Taxis from Fuimicino Airport
After taking the bus back to the Domus Romana, we ordered a taxi to Fiumicino Airport. This is not an extravagant way of travelling: the fixed cost is 40 euros. Were we to have gone by train from Termini Station, that would have cost us 11 euros each and a taxi across the City to Termini would have seen off most of the remaining 18 euros.
Our taxi driver was a good young lad who was interested in our view of the social challenges for young people in England. After talking about this for a while and making comparisons with Italy, he enlightened us as to the problems faced by honest taxi drivers in Rome.
As he said, when a foreign visitor arrives at Fiumicino, the first person they meet is likely to be someone who says to them in English "Wanna Taxi?" We had this when we arrived but knew to pass on without showing any interest. What you need to do is to find the queue for the licensed taxis. They will take you from Fiumicino airport to anywhere within the Aurelian walls for 40 euros (30 from Ciampino Airport.) Apparently, the rogue taxis ("ladri" he called them - "thieves") charge unsuspecting visitors anything up to 160 euros. They are run by the Mafia, of course, and therefore nobody does anything effective to stop them.
The result is that newly arrived visitors, having been ripped off, never trust Roman taxis again on their visit.
So when you go to Rome, don't trust anyone who touts for taxis: go to the official taxi rank, find a white licensed taxi and pay them your money - they are honest, efficient and reasonably priced - a great way to get around Rome.
Our taxi driver was a good young lad who was interested in our view of the social challenges for young people in England. After talking about this for a while and making comparisons with Italy, he enlightened us as to the problems faced by honest taxi drivers in Rome.
As he said, when a foreign visitor arrives at Fiumicino, the first person they meet is likely to be someone who says to them in English "Wanna Taxi?" We had this when we arrived but knew to pass on without showing any interest. What you need to do is to find the queue for the licensed taxis. They will take you from Fiumicino airport to anywhere within the Aurelian walls for 40 euros (30 from Ciampino Airport.) Apparently, the rogue taxis ("ladri" he called them - "thieves") charge unsuspecting visitors anything up to 160 euros. They are run by the Mafia, of course, and therefore nobody does anything effective to stop them.
The result is that newly arrived visitors, having been ripped off, never trust Roman taxis again on their visit.
So when you go to Rome, don't trust anyone who touts for taxis: go to the official taxi rank, find a white licensed taxi and pay them your money - they are honest, efficient and reasonably priced - a great way to get around Rome.
