Rome (Civitavecchia) to Venice

Rome has something special to offer to all visitors, no matter their interests and tastes. Whether you daydream about fighting with gladiators in the Coliseum, debating with togaed senators in the Forum, tossing a coin in a fabled fountain, or being awestruck by the magnificence of St Peter’s Basilica and Michelangelo’s masterpieces, Rome seems to live up to its sobriquet – the Eternal City. When you need sustenance, today’s Rome will provide delizioso pasta e vino. Or perhaps you draw strength from a little retail therapy – the Italians are also renowned for their sense of style.

A warming sun and gentle sea breezes have been attracting visitors to this fair spot for two millennia. Its reputation as a playground of the ancient rich and famous resulted in the building of lavish villas and palaces, an emperor relocated to the Isle of Capri nearby, and over the centuries it has been a haven for artists and artisans, writers and poets, politicians and philosophers, and all manner of aristocrats. You will be a welcome addition. The massive eruption of nearby Vesuvius in 79 AD caused considerable damage, but the resulting volcanic ash is responsible for Sorrento’s modern day fertility, thriving olive orchards, and excellent wine.

Renowned for its sheer cliffs and striking beauty, the town of Amalfi on the Gulf of Salerno is known for its photographic splendor and its close proximity to Sorrento, Positano and Isle of Capri. This enviable area of Italy also produces the most beautiful handmade paper. For a most interesting afternoon, take a tour the Museo della Carta, the paper museum, and take home the most beautiful souvenirs. Amalfi is also the burial place of Saint Andrew; the town's cathedral is named in his honor.

Few reminders still exist of Trapani’s ancient history, but from Phoenician days it was a trading port, well positioned for commerce with Africa, Naples, and the western Mediterranean. The Middle Ages is the era most evident in its old town, now a pedestrian zone. Aging palaces, some imposing and others in various stages of decay, cluster along a peninsula stretching into the bay. Worthy of note is the ominously named Chiesa del Purgatorio, home to wooden statues known as Misteri, that are paraded through the streets on Good Friday. Further out are saltpans, and plains punctuated by medieval windmills, home to some 170 species of birds.

Porto Empedocle has long been an important fishing and trading port. You can’t miss its most prominent feature – a large tower commissioned in the 16th century by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to protect the Agrigento territory’s reserves of grain against the pirates who haunted this coast. But the region has a much more ancient past, and is exceptionally rich in archaeological treasures associated with the city of Akragas, founded 2500 years ago by Greek colonists. For your appreciation they left behind the Valley of the Temples, site of seven monumental Greek constructions of the 5th and 6th centuries BC.

Siracusa is known for the archaeological and historical sights that define its grand past, as one of the major powers of the Mediterranean world in the 5th century BC. They include a Greek theater, still in use, where Aeschylus produced some of his plays; a dramatic necropolis with burial niches cut into the rock that include the tomb of Archimedes, famous mathematician, engineer, and inventor; and the Ear of Dionysus, a cave with amazing acoustical properties. The “modern” city was rebuilt in Sicilian Baroque style after the devastating earthquake of 1693.

Kotor’s beautiful bay has long attracted passing ships that stopped to trade, plunder, or conquer, and merchants, pirates, and soldiers of numerous empires have walked this maze of cobblestone streets before you. One of Europe’s best-preserved cities of medieval or Renaissance vintage, its walls were constructed right into the steep slopes of the mountain behind it, providing protection and making it an amazing sight on approach from the sea. Venetian ramparts enclose a rich history, with churches of varying styles, and a Romanesque cathedral built on the foundations of an earlier church, and a still earlier Roman temple.

Its Adriatic seaside lined with palm trees, Split is the largest and most important city in Dalmatia, and custodian of the riches of culture and history found within and around the walls of the Roman emperor Diocletian’s palace. Begun in 295 AD as an imperial residence and fortified camp, its twisting cobblestone byways reveal churches and chapels both Romanesque and Gothic, and older places of worship such as the Temple of Jupiter. The old town is remarkably well preserved, and is full of museums, art galleries, and cozy cafes where you can pause along your way.