E.Mediterranean 7-nights
Luminosa Costa

Elegant Venetian buildings and palaces peer over the ancient maze of narrow streets and labyrinth of canals that make up this unique city. Tourists naturally flock to Venice to experience its inimitable charm. The downside of this can be felt in the narrow streets and cramped piazzas of its sought-after areas. A good way to get to know a more personal side of Venice is to saunter through its romantic back streets and residential quarters.

Venice rests on one of a series of 117 islands distributed throughout the Venetian lagoon, at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea. This strategic position conferred on Venice economic and defensive advantages over its trading rivals. As the wealth of the city increased and its population grew, the composition of the city grew ever more dense and today only a handful of the islets that constitute the historic centre are not entirely developed.

The historic centre is divided into six quarters ( sestieri). These are: San Marco, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce, Cannaregio and Castello. The city’s main thoroughfare is the Grand Canal that intersects each district as it meanders through the length of Venice, from the railway station to San Marco. An alternative to walking the bewildering streets of Venice is to cruise the waterways onboard the motorboat buses known as vaporetti. These are the less romantic but also less expensive substitutes for the famous gondolas.

Venice extends beyond its six sestierito the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. These are known for glass and lace-making respectively, and Torcello is noted for the magnificent Byzantine Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta that rests on its soil. Trips by boat to the islands provide a pleasant escape from the busier historic quarters

Fairy-tale houses that look like chanterelle mushroomw. Alberobello’s little round houses with the cone-topped roofs are called trulli – and they are truly unique. Their origins are ancient – some date from 3000 B.C. And they are only found here

Enjoy this day at sea as you travel to your next port of call. This is an opportunity to swim, catch some sun on deck or take advantage of the many activities that are onboard your ship. Eat heartily, take a nap and get ready for the next port of call ! This is what makes cruising so great.

The port city of Piraeus is the ancient gateway to Athens. Here, stand atop the historic Acropolis in the shadow of the Parthenon, visit the ancient Agora and the Temple of Zeus, then view the Palace’s Evzone Guards at attention. Window shop around Constitution Square or travel to Corinth and Mycanae.

Olympia is an ancient site on Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula that hosted the original Olympic Games, founded in the 8th century B.C. Its extensive ruins include athletic training areas, a stadium and temples dedicated to the gods Hera and Zeus. The Archaeological Museum of Olympia exhibits finds from the site, including a statue of Hermes attributed to the sculptor Praxiteles.

Tourists to Montenegro will most likely spend the bulk of their time exploring the little Balkan country’s magnificent natural landscape. From snowy peaks to tall pine forests, from rugged coastlines to verdant fjords, Montenegro is an outdoor adventure lover’s dream come true.

However, for those looking to get to grips with the culture of Montenegro, the medieval city of Kotor is certainly the place to visit. In recent years, as Montenegro swiftly establishes itself as one of Europe’s top tourist destinations, the small coastal city of Kotor has seen a sharp increase in tourist activity.

It’s not hard to see why this should be the case: the gorgeous surrounding Mediterranean coastline, with its limestone cliffs and thick vegetation, is punctuated by the historical port of Kotor, which is itself surrounded by city walls that were built by the Republic of Venice. In fact, these ramparted and bastioned city walls – as well as the Venetian-inspired old city – are a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, lauded for its role in the diffusion of Mediterranean culture in the Balkan region.

A small city, with a population of just under 14,000 permanent inhabitants, Kotor is a wonderful place to navigate on foot, soaking up the scenery and admiring the medieval buildings. In terms of tourist sights, the Maritime Museum is a must-visit attraction, as is the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (built in 1166) and the Church of Our Lady of Health, which is located on a small promontory overlooking Kotor and provides unbeatable views of the bright blue Adriatic Sea beneath.

The pretty city of Split has a rich history. Since ancient times it has, in various guises, served as the economic and administrative centre of the beautiful Croatian Adriatic coastal region, today called Dalmatia. The city sits mainly on a peninsula on the eastern part of the island of Ciovo, although it has nowadays spread onto the mainland and encompasses the mouth of the River Cetina. From the 5th to the 2nd century BC Greek colonists settled the mainland and adjacent islands. Later came the Romans, in particular the Emperor Diocletian, who, being of Dalmatian origin, elected to build a huge palace at a spot then called Salona, in the year 303. A town grew up around the palace and eventually, by the Middle Ages, the city of Split had begun to develop.

Diocletian’s Palace still stands in the very heart of the old part of Split, which charms visitors with its cobbled streets and classical architecture. The greater Split area is characterised by its lush vegetation and green areas, particularly Marjan Hill on the west of the peninsula with its ancient indigenous forest. The city makes an ideal base from which to explore the islands, beauty spots, and historic villages in central Dalmatia.

Split is also world renowned among seafarers for the quality, and quantity, of its marinas. There are about 44 of them in the city area altogether, drawing yachts and catamarans from all over Europe and making it a great cruising destination in the Adriatic.

Come back to beautiful Venice again.