Rome to Barcelona with Silver Nova

Your journey begins where ancient roads once led the world. Civitavecchia, Rome’s historic port, is the gateway to seven days of extraordinary discovery aboard Silver Nova – one of the most acclaimed ships in luxury cruising. Settle into your beautifully appointed suite, acquaint yourself with eight remarkable dining venues, and as the Italian coastline recedes, raise a glass from the Silversea Cellar. The Mediterranean awaits.

Bold, beautiful and unmistakably Italian, Naples rewards those who look beyond the surface. Venture into the shadow of Vesuvius to explore the haunting ruins of Pompeii, or wind through the Amalfi Coast’s cliff-hugging roads to Positano and Ravello. Back in the city, the historic centro storico – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – pulses with street life, baroque churches and the world’s most celebrated pizza. With 11 shore excursions on offer, the only challenge is choosing.

Perched at Sicily’s westernmost tip, Trapani is a town that wears its history lightly – ancient salt pans still glow pink and gold at dusk, medieval streets lead to Baroque piazzas, and the Egadi Islands shimmer just offshore. Use your US$400 shore excursion credit to explore the clifftop ruins of Erice, discover the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento, or simply linger over a glass of local Marsala and watch the fishing boats come in.

Cross into Africa without leaving the Mediterranean. Tunis is a city of layered civilisations – from the ancient ruins of Carthage to the labyrinthine souk of its UNESCO-listed medina, where the scent of jasmine and spice fills the narrow lanes. The Bardo Museum houses one of the world’s finest collections of Roman mosaics, a reminder that this coastline was once the heartland of an empire that shaped the ancient world. One of the most culturally distinctive ports of call in the Mediterranean.

Sardinia is a world apart – fiercely independent, strikingly beautiful and surprisingly unspoiled. Cagliari, the island’s spirited capital, rises in tiers above a brilliant blue harbour, its Castello district offering sweeping views across the Gulf of Angels. With 15 shore excursions available and an extended 22:00 departure, there is time to venture deep into the island’s wild interior, explore archaeological nuraghi dating back 3,500 years, or simply settle into one of the island’s legendary seafood restaurants as the sun goes down.

A day entirely your own. Silver Nova’s generous public spaces were designed precisely for moments like this – mornings in the Otium Spa, afternoons at the largest pool deck in the fleet, evenings drifting between ten bars and lounges as the sun sets over open water. Join an enrichment lecture, indulge in the S.A.L.T. Chef’s Table tasting menu, or simply do nothing at all with great style. The ship is the destination.

Few port cities in the Mediterranean rival Palma for sheer elegance. The soaring Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria dominates the waterfront, and behind it lies one of Spain’s most underrated old towns – Renaissance palaces, contemporary galleries and intimate tapas bars tucked into sandstone lanes. Rent a vintage car and drive north to Valldemossa, where Chopin and George Sand once wintered, or hire a boat to explore the island’s luminous coves. Mallorca at its finest.

The voyage concludes in one of the world’s great cities. Barcelona is a final port worthy of everything that has come before – Gaudi’s impossible architecture rising above the Eixample, the art of Miro and Picasso just streets away, and Las Ramblas leading to a waterfront where the city meets the sea. Whether you depart or extend your stay for a few days, Barcelona ensures your Silversea journey ends with the kind of memory you carry home long after the luggage unpacks itself.