thefts of bicycles locked to the pontoons or taken from boats, and the bathrooms and laundry rooms vandalized. The unheated shower rooms were often dirty, and cars/vans broken into in the “guarded” parking lot. Boats have been boarded without permission. The management of the marina doesn’t have a process for addressing these problems and no one is “in charge”. The office staff is indifferent.

In years past, the marina provided a meeting room for the cruisers and a van to the grocery store, both of which are no longer available. Graciously, The Food’s Planet Restaurant helped out by providing a porch area for the cruisers. We had weekly social events in the main restaurant. They allowed us to store a small library of books on the porch, as well as a place for the cruisers to have seminars. Within the Marina, a new up-scale Yacht Club facility opened in late winter, and charged cruisers $45E a month to join. Many cruisers chose not to. It ended up dividing the community into members and “non-members”.

There are some positive aspects of this area. Touring Roma throughout the winter months has been a treat. It is less than one hour to the Colosseum by public transportation. There are many boat yards and services in the nearby city of Fiumicino. The beachfront promenade in Ostia is being rebuilt with paved sidewalks and gardens and will soon be lovely. If the security and bathroom/shower issues are solved, and management refocuses on customer service, then Porto Turistico di Roma could again be a world class facility.

Because of its prime location near Roma, cruisers may be willing to overlook these deficiencies. Everything of value should be locked and chained within the marina.

The office can be emailed at direzione.porto@portodiroma.com. Or phone 0039 656 188236. Florinda and Cristina work in the office and speak English.

A copy of the executive summary of the survey can be viewed on www.deckersailing.com under Cruising Guides.

Doug (wd9jkx) and Judy Decker

s/v LIMERENCE