Cinque Terre & The Islands of Sicily & Malta

This morning we explore Cimiez, an upmarket area of Nice and once capital of the Roman province of the Maritime Alps. Here we see the extensive archaeological zone, with its arena, small amphitheatre, and bath complex. We also explore the archaeological museum which contains some interesting finds from ancient shipwrecks and fragments of a bronze dancing fawn, the identical of the complete statue found at Pompeii. Later we drive to Beaulieu-sur-Mer just along the coast where we will visit the early 20^th century lavish Greek Villa Kerylos, built and decorated in Graeco-Roman style. Its situation is stunning, perched on the edge of the sea against the backdrop of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. In the late afternoon, we drive to the port of Nice where we board our ship, the MV La Belle des Océans. This evening we sail to La Spezia.

In the morning we arrive in La Spezia and after breakfast on board we join our fellow passengers on a full day excursion to absorb the emblematic scenery in the Cinque Terre and the spectacular, colourful fishing villages along the Italian Riviera. The Cinque Terre are five fishing villages perched high on the Italian Riviera and ranging along seven miles of rugged coast south of Genoa. Until recently they were linked only by mule tracks and accessible by rail or water and vehicles have been banned here for over decade. Undeniably picturesque, a tumble of brightly coloured houses clinging to the cliffs with terraces and dry-stone walls carved into the hillsides, these villages are now part of a national park and World Heritage Site. We will discover Manarola, one of the smallest of the villages and one of the oldest dating from the 1300s. From here we will travel to Monterosso, situated on hills cultivated with lemons, vines and olives. We will have lunch here and continue by train towards Vernazza to stroll in the village and enjoy the large square surrounded by brightly coloured homes and a port filled to the brim with all sorts of boats. The train will bring us back to La Spezia, where we'll return to the ship on foot. This evening we sail onto the island of Elba.

Today we discover the Island of Elba as we join our fellow passengers on a full day excursion. This third largest Italian island is known for two things: the variety of its landscapes and as the first island of exile for Napoleon Bonaparte. After his forced abdication in 1814, Napoleon lived on the island for 300 days before escaping. The tour of Elba begins on foot at the historic center of Portoferraio, whose pink streets come from the limestone slabs used to pave them. We visit the Palazzina dei Mulini, Napoleon's official residence, now a museum, housing furniture, paintings, and memorabilia once belonging to the former emperor. We then travel by coach to Porto Azzuro, on the eastern side of the island. Longone Fort dominates this pretty port founded by the Spanish at the beginning of the 17th century. Back on board we sail onwards to Calabria during which time you can choose to join the presentation on board: Elba from the Reign of the Medicis to Napoleon's Arrival.

A full day cruising the Mediterranean Sea. We have the chance to relax and reflect on what we have experienced on our tour so far and during the day you will be able to join your Guide Lecturer for a talk about what awaits on the remainder of our cruise.

In the morning we arrive at Vibo Marina in Calabria, the extreme southwest of the Italian peninsula, the ‘toe’ of Italy which stretches from the southern borders of Campania and Basilicata to the Straits of Messina opposite Sicily. Distant and isolated, Calabria may be, but unattractive it is not, and its remoteness has helped to preserve much of its landscape and history from a succession of invaders including modern tourists! After our morning excursion we enjoy lunch back on board and then our ship will cast off for Sicily. Take advantage of the ships facilities or relax under the Mediterranean skies, and then join some of the Croisi crew for an Italian cocktail demonstration on the Sun Deck.

Exclusive Andante excursion: We drive to nearby Vibo Valentia, originally the Greek colony of Hipponion and later a Roman colony. After a phase of prosperity during the late Republic and early Empire, the town was almost completely abandoned but revitalised when in 1070 the Normans built a castle at the site of the old Acropolis using material from the classical ruins found nearby. We will visit the Castle which commands fabulous views from its hilltop position and the excellent archaeological museum it houses.

Early this morning, we arrive in Syracuse, at its height the richest city in the Greek world and the home of countless artistic treasures taken to Rome by its conqueror, Marcellus, in 212 BC, when Rome sacked the city and killed its most famous son, Archimedes. From Cicero, we read that it is clear that the city retained much of its glory and its Hellenic character, something reinforced by its connections to the Byzantine world. This evening we sail towards the Aeolian islands located in the Tyrrhenian Sea in northern Sicily.

Exclusive Andante excursion: Today we explore the most important archaeological remains in Syracuse, starting with the exquisite peninsula of Ortygia, the oldest part of the city. We begin with the Temple of Apollo, one of the earliest stone temples in the Greek world, and continue to the Temple of Athena, built to celebrate the city’s victory in the Battle of Himera and now transformed into the city’s cathedral. A short walk away, we visit the Basilica of Saint Lucy, famed for the last canvas depicting the saint’s burial, painted by Caravaggio who landed in Syracuse from Malta, on his way back to Rome. We end the morning with a visit to the Fountain of Arethusa overlooking the Great Harbour where Athenians met their end in the Sicilian Expedition. After lunch, we visit the Neapolis Archaeological Park, where we visit the extraordinary Greek theatre which staged Aeschylus’ Women of Aetna, evocative quarries and a Roman amphitheatre.

In the morning, we disembark from our ship in Valletta and start our two-day exploration of the ancient city, called Melatha by Carthaginians who colonised the city, then renamed Melite by Romans who took control of the Maltese islands after the Punic Wars. Although it was considered a satellite of Sicily, Malta flourished in the Roman period. The settlement covered the entirety of Mdina and extended to most of Rabat; as with all Mediterranean islands, its culture was influenced by all those peoples who colonised it and with whom it traded, notably Phoenicians and Greeks.

Exclusive Andante Excursion:  We start our exploration with a visit to the Co-Cathedral of St. John which was decorated by the Calabrian artist Mattia Preti and is famed for its stunning masterpieces of St. Jerome and the Beheading of St. John the Baptist painted by Caravaggio, when he was hired by the Knights of St. John, who offered him a refuge. From there we drive a short distance to Rabat for a visit to the Catacombs of St. Paul, which were located just outside the walls of ancient Melite, and which started out as a Punic necropolis in the 4^th and 3rd centuries and continued in use until the Byzantine period. The catacombs are dominated by two entrance halls which may have been used for funerary rites. We continue to the neighbouring Catacombs of St. Agatha, the Sicilian martyr who was thought to have sojourned for a time in Malta; here we see agape tables, which may have used by families of the deceased, as well as medieval frescoes.

After disembarking our ship, we start our second day of  exploration in Valletta with the exceptional National Archaeological Museum housed in the 16^th century Auberge de Provence and which includes precious artefacts from Malta’s rich Neolithic past, including the Sleeping Lady, the sumptuous representation of a sleeping mother figure found in the Hypogeum at Hal Safliemi, and the Mother Goddess from Skorba. Underscoring the richness of Malta’s history, we will also venture to a hall in which there are reproductions of the mysterious Bronze Age cart ruts found in several places in Malta and will consider their function. The museum also has a fine collection of materials from Classical antiquity, notably a wonderful Phoenician sarcophagus, which provides precious testimony to the city’s connection to that part of the world. After lunch in Valetta, we drive to Rabat where we lunch and then examine the Domus Romana, a notable 1^st century BC elite dwelling whose wealth can be gauged by the quality of its mosaics, including one of a pair of doves drinking at a fountain.

Time permitting, you can have a final walk around Valletta before we travel to the airport and take our flights back to London.