NEVER leave yourself too little time to make a cruise. The cost if something happens to delay you can be enormous. (I always think the night before is safer.)

The guidebooks are telling you "facts" based on what? Previous experiences? If so, on how many? One? Several? A whole lot?

It is very VERY easy to overcome any possibilities that a train might be so late to make you miss your cruise: go a night ahead of time>

I am sorry if that means you are spending more money and if you can think of a more foolproof way to ensure you make that cruise then please let the rest of us know exactly what it is.

>>>There are only two trains that day that will allow us time to get to the cruise, so our window is small.<<<

Not sure how you can determine this when summer schedules aren't even out yet (won't be until June).

I would plan to arrive the night before unless your cruise departs late in the day.

>>>I suspect the La Spezia to Rome train is reliable<<<

Just as reliable as the CT trains.

I rode the Cinque Terre milk shuttle trains several times in one day recently and they were always on time but yes leave as much time as possible - there were running about twice an hour at that time so take an earlier train and then wait an extra half hour for your other train.

Another vote for going the day before - in my experience it is not only CT trains that can be "off schedule" in Italy.

Put me in the "day before" column. I know of too many instances where people, like mu in-laws, missed cruises because they tried to cut it close on same-day transportation.

And what has Mussolini to do with that?

the fact that Mussolini got the trains to run on time is I hear a fallacy - a fact a fallacy - a few mainline trains did or were coerced to run to schedule but not nearly all the trains as is often what is said.

Mussolini did knock down lovely old train stations like in Rome, Venice and Florence and erect in their places sleek modern ones of the so-called fascist school of architecture.

The whole Mussolini trains running on time thing is a myth. Most of the repairs that had been done to improve the rail system were completed before the fascists came into power in 1922, and those repairs didn't contribute much to trains running on time anyway.

But back to the original question: I never put myself in a situation where a late train might seriously mess up my plans. I've been on hundreds of trains in Europe, including Italian ones, and have had more than a few occasions where trains were late. Cows on the track, serious weather issues, passenger with a heart attack, flooding, mechanical malfunction...are just a few of the things I remember that made trains late. It's not the norm, of course, but all it takes is one instance and your plans are blown. Go the night before.

We're changing our plans and will go directly to Civitavecchia and take day trips to Cerveteri and Tarquinia before our cruise. Thanks for all your responses.