Mediterranean from Athens

The cradle of Greek culture, Athens welcomes us to its port of Piraeus, watching us from above the wonderful Acropolis. Piraeus is the port of Athens, the largest in Europe, allowing you to visit the city, a place of dreams. A place of emigration, it has inspired numerous songs. Most ships will be making a stop in Athens before resuming the Mediterranean route or returning to the Atlantic. Take the time to visit the Acropolis and maybe the museum located at its base. Before flying out, enjoy the spectacle of a sunset at Capo Sunio. Try not to visit the city when it’s too hot in summer, much of the population moves out of town. Not to be missed: • The mythical Parthenon • The Ancient Agora • The Olympic Stadium

The Mediterranean island of Malta, situated between the North African coast and Sicily, is a land of history and mystique. The ancient Greeks claimed the island had divine origins and was the province of the Calypso nymph who lived on nearby Gozo. In Homer’s Odyssey, Ulysses landed on the island during his epic journey to Ithaca. In the Middle Ages, the Crusaders partially fortified the island during their expeditions to the Holy Land, giving rise to the powerful Maltese Knights of St John.

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.

The Mediterranean island of Malta, situated between the North African coast and Sicily, is a land of history and mystique. The ancient Greeks claimed the island had divine origins and was the province of the Calypso nymph who lived on nearby Gozo. In Homer’s Odyssey, Ulysses landed on the island during his epic journey to Ithaca. In the Middle Ages, the Crusaders partially fortified the island during their expeditions to the Holy Land, giving rise to the powerful Maltese Knights of St John.

Palermo is the capital of the Italian island of Sicily. The 12th-century Palermo Cathedral houses royal tombs, while the huge neoclassical Teatro Massimo is known for opera performances. Also in the center are the Palazzo dei Normanni, a royal palace started in the 9th century, and the Cappella Palatina, with Byzantine mosaics. Busy markets include the central Ballarò street market and the Vucciria, near the port.

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.

From the ancient port of Civitavecchia you will land in the heart of the Roman and Etruscan civilisations; the old town is also a fabulous mediaeval village. Civitavecchia of today is the result of a thousand-year long process of civilisation and urbanisation in the Lazio region. In the area, close to where this city is located (and just 70 km from Rome), there are important historical elements that, over the centuries, have overlapped and accumulated to confirm the presence and evolution of organised social groups as far back as the prehistoric age. In fact, numerous traces of primitive settlements are found along the coast of Civitavecchia. Equally numerous and important are the Etruscan, Roman and mediaeval structures that have made the city an important urban centre and renowned as the Port of Rome since antiquity. During a cruise departing from Civitavecchia, before continuing in the Mediterranean, you can take advantage of this stop to visit Rome, the grandiose capital with its world-famous monuments: the Forums, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Trajan’s Column, the St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Piazza Venezia, Piazza di Spagna and many more.

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.

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”.

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.

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.