Mediterranean from Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain with three million inhabitants, a dominating port in northern Mediterranean with one of the most renowned and important universities in the world. The city is a very rich commercial centre, where industrial operations crucial to the Spanish economy take place. In fact, Catalans have always considered their region unique compared with the other Spanish regions and we can find its roots in the power exercised by Barcelona for four hundred years at least on Spanish monarchy and on European commercial events.

A pleasant thing to do is simply sit down at one of the cafes overlooking the port of Marseilles and, sipping a Pastis, observe the landscape and the people who inhabit it. Also called the Porpoise City, Marseille is France’s sunniest town, charming with its gullies where you can swim, its history and culture and restaurants with cosmopolitan cuisine. You cannot leave without having first toured on the “Cours Julien”, the street for shopping. The port of Marseille is perhaps a typical tourist destination, but it deserves to be visited for the ferry that leaves from the Town Hall and the old church, which replaced a Templar building.

Above the port of Savona, the Priamar Fortress greets every departure and arrival of the Costa ships sailing in the Mediterranean. Genoa and its aquarium are nearby. The port of Savona, which you can explore during your cruise in Italy, is one of the prettiest of the Italian Riviera. The lovely climate, summers that are never to hot, mild winters and the exceptional beauty of the sea near the town makes Savona an excellent base to set out to explore Liguria. Savona is notable for the Priamar Fortress, which has dominated the town since the 16th century, and also for its historic centre where you can visit Savona Cathedral. A stop in Savona can also be an opportunity to visit the nearby city of Genoa and its narrow, picturesque streets, known as “caruggi”.

Naples is the heart of the Mediterranean. A unrivalled city where everything becomes a pleasant experience. The port of Naples is located right in the heart of the city and you can easily reach the city centre on foot. One of Italy’s symbolic cities: a cruise to Naples will immerse you in a universe of flavours and traditions that have developed during a history of almost 3,000 years. A shore excursion around Naples is like a visit to an open-air museum watched over by the majestic slopes of Vesuvius. The true soul of the city is Spaccanapoli in the ancient heart of the Decumani—the streets built in the Greco-Roman era—where you dodge mopeds as you stroll among the artisan workshops. It would be sacrilege to take a trip to Naples and not enter at least one of the over 500 churches in the old city. Take advantage of the break to visit Pompeii. You will be offered two shore excursions to immerse yourself in the heart of history and visit the ruins of this ancient Roman city. Then, let y…

Strategically placed between Europe and Africa, the island of Sicily has for centuries been a focus of military and commercial activity. And the city of Palermo is still today a fascinating centre of culture and enterprise. According to historical research, the prehistoric inhabitants of Palermo, once named Panormus because of its deep bay and anchorage, lived in caves and shelters around the 660-metre high Mount Pellegrino, which dominates the city's skyline. The city has been ruled by all the great ancient powers of the region including Greek, Punic, Roman, Carthaginian, Byzantine, Saracen, Norman, Spanish and Bourbon.

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain with three million inhabitants, a dominating port in northern Mediterranean with one of the most renowned and important universities in the world. The city is a very rich commercial centre, where industrial operations crucial to the Spanish economy take place. In fact, Catalans have always considered their region unique compared with the other Spanish regions and we can find its roots in the power exercised by Barcelona for four hundred years at least on Spanish monarchy and on European commercial events.