Italy’s Best, Greek Isles & Turkey by land & sea

Check into your hotel in Rome. The rest of the day is free for you to explore this ancient capital. This evening, meet your Tour Director and travel companions.

The “Eternal City” is steeped in history, vibrantly alive and exciting, and absolutely unique! Start the included introduction to Rome’s landmarks from St. Peter’s Square with a Local Guide. Enjoy a drive along the iconic landmarks of the city: the Tiber River, the Caius Cestius Pyramid, the Aurelian Walls, and the Caracalla Baths. Complete the experience with a walk back in time from the Circus Maximus to the Arch of Constantine and to the fascinating Colosseum, a symbol of the Roman Empire. *

Vistas of rolling hills, rows of cypress trees, terraced vineyards, olive groves, and rural villages form the backdrop of your journey through beautiful Tuscany. Stop in Pisa and take a mini-train ride to the Square of Miracles with the amazing Leaning Tower. Arrive in Montecatini. Everything tastes better in Tuscany! See for yourself with an optional culinary experience in the Tuscan countryside to indulge in authentic traditional dishes—with wine, of course!

Today, enjoy an included excursion to Florence. Your Local Guide will show you the city highlights on the walking tour. See the unique Duomo with Giotto’s Gothic Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s ornate bronze door known as the “Gate of Paradise” and the world-famous Signoria Square.

Reach La Spezia and join a guided boat ride (weather permitting) to admire the dramatic scenery along the Cinque Terre coast. Arrive in Monterosso, one of the 5 villages, for some free time before boarding a train to continue your journey.Later, re-join the coach and head towards Genoa, birthplace of explorer Christopher Columbus.

Today’s included guided tour is an excellent introduction to Genoa. A maze of squares and alleys, the city grew around the port, a natural inlet, and boasts the largest medieval historical district in Europe. Then, continue to Lake Maggiore.

Time to relax and get to know Lake Maggiore, one of Italy’s largest lakes, located on the very edge of Alpine Switzerland. On clear days, you can see the peaks of the Alps. Take advantage of the included excursion to visit Lugano in the Italian-speaking Swiss Canton Ticino.

Travel across the fertile Po River plain. Stop in the romantic city of Verona for some time at leisure. Admire the Roman Arena, perfectly preserved and still hosting concerts and festivals during the summer. Take time to shop or taste some of the excellent local wines. Continue to the Venice area. Do you believe in magic? An optional evening boat ride on Giudecca Canal with dinner in a local restaurant, and St. Mark’s Square at night will remove all doubt!

Venice is more like a romantic film set than a real-life city, with its crisscrossing canals, gondolas and water buses, arched bridges, palaces, and piazzas. The included orientation starts with a boat ride to St. Mark’s Square and is followed by time at leisure and a chance to watch Venetian glassblowers fashion their delicate objects as they did centuries ago. O Sole Mio! Don’t miss out on the optional gondola trip, gliding along the picturesque canals with a local troubadour to serenade you.

Enjoy an interesting drive southward right across the Po Delta, through the Emilia-Romagna region to Assisi, enclosed by ramparts and little changed since the Middle Ages. This is the town of the deeply mystical and poetic St. Francis. See the Basilica of St. Francis with its famous frescoes by Giotto, and experience history brought to life by a Local Guide.

Travel to Pompeii, where time stopped for the rich, aristocratic town with the terrible eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. On the included guided visit of the archaeological site, see the remains of luxurious villas, temples, theatre, and forum. Carry on to Sorrento, set on a plateau above the waters of the Bay of Naples. Wander the winding streets lined with shops and stalls and relax, absorbing the easy-going lifestyle of this charming resort.

Enjoy a day trip to the legendary island, surrounded by a rocky coastline where the crashing sea has formed awe-inspiring caves. The town with its pretty “piazzetta,” maze of streets, fashionable boutiques, and inviting restaurants, is a mecca for the jet set. Explore on your own or take an optional island tour.

Today, enjoy time at leisure or step into a picture-perfect postcard with an optional excursion to Positano to be amazed at the Amalfi Coast as it follows the curves of the coastline, dotted with colourful clifftop villages. Return to Rome.

Your Cosmos tour comes to an end this morning but you still have 2 nights in Rome to explore the city.

Explore your favourite parts of Rome before you board your cruise tomorrow.

Make your way to Civitavecchia, where Celebrity Ascent is docked. The port town’s own Forte Michelangelo, designed by Bramante and Michelangelo, is worth a brief exploration before embarkation. Board Celebrity Ascent and watch the Italian coastline recede as the ship heads south toward Sicily. The Tyrrhenian Sea in October is warm and calm and the first evening on the Magic Carpet with the Italian coast visible is one of the finest beginnings to a Mediterranean voyage.

A sea day heading south through the Tyrrhenian Sea as Celebrity Ascent makes for Sicily. The Italian coastline is visible to the east and the Mediterranean in October has a particular clarity and warmth. The SEA Thermal Suite, the Eden restaurant and the Rooftop Garden are all at their best on a warm autumn sea day. Sicily arrives tomorrow and the Messina Strait crossing is one of the finest coastal passages in the Mediterranean.

Messina sits at the northern tip of Sicily on the strait that separates the island from the Italian mainland, and the two kilometres of water that have divided them since antiquity give the city its particular character as a place of passage and exchange. The city was entirely rebuilt after the 1908 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that destroyed virtually all of it in one of the most devastating natural disasters in European history, giving modern Messina a coherent early 20th-century architectural character unlike any other Sicilian city. Taormina, the hilltop town 50 kilometres south with its Greek Theatre, its Via Corso Umberto and the most extraordinary views of Mount Etna and the coast, is the primary excursion and gives the full range of what makes Sicily exceptional. The Etna volcano itself is accessible by cable car from the south side for those willing to make the longer drive. October on Sicily is warm enough for the terraces and clear enough for Etna to be visible without the summer haze.

A sea day heading northeast through the Ionian Sea as Celebrity Ascent crosses from Sicily to the Greek islands. The transition from the volcanic, Norman and Baroque layering of Sicily to the whitewashed Cycladic world of Mykonos is one of the most striking cultural shifts in Mediterranean cruising and the onboard destination briefing is worth attending today. The Fine Cut Steakhouse and Eden are both worth reserving for this evening.

Mykonos in October is the island returning to itself after the summer season: the lanes of the Chora are quieter, the windmills turn without the crowds and the beaches are warm without the peak-July intensity. The iconic whitewashed architecture, the Little Venice waterfront and the hilltop windmills are all more accessible and more photogenic in the October light. Eleven hours ashore gives genuine time to move from the old town to a quiet beach and back.

Kusadasi opens the door to ancient Ephesus, one of the most remarkably preserved classical cities in the world. The Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre capable of seating 24,000 spectators, the Sacred Way paved in marble and the Temple of Hadrian give Ephesus a scale and completeness that no other ancient site in the Mediterranean matches. Ten hours gives genuine time to walk through the site at the pace it deserves. October at Ephesus means the summer heat has passed and the site is accessible without the July tourist density.

Twelve hours in the Greek capital and the October light on the Acropolis is the finest version of Athens available. The Parthenon in the clear autumn morning, the Acropolis Museum directly below housing the finest collection of Classical Greek sculpture in the world, the Plaka neighbourhood’s Byzantine churches and the Monastiraki flea market all reward the full day. The Acropolis in October without the summer queues is the Acropolis as it should be experienced.

The extended stay until 10:00 PM is the defining scheduling decision of this voyage. Santorini in October has lost none of its visual drama but has shed the August crowds, and the combination of the full day on the island and the long evening on the caldera is the finest possible way to experience what many consider the most beautiful place in the Greek islands. The cable car to Fira, the donkey path to Oia, the volcanic beaches of Perissa and the wineries of the interior are all accessible within the extended stay. The caldera at sunset from Oia, with the sky turning from gold to violet above the Aegean and Celebrity Ascent visible below in the water, is one of the great travel moments available anywhere in the Mediterranean.

Chania is the most beautiful city in Crete and one of the finest in Greece, its Venetian harbour and lighthouse, Turkish minarets and Ottoman fountains layered over a Minoan foundation that stretches back 4,000 years. The lighthouse at the harbour entrance is one of the most photographed landmarks in the Greek islands. The covered food market in the former Venetian loggia, the Etz Hayyim Synagogue and the Archaeological Museum give the city cultural depth that a beach resort cannot replicate. The Samaria Gorge, 16 kilometres of walking through the White Mountains to the Libyan Sea, is accessible by tour from the port and is one of the great walks in Greece, though October conditions should be confirmed before booking

A final sea day as Celebrity Ascent heads northwest through the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas toward Naples. The voyage is drawing to its close and the Mediterranean in late October has a particular quality — warm enough for the open decks, clear enough to see the Italian coastline approaching. Naples arrives tomorrow with the gateway to Capri and the Amalfi Coast. The Magic Carpet bar at sunset and a farewell dinner at the Fine Cut Steakhouse or Tuscan Grill close the penultimate evening properly.

Naples is Italy’s most visceral city and the most rewarding for those who engage with it on its own terms. The centro storico, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contains the most concentrated sequence of monuments in Italy: the Duomo, the Cappella Sansevero with its Cristo Velato, the Palazzo Reale and the Castel Nuovo. The Capodimonte Museum holds a collection of Italian painting — Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio and a Bruegel — that rivals the Uffizi. For those who prefer the immediate countryside, the Amalfi Coast by ferry or the ruins of Pompeii under the shadow of Vesuvius are both within a morning’s reach. Eleven hours gives the full range.

Your holiday comes to an end today in Rome. Interested in extending and exploring more of Europe. This package is flexible. Ask us about our exclusive airfares available when booking a cruise & tour.