Western Mediterranean from Taranto Cruise

Day 1 - Taranto

Arrive: Sun 12 September 2027 / Depart: Sun 12 September 2027 at 18:00

Day 2 - At Sea

Day 3 - Malta

Arrive: Tue 14 September 2027 at 08:00 / Depart: Tue 14 September 2027 at 18:00

The port of Valletta is Malta's heart. It was here that the Knights of the Order left for the Crusades from here and devoted themselves to caring for the wounded. In the Mediterranean, the port of Valletta has an important history and a strategic location. Its entrance, located between St Fort and the Sant’Angelo and Ricasoli Forts, transports you instantly into chivalrous past of the island. During your stop in Valletta you will be able to walk the streets with the colourful and decorated facades of the houses. Don’t miss a visit to the magnificent Barrakka Gardens from megalithic times, and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Then visit Gozo to admire the scenery of natural sculptures carved by the sea.

Day 4 - Catania, Sicily

Arrive: Wed 15 September 2027 at 08:00 / Depart: Wed 15 September 2027 at 18:00

Costa Cruises stops in Catania on the Mediterranean cruise. This Sicilian city, proud of its ancient history, is a port that should not be missed. The stop in Catania will offer you both cultural visits, which are some of the most beautiful in Italy, and shore excursions full of wonderful surprises. Dynamic and full of energy, it will surprises with the richness of its old town and the unique sight of the lava layers on the slopes of Mount Etna. Catania, like Sicily, is rich in monuments, ancient traditions and sumptuous food, which it shares generously with the rest of the world. The port of Catania is located about 300 metres from the historic city centre. We suggest that you visit the Piazza del Duomo, symbol of the city. If you cross Via Crociferi, one of the city’s most famous streets, you come to Palazzo Biscari, one of the most impressive and majestic buildings in the whole of Sicily. Finally, you can see Mount Etna looking north, with its famous lava flows.

Day 5 - Naples, Italy

Arrive: Thu 16 September 2027 at 09:00 / Depart: Thu 16 September 2027 at 19:00

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 yourself be enchanted by the beauty of the landscapes between the Hill of Posillipo and Vesuvius. If you want to go shopping, take a trip to Spaccanapoli, the main artery of the city.

Day 6 - Rome

Arrive: Fri 17 September 2027 at 08:00 / Depart: Fri 17 September 2027 at 18:30

Your gateway to the Eternal City, Civitavecchia has served as Rome's seaport since the 13th century. The port has a long and venerable history. The emperor Trajan built a pleasure villa near the modern city, while Bernini and Michelangelo designed the harbor fortifications. Yet the Eternal City eternally beckons. The ancient capital of the Western World and the center of Christianity for nearly 2,000 years, Rome provides an inexhaustible feast. Visit the ruins of the Forum, view the splendors of the Sistine Chapel, or climb the Spanish Steps, once the heart of Rome's Bohemian Quarter. Rome has been a magnet luring the world's greatest artists, architects, and philosophers since the days of the Caesars.

Day 7 - Ajaccio

Arrive: Sat 18 September 2027 at 09:00 / Depart: Sat 18 September 2027 at 19:00

The French island of Corsica, with a rich and sometimes turbulent history, is a land of enchanting landscapes and stunning beauty. A mild climate, with temperatures averaging 20°C, plus more than 2,700 hours of sunshine per year and an excellent cuisine, combine to make Corsica an increasingly popular tourist destination. Perhaps because of its harsh aspect, Corsica did not attract the attentions of some of the Mediterranean's ancient powers. Its location was removed from the routes of Spanish commerce and Saracen raids. It did gain the attention of the Genoese, however, who in the 1600s built a military outpost on the island, which was suitably situated for trade with Sardinia, the Middle East, Spain and North Africa. In some areas of Ajaccio, the ancient dialect used by Ligurian sailors can still be heard. Since its establishment Ajaccio, between Punta dell Parata in the north and Capo di Muro in the south, has developed into a busy commercial and passenger port. It is also renowned as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, a major influence on the island's culture.

Day 8 - Savona

Arrive: Sun 19 September 2027 at 08:00 / Depart: Sun 19 September 2027 at 16:30

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”.

Day 9 - Marseille, France

Arrive: Mon 20 September 2027 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 20 September 2027 at 17:00

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.

Day 10 - Barcelona

Arrive: Tue 21 September 2027 at 09:00 / Depart: Tue 21 September 2027

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.