Day: July 20, 2026

Our ship docked at Villefranche, situated on the French Riviera east of Nice.  The bay of Villefranche is one of the deepest natural harbors of any port in the Mediterranean Sea.  Being a medievalist of sorts, I opted for the tour of St. Paul-De-Vence, a walled medieval village in Provence, in the…

Marseilles Marseilles is the second largest city in France and was the main port of the French Empire.  The bay, flanked by Fort Saint-Nicolas and Fort Saint-Jean, shelters the Castle of If, from Count of Monte Cristo fame. It is a fortress located on the island of If, the smallest island in the Frioul…

Our ship docked in Livorno.  We opted for the tour of Renaissance Florence.  To get to Florence, we had an hour and a half drive through the beautiful Tuscan hills.  The tour began with a visit to the Accademia, where Michelangelo’s colossal “David” is housed. It is breath-taking.  All the pictures I have seen…

Our ship arrived in Civitavecchia at 7 am.  From there we were bused to Rome, the capital of Italy and home to over 2.8 million residents.  Rome was hot and crowded. Because of heavy traffic our tour was changed.  First we went to Vatican City where we had to wait in line in…

Today in Corfu, we began at the 15th Century Old Venetian Fortress, (Palaio Frourio), a Corfu landmark with amazing views from its towering headland, back over the town, and along the island’s east coast. Built initially during Byzantine times, Corfu’s entire population once lived within the walls of the Old Fortress,…

Our ship docked in Sorrento, and then we bussed to Pompeii. Sorrento is situated on top of a hill. It is fascinating to look up at the buildings. Pompeii is a vast archaeological site in southern Italy’s Campania region, near the coast of the Bay of Naples. Once a thriving…

Taormina, Savoca, and Forza d’Agrò are three historic Sicilian hilltop towns on the Ionian coast. Savoca and Forza d’Agrò are situated approximately 15–20 miles north of Taormina. These two were the primary filming locations for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. To get to Taormina, we had to drive through Naxos founded by…

Split is the second largest city in Croatia and the largest in Dalmatia.  Centered around the Roman Palace of Emperor Diocletian, Split dates back to the 4th century C.E.  When Diocletian abdicated in 305 C.E., he had already completed a lavish palace in Salona, now Split, in his native Dalmatia.  It is a walled…

Good-bye Venice. Today we sailed to Anacona. We docked at Ancona, founded in 1200 B.C.E. Ancona is the capital of Italy’s Marche region. It is a vibrant city known for its ancient Roman Arch of Trajan, the hilltop Cathedral of San Ciriaco, the Fontana del Calamo. After driving through town we…

This morning started with a walking tour of the Plaza and area. The hotel was only a block from St. Marks Square, famous for its pigeons.  We walked through the Square to the Campanile across from the 15th century clock tower. At 323 feet high, the remarkable San Marco Campanile is Venice’s tallest…

We arrived in Venice after an overnight flight on Lufthansa.  We flew Orlando to Frankfort and then Frankfort to Venice.  As Diane predicted, it was raining in Venice—a Seattle rain.  We took a water taxi to our hotel—Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal.  Water taxis hold about ten people.  No cars are allowed on this main…