Two week cruise with Voyages to Antiquity visiting
Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, and France
26 May/09 June 2012
Just pretend for a while that you are living in the 17th or 18th century and have a fabulous opportunity to learn about the art and culture of Italy and France and other ancient civilisations in the most relaxed and enjoyable way, without any of the inconveniences of that bygone era.
This is what more than 300 passengers did on the Aegean Odyssey during May and June 2012.
The itinerary comprised
Italy:- Venice, Ravenna, Taormina, (cruising past Stromboli) Sorrento, Rome, Florence
Croatia:- Split, Trogir (cruising past Brac, Hvar and Korcula)
Montenegro:- a 3-hour cruise around Kotor Bay
Greece:- Corfu
France:- Marseilles, Avignon, Arles, Cannes (Nice/Monaco) or (Grasse/Vence)
ITALY – Venice (Bride of the Sea)
Saturday morning arrival on a sunny day with freedom to explore the city before the rest of the guests arrived on the Aegean Odyssey. This lovely medium sized ship was docked at San Basilio in the Dorsoduro district of Venice on the banks of the Giudecca Canal. My intention was to stroll leisurely around the districts of Dorsoduro and San Marco before making my way to Castello district for a family lunch appointment at “Osteria alle Testiere” – a small 5 star restaurant of great repute, specialising in fish dishes. Needless to say I got terribly lost even trying to cross the Grand Canal, but luckily made lunch on time – and it was really worth it. Castello district reaches almost to the Rialto Bridge – the area with the greatest concentration of Veneto-Byzantine palaces, and was formerly one of the most important financial centres in Europe.
A sunny Sunday morning – It was also the day of the ‘Vegalonga’ – a regatta held between St Mark’s Piazza and Murano on the last Sunday in May. It would have been a different story if this regatta had taken place on 12 June, as on that day a very rare tornado ploughed through Venice tearing off roofs, ripping up trees and smashing gondolas.
Because of the regatta, we had an early morning lecture given by local resident, Gregory Dowling on ‘Life in contemporary Venice’, followed by late morning visits to St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, and an afternoon optional tour to see the Tintoretto paintings at San Rocco, and works by Titian and Bellini at Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (church of the Friars). These day time tours were given a miss by me, as I had recently seen the same not so long ago.
Instead there was another family lunch – this time in a delightful local walled garden pizzeria (which offered much more than pizza) called “Al Profeta” located at Calle Lunga San Barnaba in Dorsoduro.
However, the highlight of the day was an evening trip by water taxi to St Mark’s Square to experience a private exclusive viewing of St Mark’s Basilica with all the lights blazing - illuminating the gold decorations, the marbles and porphyry, incredible paintings and thousands of square feet of magnificent mosaics – many of which contained optical games, or depicted animals and birds. St Mark’s body was rescued from infidel hands by being concealed in a basket of pork (no less) and brought to Venice for burial. It was truly an honour to come to the Basilica at this hour - as works by Tintoretto, Bellini and Mantegna adorn the cathedral’s walls. Francesco was our most informative and entertaining guide for the evening.
The meeting place (for those who tended to drift) was between the two columns at the entrance to St Mark’s Square. As we sailed away from Venice in the late evening we couldn’t help but notice that public water transport seemed to ease off on Sunday evenings, and wondered how the night time revellers got home from the city centre.
ITALY – Ravenna (City of art)
In the 5th century Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Later the city was under Byzantine control and became famous for its superb early Christian (Aryan) mosaics and buildings.
Previously on the sea, and now linked by a canal, Ravenna’s historic city centre is exclusive to pedestrians and bicycles. (Apparently each resident has 3 bicycles – one for everyday, one for special occasions and the third one in case either of the first two just happen to disappear). The mosaics in this city are incredible and shouldn’t be missed.
We visited 4 main buildings – Basilica de San Vitale (the most glorious example of Byzantine art in the west), Mausoleo di Galla Placidia (a veritable study in blue glass, lapis lazuli and cobalt), Arian Baptistry (Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River) and Orthodox Baptistry (Commissioned by Bishop Neon, so also called the Neon Baptistry). Baptistries were separated from the church as the ‘faithful’ could not enter the church until they had been baptised. Ravenna is a candidate for 2019 European city of Culture.
ITALY –Taormina, Sicily
There was a tender (lifeboat) transfer to the Sicilian shore at Giardini Naxos followed by a short bus ride to Taormina. This picturesque medieval city set against Mt Taurus and close to the volcano Mt Etna (home of Cyclops and the forge of Vulcan) is known for its marzipan, ‘turron’ sweets with almonds, vibrant pottery and fabulous flowers. The Graeco-Roman theatre is most impressive and has a wonderful vista overlooking the bay. This area of Sicily was a fashionable winter holiday resort for the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, and still is very popular today.
During the afternoon we sailed through the Straits of Messina (sometimes turbulent but calm on this occasion), then later in the evening passed by the volcanic island of Stromboli.
ITALY -Sorrento – Pompei/Herculaneum
Located over the Bay of Naples, enclosed by impressive limestone rocks, and fragranced with lemon groves, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast have long been popular. Ibsen and Wagner used to spend their winters here. The small marina is the starting point for the hydrofoils to Capri, and Sorrento is often used for daytrips to Naples - but the day of our visit was different, and plans had to change. Rockfalls precluded some coaches from reaching Sorrento which prevented passengers from reaching the shore and enjoying their half-day excursions – so, ever alert to these possibilities, the Captain moved the ship from Sorrento further up the coast to Castellammare.
Mt Vesuvius dominates the area. Some guests chose to visit the large Roman city of Pompei (which was unexpectedly engulfed in ash from Mt Vesuvius in 79AD and killed 20,000 inhabitants). Pompei certainly gives an insight into Roman daily life at that time, but I chose to go to Erculano (Herculaneum)– the affluent Roman coast resort which was covered in volcanic mud and lava. This excursion was much nicer than anticipated, and an eye-opener into daily life of Romans on holiday. The spas, gymnasium, forum, beach, water troughs, sewage system and shops are a backdrop to the sumptuously decorated villas.
ITALY – Rome
Docked in Civitavecchia, a coach trip took nearly everyone to Rome to see the Colosseum, Forum and St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning, and then to undertake a walking tour of Rome comprising Colonna Square, the Pantheon, Bernini’s fountain of the Four Rivers, and the Trevi fountain (to make wishes and drop coins), in the afternoon. As I had been to Rome before I stayed on board the Aegean Odyssey. Those that went on the tour really enjoyed the experience, but found Rome’s traffic bothersome.
ITALY – Florence (Athens of the Middle Ages, Cradle of the Renaissance)
This was a very special day. We docked in Livorno and the coaches took us through delightful Tuscan scenery to Florence. The countryside really looked like a painting with cypress and olive trees, monasteries, quaint villages and rolling green hills. Needless to say Florence was packed with tourists – not only pedestrians but also tourists balanced on Segway cycles. Most of the cars in the city were tiny ‘Smart car’ versions, with laundry, refuse and special deliveries only made in tiny specialised vehicles during the early morning or late evening.
We started off the morning with a walking tour viewing the Baptistry of St John (East door – Door of Paradise with Old Testament stories by Lorenzo Ghiberti), Giotto’s BellTower with its pink,green and white marble, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Straw Market (with its statue of a boar) and our meeting place – the Piazza della Signoria (where there is a copy of the David statue). It was intended that we visit the Accademia Gallery to view Michelangelo’s colossal statue of David but Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones had also decided to visit that day and the queues stretched round the building. Those who had seen David when he used to stand in Signoria Square (before he was moved to the Accademia), opted to have lunch of panini or pasta and wine in one of many side-street cafes. After lunch we took a stroll down to the Ponte Vecchio over the River Arno. This ancient bridge was formerly occupied by butchers, but in the 16th century the shops were assigned to gold and silversmiths. The afternoon was spent at the Uffizi Gallery – Italy’s greatest art gallery to view masterpieces by Raphael, Filippo Lippi, Titian, Sandro Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci. The Uffizi Gallery shop had some wonderful books and souvenirs including jigsaw puzzles of the famous paintings and statues. I bought Botticelli’s ‘’Birth of Venus’ – but wonder how many bought a ‘David’ jigsaw puzzle as a gift!. After the Uffizi Gallery we strolled towards the 13th century Santa Croce Gothic church where Michelangelo, Rossini and Galileo are entombed. Some cruise guests who had seen Florence many times had the option to visit Pisa for the day.
CROATIA – Split,Trogir (cruise past Brac,Hvar and Korcula)
Split has one of the best fresh produce markets along the Adriatic coast. They are called ‘green’ markets here with cherries, strawberries as well as greengages and other plums in season at the time of our visit. Jagoda (Strawberry) was the name of our guide on this tour. Well, the Roman Emperor Diocletian certainly knew how to look after himself! While many Emperors were being decapitated, he was planning his own retirement home near his birthplace in Dalmatia. His palace appears to be a combination of a Roman imperial villa with strong Hellenistic influences. There is a fabulous mensa (dining table) still in the palace, close to the vomitorium of course. Some of the windows were made from the bottom of bottles. People still live in the palace – much has been renovated but there is still plenty left to do. We were entertained by ‘a cappella’ singers during the tour of the palace, and touched the lucky toe of the Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic’s statue. Mestrovic’s sculptures are easily recognisable as each person portrayed has exceptionally long fingers. After the visit to Diocletian’s Palace we strolled through the narrow streets, visited a museum, and made our way back to a square surrounded by coffee and pastry shops. The Croatian/Turkish burek (light tasty pastry) is almost irresistible. The Aegean Odyssey stayed late in Split for those who wanted to dine out in this lively Adriatic coastal city.
The optional afternoon tour was to the UNESCO world heritage island site of Trogir – often referred to as a small Venice. Our guide Ivo took us through St Lawrence portal. St Lawrence is always portrayed with a grill (he was burnt to death as a Christian martyr) but he is also the patron saint of humour. Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, Hungarians and many more rulers governed this former important island port on the Adriatic. This special island has many quiet courtyards, cobbled streets, wells, carved doors and high columns on the nobles’ houses. There are Romanesque and Renaissance elements. Coats of arms and statues adorn the houses. St Sebastian was the patron saint for protection against the Black Plague, and the Belltower is dedicated to him. St John Orsini features on the island (Orsini meant he came from Orsini, like St Francis of Assisi came from Assisi) The local houses are made of limestone and we saw capers growing in between cracks in the garden walls and a 19th century lemon tree. St Lawrence Cathedral is mostly Venetian but there are Gothic style choir chairs, a 15th century pulpit, floor tombs of the local nobles, and 18th century Baroque organ pipes. Ivo told us of the artistic ‘mistakes’ such as Adam and Eve sculptors and paintings being depicted with bellybuttons, and the secret messages such as:- lion tails depicted in paintings and statutes pointing down meant the city was occupied, and books closed meant the city was at war, and tails up and books open meant peace. An Italianate loggia nearby, formerly a courthouse, has a ceiling depicting Chinese silk and pasta (perhaps respectfully acknowledging Marco Polo’s travels to the East). The Duke’s Palace is 13th century, likewise the Cathedral. The fortress Kamerlengo is 15th century, likewise the city walls, city loggia and Cipicko large and small palaces. Tourism and shipbuilding are the most important economies of Trogir at the moment.
Cruise past Brac, Hvar and Korcula. We could see the islands - but at a distance and it was difficult to identify any distinguishing features.
MONTENEGRO – 3 hour cruise round Kotor Bay
Kotor Bay was apparently a rival to both Venice and Dubrovnik as a sea power. It is now hidden away perhaps as Europe’s southernmost fjord but more likely a ria or submarine river canyon. This is a great area for religious pilgrimage. Our Lady of the Rocks Church located on a small island in the bay is one of the main attractions. The Aegean Odyssey sounded the horn 3 times, and the church of Our Lady of the Rock’s bell rang three times in response.
GREECE:- Corfu (Ionian Island)
The modern Greek name for Corfu is Kerkyra, named after the daughter of the river-god Asopus. Corfu always held a special place in the hearts of the Venetians. An olive tree has to be planted when someone was born and a cypress tree when someone died.
We had a morning walking tour of Corfu old town starting with Venetian construction of the Old fortress built over older Byzantine walls. We visited the Anglican church of St George, the Lighthouse and stopped at the Angelos Giallinas (1857-1939) painting exhibition, proceeded through to the Esplanade past the cricket pitch, and on to the church of the patron saint of the island - the church of St Spiridon (where a number o Russians were worshipping). Linden trees were in full bloom. Olive and loquat souvenirs were on sale. The outside of the city houses in Corfu have to be painted in typical Venetian colours – pink, salmon, parchment, yellow and dark red – it’s most impressive.
FRANCE – Marseilles, the Carmargue, Avignon, Arles
Lavender, herbs and local Provencal dancing greeted us on arrival at Marseilles, but we had a full day tour to Avignon and Arles planned, driving through the Camargue delta (an enormous area of about 800 sq.kilometres between the two arms of the Rhone river and the sea) with its marshes of rice, black bulls, cranes, wheat, sunflowers, flamingos and wild white horses. The Provencal setting is the location for such books as ‘A Year in Provence’ and ‘Jean de Florette’.
The Papal Palace in Avignon is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe- about 15,000 sq. metres. French popes found Rome impossible and Clement V, Benedict XII and Clement VI resided and ruled here in the 14th century. It seemed quite obvious that they lived in great comfort and luxury. The papal court at Avignon became one of the most splendid in medieval Europe.
We passed by the ‘Pont d’Avignon’ (which is actually Pont St. Benezet) across the Rhone river. Originally there were two branches of the Rhone river and this bridge had 22 arches, but it was not very wide. The song ‘sur the pont d’avignon’ refers to dancing in round formation on the bridge but in fact, the original version describes dancing sous or under the bridge on the islands between the two branches of the river.
We then drove to Arles to have an excellent lunch at the 4 star Jules Cesar’s hotel restaurant ‘Lou Marques’. This was followed by an afternoon walking tour. Arles became the ‘Rome of the Gauls’ with pretty streets, a Roman theatre, an arena and public baths made of marble with running water. The markets of Arles were very famous; oil and wine from Provence were exported. The artisans of Arles were renowned for their goldwork, weapons and fabrics. It was also an important cultural and religious centre. We saw the Romanesque beauty of the Church of St Trophime - one of the most beautiful in Provence. We visited the Arena (amphitheatre) where young school children were practising their gladiator and cockade bullfighting skills (peculiar to Arles), and the Roman theatre where the Queen of Arles Festival takes place. Provencal ‘santons’ (Christmas crèche figurines) were available in the shops.
In February 1888 Vincent van Gogh came to Arles. The light and colours of this region made a powerful impression on his sensitive soul and influenced his art. The ‘Espace van Gogh’, a recently created cultural centre dedicated to the artist, is located in the old hospital of Arles, where the Dutch painter stayed on more than one occasion on account of his frequent mental crises. Van Gogh produced an incredible number of canvasses and drawings during his stay in Arles.
Every Saturday morning a market takes place in the Boulevard de Lices in Arles. Typical Provencal fabrics, herbs, spices, wines and antiques are sold.
There was some restriction about the sale of alcohol in the port of Marseilles so instead of staying until 9pm, we set sail at 6pm.
FRANCE – Cannes and (Nice/Monaco) or (Grasse/Vence)
The fabulous French Riviera. We tendered (with lifeboats) into the marina of Cannes – alongside numerous multimillion dollar yachts and landed at the old Port next to the Palais des Festivals where the Annual Film Festival had been held the previous week (the red carpet was still there for all to see). Again Provencal musicians were there to greet us.
The ‘Mistral’ wind normally blows during winter and spring and if it had been blowing at the time our tender transfer would have been cancelled in Cannes, and the ship would have been transferred to Toulon or Nice.
Cannes is beautiful – long sandy beaches, luxurious hotels along the Croisette, Forville Market open daily for fresh produce – monkfish, duck, aubergines, strawberries, asparagus, artichokes, thousands of cheeses and beautiful flowers. ‘Traiteurs’ shops for ready-made meals, historic old ‘le Suquet’ area overlooking the old port with Notre Dame de l’Esperance church offering great vistas of both the bay and the city. Just along the bay is the Sea Museum in St Margaret’s Island - home of the ‘Man in the Iron Mask’.
The optional tours took place in the afternoon – Nice/Monaco or Grasse/Vence. I had been to both areas before. Some guests chose the perfume factory at Grasse and the medieval village of St Paul de Vence, beloved by artists with its cobbled streets. Celebrities like Garbo and Deneuve, artists such as Chagall and Miro were enamoured with Vence.
I decided to take the Nice/Monaco tour. Our coach drove along the coast road to Nice, called the ‘pearl of the cote d’azur’. There are grey shingle beaches alongside the palm-lined palace and luxury hotels of the Promenade des Anglais, and an international airport that stretches out into the sea.
Although Cannes had 3 casinos the one in Monaco is famous. Monaco, an independent principality is a little further along the coast. We visited the historic old town and saw the Prince’s Palace, Parliament and Cathedral where Prince Rainier and Princess Grace were buried. Free time was given to wander around the small streets. Then we got back into the coach and moved on to the capital, Monte Carlo, where we drove along the Formula One race track (The Monaco Grand Prix had taken place only two weeks previously) to Casino Square. There is a defibrillator encased in a wall at the bottom of the 80 steps to the Casino (perhaps it for those people who have lost all their winnings). The Monte Carlo Casino is magnificent- the Grand Salon with its magnificent chandeliers, painted ceilings and gold-leaf motifs. We had quite a bit of free time so we spent it sipping wine, sitting in comfortable chairs in the Salon Club Riviera bar in the Casino while a local songstress kept us entertained.
This was such a perfectly relaxing way to end a wonderful holiday.
MV Aegean Odyssey is a medium sized ship carrying 300+ passengers
Throughout this cruise at the various ports, we came across the enormous cruise liners carrying more than 4000 passengers and I am so glad that I was on smaller and much friendlier ship.
Hotel Manager Matthew and Cruise Director Alison were the first to greet me as I arrived on board in Venice. They both do a wonderful job on board. Next, my young handsome cabin steward Howy was a gem, and kept my cabin in perfect order. The Reception personnel were wonderful answering my various queries; and Ali who masterminded both the Marco Polo and Terrace restaurants always found an interesting table for me to sit at. John brought me Earl Grey tea every morning at breakfast. The various waiters who attended us in both restaurants gave impeccable service and the bar waitresses were very attentive. There were beautiful flowers everywhere – in the library, the Charleston lounge and at Reception. Zoe and her team of graduate students kept us very well informed with information and maps for the various day trips. This was particularly noticeable when there was a sudden change of plan and the ship had to move from Sorrento to Castellammare.
The Romanian Trio Café Concerto Strings (with new violinist Robert) excelled themselves with classical and Eastern European music, and also gave three concerts during our two week cruise. Dan and Kate’s Cadence Duo kept us entertained with lighter music, and joined the trio for one of the concerts.
Former actress and Cruise Director Alison gave a poetry reading (which I’m sorry I missed as I heard it was very good). Alison also arranged games of bridge for those who wanted to play, and kept us very well informed with her daily news bulletins (English, American, Canadian and Australian versions) - so pertinent as the 4 days of Diamond Jubilee were being celebrated in the UK. She also had to remind us not to forget our ‘Quiet vox’ when the groups were called for daytrips. I think Alison was responsible for the appropriate choice of films – Roman Holiday, The Odyssey, and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Callum offered early morning yoga. The spa and beauty salon offered affordable services. The pool and Jacuzzi were used when it was warm enough.
This particular cruise was dominated by American academic groups - Road Scholars and AHI (American Hospitality International), World Affairs Council and Temple; but there were also a small number of Australians, British and Canadians as well as assorted other nationalities. There were 87 repeat passengers in the Odyssey Club which is always a good sign.
The food on board was excellent – from the very varied breakfasts where you could have anything from smoked salmon, to 3 types of bacon/ham, stuffed apples, any sort of egg combination and varied breads, fruit and cereals. Carved fruits and ornaments made from pastry adorned the serving tables. This was particularly noticeable at lunchtime on the Terrace where they were daily specials of assorted cheeses, meze, tropical fruits, assorted ice creams etc at a central table, not to mention the pizza and stir fries available on a daily basis. Dinners in the Marco Polo restaurant had wonderful menus and there was always the slimmer alternative of salmon or grilled chicken available. I only had time for afternoon tea once (sandwiches and scones one side and cakes and pastries the other side of the cafe) and never had time for the Night Bites (but believe they were good).
The lecturers brought art, sculpture and architecture alive. Gregory Dowling started off with his local information on Venice, art historian Francis Broun kept us amused with amazing insight into famous paintings, Ann Clements (from NADPAS) looked at certain aspects of art, and her husband Roger Sceats kept us up to date on the historical significance of the Emperors and Popes.
Last but not least, Swedish Captain Roland Andersson kept us on the straight and narrow.
Sitting in the Charleston lounge sipping Pinot Grigio and listening to the Café Concerto Strings, or starting up a table of six in the Marco Polo restaurant to order to meet new friends is such bliss. Our ‘pink’ group (everyone is divided into coloured groups) consisted of a good mixture of married couples, friends travelling together and those travelling ‘solo’. The whole cruise was very friendly, informative and well-organised – can’t wait for the next one!.
Turkish Airlines. As there were no non-stop flights to Venice/Nice from Johannesburg, I chose to travel on Turkish Airlines and am most impressed by the service. It was fortunate that I was able to spent time in the VIP lounges in Nice and Istanbul as this always makes transit times more comfortable.
Triton Cape Sea Travel Cape Town – Thank you Zelda for all your efforts in arranging this lovely cruise.
Patricia Petersson-O’Connell (Mrs)
Johannesburg June 2012
