Time required to change planes/airlines in Rome (FCO)

I doubt that 1 hour 5 min will be enough time.
You would have to be on time, off the plane first and hope that your baggage arrives quickly. There won't be any passport control because you are already in Schengen. Then check your baggage in at next airline and find your next gate.
Very doubtful.

Can you check with your airline to Crete and see if they have any later flights that day?

I doubt that 1 hour 5 min will be enough time.
You would have to be on time, off the plane first and hope that your baggage arrives quickly. There won't be any passport control because you are already in Schengen. Then check your baggage in at next airline and find your next gate.
Very doubtful.
Can you check with your airline to Crete and see if they have any later flights that day?

Thanks for the feedbabck Christine! Yes, nothing later that day other than 1+ stop layovers on other airlines that are twice as long and arrive much later in the pm. They are options, but we lose half-a day in the process on top of cancellation and re-booking fees. I assume the Schengen reciprocity for passport control applies regardless of your country of origin once you're through customs in one of the territories?

You are already within Schengen coming from Barcelona
Passport control and customs are 2 different things
You won’t go thru customs til you get to Crete where it’s just a matter of walking thru correct door-“ nothing to declare” or something to declare

You might take a look at the map of FCO to determine which Terminals and where your arrival and departure gates are
I believe you do have to go thru security again after picking up your baggage as well

https://www.adr.it/web/aeroporti-di-roma-en/pax-fco-airport-map

Are these flights all booked as one ticket?

If I were you, I would have carryon only luggage. However, your chances of success are not good, unless the second flight is late. Check Flight Aware for the on-time percentages of both flights.
I wouldn't want that stress. Good luck!

thank you Christine and Pat - all great info. Unfortunately it is not booked as one ticket. Separate airlines (Iberia Air coming in, and Wizz Air going out).
I just found 2 resources to potentially get us through security faster at FCO; a security Fast Pass ticket (can use anytime) and a Q Pass which allows you to schedule (free of charge) an appointment time to go through security. So at least we might be able to streamline the time in security check. My husband also suggested we might request Iberia to put our luggage on last when we check in so that it comes off first.

We are traveling for two weeks so, unfortunately, carry on-only probably won't work. :-/

DO you know how I can find out what terminal our incoming flight goes to at FCO (Iberia from Barcelona)? I'm pretty sure Wizz goes out of Terminal 1 because that's where the Q Pass automatically booked us after I put our flight info in.

Google
https://www.roma-airport.com/fiumicino-fco-airlines/iberia#:~:text=Iberia%20uses%20Terminal%201%20at%20Rome%20Airport%20(FCO).

Lots of people travel way more than 2 weeks with carry on only
Maybe take a look here for some suggestions
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/packing-light

Not seeing any Iberia operated flights BCN-FCO; I do see Vueling flights however. Is your flight sold by Iberia but operated by Vueling (VY) perhaps?

Regardless both Iberia and Vueling use T1 at FCO so you’re in the same terminal as your departure to Malta. Without checked bags you would have a decent chance but having to go to baggage claim and then re-clear security makes it very challenging.

If you can’t change flights I would have contingency plans ready.

We always travel for two weeks in Europe with carry- on only! 🙂

I came through FCO in Rome in April.
I got off my flight in from Montreal, and transferred to another to Palermo.
The airport appears to have doubled in size since I was last there , and it was a heck of a long walk to my gate for Palermo.
I mean really long.
I had carryon only, and had 1 hour and 10 minutes to get there.
I made it, but I was nearly running.
The good thing was that the signage was excellent, and I didn't have to stop and ask my way through the airport.

I think if you are quite fit, can move fast, your flight in is on time, and you have carryon bags only, you could just make it.
If not, you'll need to rebook, or scope out where the airport hotels are to stay the night if you miss the flight.
If it's all on one ticket then I would think the airline will pay for your hotel and rebooking .

I love clothes, but have now switched to carryon only, and it is wonderful.
Sometimes, I don't even wear everything I've pared down to bringing in my carryon.

No personal experience with wizz air.

Here s one person's experience--

Wizz Air doesn’t mess around with their gate closure times and if you don’t get there 30 minutes before you could miss your flight!-- https://thewanderingquinn.com/wizz-air-rules/#Wizz_Air_Check-in_Times

Assuming your flight arrives on time and parks at the terminal and not a remote spot from where you take a bus to the terminal, a best case scenario is you have your luggage in 20 minutes. You then have 45 minutes to get from bag claim to where ever wizz air has their check in, then to & through security and to the gate, and get there before boarding closes.

With carry on luggage ( that conforms to wizz air guidelines) it would be an extraordinarily tight fit. With checked bags your chances look like the interest rate I get on my checking account ( 0.01%)

My husband also suggested we might request Iberia to put our luggage on last when we check in so that it comes off first.

Unless you are flying 1st class that has only slightly better than zero chance of happening.

They are options, but we lose half-a day in the process on top of cancellation and re-booking fees.

Better to sort it out now than when you are jet lagged, and may have fewer and more expensive options at the airport.

Good luck

Why would you complicate this by booking it as two separate flights? There are probably a bunch of airlines willing to sell you this trip on a single ticket with a protected connection.

Did you book this yourself or did you have a travel agent that did this?

If the latter I’d make them fix it

Why would you complicate this by booking it as two separate flights?

I suspect it could be a three separate flight project. i.e., US-BCN; BCN-FCO; FCO-HER
( Making the assumption OP is coming from the US)

Hopefully I am wrong, otherwise this journey has way too many places where it can go sideways.

Another issue is if the wizz air ticket is a r/t , OP loses the return if they miss the outbound from Rome

Thanks all for the advice. We don't travel abroad very often so hoping it will work out so was hoping this would be a friendly forum for feedback. Leaving tomorrow pm and the Rome-Crete leg is on July 2, so we will figure it out.

I sincerely wish you luck with your connections. I hope you'll report back on how things worked out. I only wish you had come here and asked your questions before you had booked your tickets.

We were at the Rome airport in May, and the two airport Hiltons were fully booked. So-
If you get stranded in Rome, have a list of alternate hotels.
Good luck!