Jewels Of The Riviera Cruise

Day 1 - Rome

Arrive: Sat 01 June 2024 / Depart: Sat 01 June 2024 at 21:00

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 2 - Golfo Aranci, Sardinia

Arrive: Sun 02 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Sun 02 June 2024 at 17:00

The Sardinian coastline is serrated by deep-cut coves of sparkling sea, surrounded by rocky prominences and edged in lovely strands of beach. The Aga Khan fell in love with the place, and dubbed it the Costa Smeralda, creating a magnet for the global glitterati. At Golfo Aranci, shining arcs of silvery sand are linked into a larger curve, encircled by a muscular peninsula that looms protectively between the town and the sea. It looks expensive, and it is.

Day 3 - Ajaccio

Arrive: Mon 03 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 03 June 2024 at 18:00

Corsica, the "scented isle," was the birthplace of Napoleon, and as late as the last century bands of brigands controlled his mountainous and rugged homeland. The beaches of Ajaccio, ranging from narrow crescents to broad, golden expanses help to account for the city's rise as a popular resort. Such scenic attractions as the Calanches of Piana, those red granite mountains with their spectacular slopes and formations add an additional element of interest.

Day 4 - Nice (Villefranche)

Arrive: Tue 04 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Tue 04 June 2024 at 18:00

In 350 BCE Greeks from Marseilles founded Nice in honor of the goddess of victory, Nike. The Romans showed little interest in this town sheltered by an amphitheater of hills. In 1388 it was incorporated into the Duchy of Savoy, then united with Sardinia, passed to France in 1712, passed back to Sardinia in 1814, and finally returned to France in 1860. Today, Nice as it is now known, enjoys a popularity which stems from its charming setting, artistic treasures, wonderful climate and innumerable attractions.

Day 5 - St. Tropez, France

Arrive: Wed 05 June 2024 / Depart: Wed 05 June 2024

On the southern shore of one of the most beautiful bays of the Riviera, the little port of St. Tropez has become one of the best known resorts in Europe, a crossroads where journalists, photographers, writers, artists and celebrities meet. Guy de Maupassant discovered the town, but it was the painters who made it more widely known - Signac, Matisse, Bonnard, Marquet, Camoin - who all stayed for varying amounts of time. The harbor teems with life. Fishing boats, excursion craft and hundreds of yachts share the harbor. On the waterfront are old pink and yellow houses, which have been converted into cafes, cabarets and restaurants, luxury boutiques, galleries and antique shops. A picturesque and cosmopolitan crowd strolls the streets in season.

Day 6 - Sete, France

Arrive: Thu 06 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Thu 06 June 2024 at 17:00

The port town of Sete hugs the tiny Mont St. Clair, and is caught between the Mediterranean and the Bassin de Thau, a salt lake directly behind it. It is crisscrossed by numerous canals which link the lake to the sea, and connected by 12 bridges. Along the quay, renovated buildings provide a multitude of architectural details from the 18th and 19th centuries. The life of the town is found in its squares: Place Leon Blum, with its fountain and Wednesday morning flower market; Place Aristide, with its old fashioned bandstand; and Place de la Republique, with its huge retaining walls and vaulted loggias. Sete retains its historic purpose as a fishing boat haven for North African trade; the old harbor dates from the time of Louis XIV.

Day 7 - At Sea

Day 8 - Almeria

Arrive: Sat 08 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Sat 08 June 2024 at 18:00

Almeria is a seaside city in Andalucia in the province of the same name. The picturesque town is dominated by the hilltop Alcazaba fortress, originally built by the Caliph of Cordoba during the Moorish occupation and later expanded by Christian rulers. The cathedral dates from 1524, and replaces an earlier one lost in an earthquake in 1522. Its fortress-like structure bespeaks the continuing raids of pirates from North Africa at that time. Enjoy the town, the smaller villages of Mojacar or Roquetas del Mar, and the rugged coast of the Cabo de Gata.

Day 9 - Malaga

Arrive: Sun 09 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Sun 09 June 2024 at 23:00

Often little more than a gateway to the Costa del Sol for sun-seeking vacationers, Malaga is a most interesting city in its own right. First settled by the Phoenicians, Malaga was held by virtually every ruling power in the Mediterranean at one time or another. Two Moorish fortresses, the 11th-century Alcazaba and the 14th-century Castillo de Gibralfaro still stand sentry above the harbor. Malaga was the birthplace of Pablo Picasso as well as the Malaguena style of flamenco. During your time here, you may wish to sample some of the sweet Malaga wine and excellent tapas for which the city is noted.

Day 10 - At Sea

Day 11 - Lisbon

Arrive: Tue 11 June 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Tue 11 June 2024

The great period of "the Discoveries" accounted for phenomenal wealth brought back from India, Africa and Brazil by the great Portuguese navigators. Gold, jewels, ivory, porcelain and spices helped finance grand new buildings and impressive monuments in Lisbon, the country's capital city. As you sail up the Tagus River, be on deck to admire Lisbon's panorama and see some of the great monuments lining the river. Lisbon is one of Europe's smallest capital cities but considered by many visitors to be one of the most likeable. Spread over a string of seven hills, the city offers a variety of faces, including a refreshing no-frills simplicity reflected in the people as they go unhurriedly through their day enjoying a hearty and delicious cuisine accompanied by the country's excellent wines.