Travel 2026 - Italy and Cruise
Italy has become one of my favourite countries to visit, along with Spain and Portugal. So combining them as destinations with a cruise that links them together is the ultimate experience - the ports of call, interspersed with sea days, is a great way to balance exploration with relaxation. Plus, having a “floating hotel” means unpacking and repacking once, which is quite convenient…as is the built-in housekeeping and meals. This particular vacation was planned in coordination with Jean’s schedule given the provincial election in Quebec and the quieter tourist season in Europe. We also anticipated that it would be cooler given the incredibly hot, dry summers these countries have had in recent years.
As is usual for trips abroad, we plan for a few days in major destination cities that bookend cruises. This trip started in Rome, a city that is always quite magical in its various delights of rich history, ancient artifacts, character, and, of course, food! For both of us, the architectural remnants in Rome and the surrounding areas are of particular interest given our readings of history and ancient civilizations. Naturally, the famous sites such as the Forum and Colosseum are awe-inspiring, as is the sheer magnitude of the triumphal arches and columns that have stood almost two millennia. But, after three previous visits, often it is the hidden gems that are most intriguing - medieval alleys with ornate doors, part of an ancient wall incorporated into modern structures, a quiet garden, or a discreet sculpture. This time we arrived in Rome with no set itinerary but, rather, a mindful decision to go with whatever.
The overnight flight and time zone differences from Montreal meant almost a full day of potential exploration on arrival. However, for the first time ever, we were thwarted by an unusually chaotic arrivals terminal - definitely busy, but there was poor signage to transportation options (we were looking for Uber that was relegated to a parkade) and arbitrary blockades everywhere. Very confusing and…Latin? We got to our hotel that was nice and fairly spacious, but not the 4-star quality advertised, and dropped off our luggage before heading out to explore. In the short time we were in the building the brilliant sunshine had given way to thunderheads and, as we went out the front gate, the heavens just opened up. The amount of rain and thunder was incredible, with pedestrians scrambling for shelter and fast flowing streams rising in the gutters. It has been a long, dry year for much of Europe and this rain, any rain, is most welcome. We initially just bided our time under an awning with many other folks to ride out the storm but then retreated back into the hotel and its modest guest area.
After the rains abated we headed out to a few familiar areas near the Pantheon and the Piazza Navona. We were a bit surprised by the volume of tourists - they, perhaps, also considered planning off season and in cooler temps as we did. There was a vibrant hum of pretty happy people everywhere. And, as with previous visits, the police, carabinieri, and military presence around monuments and government sites was ubiquitous. Not sure if this was a factor or not, but this visit there seemed to be less visibility of hawkers, homelessness, and the groups of Romani in public spaces. We stopped at one of our favourite eateries, the Osteria da Fortunata near Piazza Navona, that always has fresh quality food. Then it was off to stroll down the Corso to the Piazza del Popolo, a square I rather enjoy hanging out in, before circling back past the Spanish Stairs and Trevi Fountain to the hotel. A beautifully warm evening it was, and so nice to be back in Rome!
Over the next couple days we did the Big Bus hop-on/hop-off ride to re-orient ourselves to the Eternal City. These tours are a fairly inexpensive way to get the lay of the land in any big city and it gives a nice bird’s eye view to many historical places. Usually the narrated tour provides helpful background to some of the famous places but, in this case (and particular bus company…they are all different), the presentation came across as kind of juvenile - not the normal informative, professional commentary I prefer. Nonetheless, it was worth the time and money investment to take in the highlights of Rome. And the weather could not have been more spectacular. Aside from the rain on our first day, the skies remained bright and the temperatures hovered in the upper 20s.
When you stroll around Rome, there are churches and fountains and remnants of ancient structures all over the place. One incredible church we ventured into was the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs, a structure designed by Michelangelo. He built this church incorporating the ruins of the Diocletian baths as he believed in preserving the ancient structures. On the inside you can see frescoes very typical of Michelangelo’s style. We also went over to Saint Peter’s Basilica and were surprised that the main square is no longer accessible unless you have tickets; having been here previously, we did not feel the need to do the grand tour. Another one of the churches that we saw from the outside was the first non-catholic church within Rome’s city walls, St. Paul’s Episcopal (American). It was built in the late 1800s and has a fairly plain, yet colouful, exterior compared to the Catholic churches.
After four full days just hanging in Rome we headed off to the port city of Civitavecchia to board our ship, the Celebrity Equinox. This was our second time on this particular ship and it is one of five of the Solstice class. For me, it is the right size and has the perfect balance of amenities…and, being more focused on the adult population, does not have all the playground attractions that other ships have. Each ship has its own “personality” shaped by whomever happens to be running it, influenced heavily by the senior officer staff and crew. And one never knows if that ship’s personality is agreeable or not until on board - we have had a couple less than stellar experiences on a couple Celebrity ships in the past. But it is the frontline staff who really makes the experience worthwhile, from the stateroom attendants to the dining room staff to the bar servers. An the service on Equinox has been quite outstanding. One thing I really like about the Solstice class is the number of places one can escape to, especially on sea days when everyone is aboard. And, if one wants to take part in social activities, there is something for everyone. After 12 cruises, I am content just to relax in a quiet lounge or space away from the pool deck.
Our first port of call on Day #2 was Naples, a place we have been to before. This was where we had our only booked excursion to Herculaneum, a much smaller city than Pompeii that was also buried with Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 CE. At the time it was a prosperous port and resort area of well-to-do Romans of the day. The preservation by ash and pyroclastic debris of Vesuvius’s eruption is as remarkable as Pompeii, including wooden boats, furniture, crockery, and human remains. Because of its small size, Herculaneum did not have the scale of structures like amphitheaters or forum. But the intact nature of its excavations made it an amazing site to visit that included private homes, shops, baths, and temples. Some of the original frescoes and mosaics that have been recovered gives one a sense of the artistry and culture of the time. And the early technologies for plumbing and saunas illustrate how advanced society was at the time; lead piping was common in villas of the middle and upper classes, although the dangers were not yet known.
Sunrise on Day #3 was spectacular as we headed to La Spezia and the view off the Oceanview Bar, or fantail as we refer to it, was very relaxing. The fantail area is one of the best parts of the ship to hang - outdoors, yet sheltered, with an expansive view of the Mediterranean. Although a sea day with all aboard, the ship is big enough not to appear crowded…except around the pool area. It turned out to be a hot and sunny day, perfect for relaxation and to unwind. I have found that multiple sea days are when I can truly unwind and have come to prefer the long days without port of calls. As the Equinox would overnight in La Spezia to allow passengers to head inland to Florence and Pisa, or up the coast to Cinque Terre, it meant two full days in one place. Having been to La Spezia on a previous cruise, there was not much more to see here and the plan was to go to Pisa on our own via train.
We got up early to go catch the train to Pisa and there was not much yet happening in downtown La Spezia. It does have a very cute old city core and the walk to the train station was quite enjoyable since there were no crowds of tourists yet - just the commuters on their way to work. The station was fairly busy, especially as the train is part of the mass transit system for the local people. One thing about the Italian train system is that it is quite efficient and runs on time. The travel time to Pisa was about an hour with only a few stops and a picturesque landscape along the way. An interesting point was a view of the mountains outside of Carrara where marble has been harvested for centuries, including for Michelangelo’s work. The chunks of marble stockpiled for loading on freight trains was pretty amazing; I imagine the destination would be worldwide for counter tops, tomb stones, and building façades.
Pisa is most well-known for its leaning tower and Galileo’s scientific work related to physics and gravity. But what I did not realize was the charm of this beautiful little city with its blend of mediaeval and Romanesque architecture. So many interesting façades and vibrant colours everywhere. Some of the buildings were more like small palaces with huge courtyards. Of course, I paid homage paid to the famous tower and was pleasantly surprised at the other buildings it was co-located with - a cathedral, baptistry, and monastery. After visiting the leaning tower area, we walked the top of the Mura di Pisa that is the “newer” of the protective walls around the city built in 1170s. The walkable section on the right bank of the Arno River is approximately 3 km and mostly exposed, so whenever there was a bit of shade we paused to drink some water and cool down. The sun was intense and the temperature topped 28C, but the exercise and vistas were well worth it. At the beginning of the walk, just outside one of the gates, was an old Jewish cemetery - a reminder of the religious discrimination under the Catholic church. In fact, Galileo’s work ran contrary to religious teachings of the time, so he was also persecuted as a heretic during his career.
The next day, Day #5 of the cruise, was just a lazy day on the ship whilst most others were off on excursions. There were very few people on deck so the pool and space were mostly ours 😎. It was also a brilliant day capped off with a beautiful evening and full moon as we set sail to the next destination, Portofino. Portofino was also a port we had previously stopped in and, as there was not too much to see, we enjoyed yet another day on the ship left mostly to ourselves. I managed to finish off one of the books I have been reading, napped a bit, and took a few dips in the pool.
Day #7 port of call was Villefranche located next to Nice 🇫🇷. Villefranche, itself, was quite cute with its narrow alleys, colorful buildings, and markets. This area of the coast is immediately surrounded by high escarpments, so buildings and many expensive mansions are built on steep hillsides providing expansive views of the harbour. Nice is kind of nice, but not my cup of tea - too resorty. But I can check it off my list, say I strolled La Promenade des Anglais, and saw the Côte-d’Azure in its sparkling glory. And baked in the sun, as it was quite intense today 😎. We did a side trip in the old city to a confiserie (aka high end candy shop) that I could only view from a distance lest calories attach themselves to me. Many delectable sweets to chose from, including local specialties like nougats, anis de Flavigny, pastille de Vichy, calisson d’Aix, and…you get the picture. Seems like every city in France has something sweet named for it. Then it was back to the ship early to beat the rush of returning passengers and get some pool deck time.
Marseille, on Day #8, is France’s oldest city dating back to 600 BC and was originally established by the Greeks. It is a huge natural port from its founding and serves as a container and ferry hub, as well as a dry dock for ship maintenance. Marseille was heavily damaged by both the Allies for its strategic importance and Germans because of the Resistance in WWII. As such, much of the areas close to the water are more modern without the usual characteristics of ancient cities. However, there are a few historical sites, mainly old fortresses and a few churches to be seen. Out in the bay is a notable island fortress, Château d’If, that protected the harbor but became a prison and inspiration for Dumas’s Comte de Monte-Cristo. Prior to coming to Marseille I had heard mixed reviews of the city, some saying it was worth a visit but many speaking of the grubby nature it has. The area we traversed seemed clean enough, although on the fringes housing tenements did appear a bit run down. I am guessing that the city may have a different flavour, as many cities do, away from the more touristy areas - it is a port city, after all. And there were 3 other cruise ships (4, including the one in dry dock), and one of the biggest in the world was parked next door…full capacity is 5,600 passengers 😱.
Our last day of this segment is a pure sea day as we head to next stop in Barcelona. I took in the senior officer meet and greet and bridge tour for select passengers - a great way to do some background investigation for a novel I am working on. And, because we are doing another cruise segment immediately following, we will just have another ship day while most of the other passengers disembark (I think there are about 12 couples doing the back-to-back). We don’t need to explore Barcelona having been here for extended stays twice before…and we will be coming back in 10 days 😌.
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