Planning a Trip

So Jenny, Lacey, Lesley and I are going on a Western Mediterranean cruise in October (2 months away baby!!) and I am so excited to plan our port excursions.  We start in Barcelona, sail to Naples, Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno (Florence), Ville-Franche Sur Mer, and Toulon, then back to Barcelona.

To be totally honest, I am quite overwhelmed by how much I want to do in each city and how much can I actually accomplish in a few hours. The activity I love most is simply walking around with my camera and soaking in the culture and sights of a city. Most of my Italian art background is in architecture so that approach really appeals to me. Plus, I have never been on a cruise before so I am not sure what to expect.

 

We arrive in Barcelona Saturday afternoon and we do not board the ship until Sunday around 1 in the afternoon. The things I want to accomplish are strolling the Ramblas, Gaudi’s Casa Mila and Park Guell, and the Block of Discord. If I have time, I’d love to see Gehry’s Fish. Our hostel is in the Eixample neighborhood which makes the Gaudi and Modernisma sights fairly easy to get to. (Well most of Barcelona is easy to get to.)

So we board on Sunday and then whole first day is at sea.

 

We get to Naples on Tuesday and the only problem with that is the Archeological Museum is closed that day, and they have the best artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum. So with that in mind- I want to get pizza margherita in Naples, then take the train to Sorrento which is the gateway to the Almaphi Coast. 

Sorrento is known for lemons and the Italian dolce vita. Then we could take the hydrofoil (water taxi) either to Capri or just back to the port in Naples. It sounds relaxing for a great introduction to our trip.

 

The next day is Rome!!! There is so much I would LOVE to do in Rome but my top 3 are:

1. St. Peter’s Square/Basilica (except it is closed Wednesday mornings for private audiences with the Pope so it will have to be an afternoon activity).

2. The Pantheon

3. Trevi Fountain/Spanish Steps

and I’ll add a 4. The Borghese Gallery (to see Bernini sculpture!!)*

 

Sure I’d love to see the Forum, the Coliseum, etc but I really love Baroque Rome more than Ancient Rome (except the Pantheon- it is my top favorite ancient roman site). Sure I’d love to go to the Vatican Museum and swoon in the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” (oh and that little thing he painted on the ceiling!! LOL) or all of the extravagant regalia of the Catholic Church, but I only have a few hours in the Eternal City.

 

The next day is Florence and the port is quite a way away from Florence itself.

My top attractions in Florence are:

1. Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise (and all the other doors on the Baptistery of course!!) well basically everything included at the Duomo.
2. The Uffizi*
3. The Academia to see Michelangelo’s David (the real one, not the replica they have on the street).*
4. Ponte Vecchio

 

After our two insane days in Rome and Florence, we get to relax on the Cote d’Azur in Ville Franche Sur Mer!!!

Now we could be more active and take the train to either Nice or Monaco, but I am really leaning toward a relaxing day along the French Riviera. They have a Savonnarie factory (soap) where admission is free and they have a great factory store. The town square becomes a spontaneous market whenever cruise ships come (yay!!).

 

Our last port is Toulon and both Lesley and I have had a hard time figuring out what there is to do there. The cruise ship’s excursions offer daytrips to Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, and Cassis.

 

Like I said earlier- I would be happy to walk around and enjoy the cities and embrace the beautiful chaos that is southern Europe. Do any of you have suggestions or tips to either cruising or traveling in Italy? Am I missing any “must-see” sight?

 

 

* Need to make reservations in advance