4-Hour Layover in Rome

(Note: This post was updated in 2019.)

First, let’s just say that the Rome (FCO) airport is simply stupid. The terminals are not connected nor are their systems either. We had to walk outside from terminal to terminal to determine which terminal our departing flight would leave from.  We had arrived from Stockholm via Amsterdam and were on our way to Athens. With a 4-hour layover, we wanted to decide if we should stay in the airport or journey to a good meal.

Grab a Cabbie to Fiuciamo

After figuring out where we would depart from and confirmed our time, we decided to venture on to the beach to a little town nearby in Fiuciamo. We tried desperately to take a local bus, but despite TripAdvisor info and asking the locals, no one could get us to the bus station. I hate not knowing the local language, and this was certainly the case. My Spanish didn’t help much either, sadly.

Thus, we grabbed a cab and cut a deal for the cabbie to pick us up from the dropoff as well for about $20 round trip. So, we tootled to the beach, a mere 10 km away. It clearly was not season (this was April) yet, despite the nice 68 degrees.

The cabbie dropped us at a hotel where we felt we could grab another cabbie in case he didn’t show up to pick us back up. After all, we didn’t want to miss our flight to Athens.

Fresh Fish in 4 Hours or Less!

Fiuciamo is a darling, little, local town not bothered by off-season tourists. We meandered around the small fishing village, admiring the local catch and mini fish market, grabbing a photo of the three of us on the Italian Mediterranean. Although tempted to buy some local squid, we decided to find some professionals to cook for us.

Being off season, most of the restaurants were closed. No bother, though, as we all were able to find our favorites on the one and only menu at Porchetta D’Aricoa; calamari, caprese salad, and cannelloni. I know this is one meal in Italy, but I must say the caprese was the absolutely best I’ve ever eaten.

With full bellies, we returned to our drop off, found our cabbie, and journeyed back to the airport. On the way to the gate, we enjoyed the best gelato ever then hopped on our last flight of the day to Athens. Thus, our 4-hour layover in Rome harvested a fantastic meal at the local fishing village.