2023 Cruise - Italy, Turkey and Greek Islands

 OVERVIEW

Italy, Turkey & Greek Islands Cruise

11 nights onboard Celebrity Beyond

June 24 – July 7, 2023

 

Trip Overview:  June 24^th we will fly from Birmingham to Rome on Delta Flights with an early morning, June 25^th, arrival in Rome where we will stay overnight to adjust to the time change.  On June 26^th, we depart from Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy for 11 nights cruising in the Mediterranean onboard the Celebrity Beyond.  

Our first Port of Call is Catania, Sicily, Italy, which is situated at the foot of the largest volcano in Europe, Mount Etna. Elegant, modern, and an important hub in Europe’s tech industry, Catania is also rich with baroque architecture, medieval castles, Roman era theatres, and a flourishing cultural and artistic center. The first university in Sicily was opened here in 1434. The Ursino castle built in the 13th Century is now a museum. The Piazza del Duomo, at the heart of Catania, is home to the city’s symbolic Fountain of the Elephant, constructed in 1736 from lava and an ancient Egyptian obelisk.  We plan to just walk and see the sights.

This is followed by a day at sea cruising to Istanbul Turkey where we will arrive on the morning of the 4^th day and have a day and a half to visit the Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Hagai Sophia, and wandering through the majestic Topkapi Palace, with its gardens, libraries and 400-room harem.  We have an arranged Istanbul Old City Tour and will meet our guide at 2:30 pm.  Afterwards we attend a belly dance performance.  The next morning we are on our day until leaving at 2 pm.

We then cruise overnight to Ephesus, Turkey to explore some of the ancient ruins.  Once the capital of the Roman province of Asia Minor, this coastal town is now an archeologist’s dream. The UNESCO World Heritage ruins of Ephesus impress even those familiar with the world's other ancient cities. Though excavations have been underway for 150 years, only 20 percent of the city has been uncovered. This former Greek banking and trading center is rich with historic sites, including the Great Theater, the Temple of Hadrian, and the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We can check out the Celsus Library — built in 117 A.D.— made up of towering columns highlighted by the statue of the goddess of wisdom.  We have an Ephesus Ancient City and House of Mother Mary tour scheduled and will be picked up by a driver.

Another overnight cruise takes us to Santorini, Greece on our 7^th day.  Here we will have a day to enjoy the stunning ocean views from this clifftop village and explore.  a classic Greek seascape—whitewashed houses accented by sea-blue roofs. This is a treasure trove for both professional and amateur archeology buffs, with sites that include tombs that date back to the 9th century and the sanctuary of Apollo. In many ways, Santorini could be considered an explosive place, being that its terraced collection of homes and windmills lie on a caldera-- a huge basin formed by an erupting volcano. The island’s volcanic past has also produced delicious grapes for excellent wines. Some of the best on the island can be found in Pyrgos, Megalochori, and Oia. Oia’s hilltop not only has the ancient, Minoan site of Akrotiri, but is quite possibly the best vantage point from which to witness the spectacular sunsets. We do not have anything booked and may try to visit Oia.  

Cruising overnight brings us to Mykonos, Greece with its whitewashed villages sprinkled with blue and jade green. This most popular island in the Cyclades is bustling with activity, awash in beautiful alleyways, and home to alluring sandy beaches.  We plan to explore the island on our own.

After cruising overnight, we dock in the early morning of our 9^th day at Athens, Greece.  Here we will explore the city and marvel at the ruins of the Acropolis.  Athens brought the world drama, history, poetry, and philosophy. Once home to the world's most powerful and civilized empires, Athens is now the world's foremost archaeological playground. The towering columns of the Parthenon still stand in homage to the virgin goddess Athena. The Parthenon sits atop the Athenian Acropolis and watches over the city where it can be seen from just about anywhere in Athens. Hopefully we can visit the incredible Acropolis Museum on your cruise to Athens. The joint effort between two architects, one American and the other Greek, this outstanding building was completed and opened to the public in 2009. It focuses primarily on the Greek period dating to 5 B.C., considered to be the apex of art, culture, and philosophy in ancient Greece, but it also has artifacts from the Bronze, Roman, and Byzantine Ages. There’s even a Plexiglas walkway from which an excavated section of an old Athenian neighborhood can be viewed. In addition to an abundance of historical riches, modern Athens has plenty on offer—from scenic beaches to restaurants with superb Mediterranean cuisine and bustling central markets.  We have a schedule tour of Essential Athens with an expert local private driver who will pick us up at the terminal.

Day 10 will be spent cruising at sea on our way to Naples, Italy for a day visit on Day 11.  Framed by Mount Vesuvius along a dramatic skyline, the 2,800 year-old port city of Naples is chock full of historical sites, churches, and museums that make it a fascinating place for you to explore. For all of Rome’s notoriety and reputation, Naples, with its historic city center deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has just as many important archeological sites and landmarks.  The Museo Archeologico Nazionale has a world-class collection of Egyptian and Graeco-Roman artifacts. You can explore Naples from below the ground. Start with a trip into the basement of the San Lorenzo Maggiore church where you’ll find a partially excavated Roman market and a little deeper, just below the Roman ruins, you’ll find remnants from the Greeks to discover. And in the region where pizza was first invented, you know the food is going to be incredible. Whether you’re looking for a thin, wood-fired Margherita pie, spaghetti alle vongole or a zeppole dusted with confectioner’s sugar, Naples and her bountiful edible treasures is sure to please. Only 35 miles down the coast, Salerno offers you a rich history, but also boasts a marvelous collection of parks, natural wonders, and unique vantage points to take in the beauty of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Two cities. One incredible stretch of Italian coastline.  We have a reserved 7 km hike from Sorrento.

Our last night is spent cruising to our home port with an arrival at 6:00 am in Civitavecchia. After deboarding, we have a Transfer to the Airport and our Flight Home with an evening arrival in Birmingham on July 7th.