Fiumicino – A less noisy version of Rome

By Gerry Barker

Photos by Gerry Barker

When our cruise ended in Rome, we had a choice: Dive into the hustle and bustle of The Eternal City or relax and unwind before a long flight home the next day. Having experienced much of Rome on previous trips, we chose the latter.

Like many long-distance travelers here on a short-time stay, we looked for a hotel close to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport, in the town of Fiumicino. Located on the Tiber delta, it is the historic site of Trajan, an important port for the Roman Empire. Now a maritime village, fishing center and resort on the Tyrrhenian Sea coast, we had a day to explore the city at our leisure.

But first, we needed a place to stay. After perusing a number of options, we choose the Seecy Hotel Boutique Art and Museum, partly because the reviews were positive and we were fascinated by the name. Less than fifteen minutes to the airport, it turned out to be a good choice, with an interesting history.
We learned the Secci family came to Fiumicino from Sardinia in the 1940s, and opened a ballroom in the city. In the Sixties, it was converted to a bar with gaming rooms. In the Seventies, the family left to open a sweet shop –“Il Seccy”– in Rome, which “soon became one of the most renowned pastry shops in Italy.”
Three decades later, in 2009, the family returned to Fiumicino to open the Seecy Hotel Boutique where the ballroom once stood, and two years ago, transformed it into a hotel-museum that honors the glory that was Imperial Rome. And honor it does.

The moment you enter you realize it truly is as much of an art galley/museum as a hotel. There are busts and statues of Roman gods and leaders, bas-reliefs and mosaics, displayed along with antiques and historic photos. A beautiful, spiral staircase connects the three floors and 36 rooms, and overhead, a dramatic oculus overlooking it all.

Our room had that same attention to detail, with windows that opened to a garden terrace below, luxury sheets and an upscale bath with heated floor and towel warmers. The hotel had excellent customer service as well, from the warm welcome we received and the chance for early check-in to providing us an extra plug adapter for our room. All at a very reasonable price.

Once we settled in, it was only a short walk to the canal, where we found restaurants, bars and shops. While you may not find the glitz of Rome, this working class fishing village has plenty of dining choices, including the one we opted for — Salotto Valadier, “where taste meets timeless elegance.”

Decorated throughout with antiques and tables featuring elegant settings, the look and feel here would rival just about any upscale restaurant in New York.

Since it was a brisk January day, we opted to forego the patio by the canal and eat indoors. where we received personal attention from the three “young foodies” who operate it, along with their pet Dachshund, who made periodic joyous runs by our table.

We spent as much time admiring the décor as we did making our food choices. As we savored our wine, our server brought us an amuse-bouche, compliments of the chef, followed by spaghetti with clams and for dessert — what else? — tiramisu. Great food, drink and atmosphere, all at a good price — another reason to love Italy.

With the chilly temps, we didn’t venture to the nearby resort beaches on the coast, but later, found Dai 4 Cantani, a neighborhood pizzeria serving up some of the best pizza we’re ever had. Not surprising — after all, Italy is the birthplace for pizza, right?

In business for over 30 years, they take pride in “making pizza the old fashioned way, according to Roman tradition.” Their pizza by-the-slice, which we had, has “a 36-hour leavening,” and judging by how busy the place was, it just verified you always want to eat where the locals go.

The next morning, we enjoyed a delicious continental breakfast at the hotel before they summoned the shuttle that would take us on the short ride to the airport to start our journey back to Florida.

Until next time, Fiumicino — arrivederci!