ITALIAN ODYSSEY AND THE DALMATIAN COAST
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Overview
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Itinerary
We say goodbye to Australia and board our flight, headed for the Dalmatian Coast of the Adriatic Sea, and its thousand shades of green and blue.
Our flight lands in Dubrovnik, Croatia where we catch a connecting flight to Tivat in Montenegro. From Tivat we drive to Kotor, where our privately chartered ship, Princess Eleganza awaits us. After we have checked in to our cabins, we celebrate our journey with welcome drinks and a Mediterranean dinner made of the freshest regional produce.
We leave our ship docked in Kotor and take a trip to Rijeka Crnojevića, a town on the River Crnojević. The confluence of the river with Lake Shkodër is exceedingly pretty, and we stop here for photos. A scenic boat ride along the western shore of the lake brings us to...
Today, we set sail for the Pearl of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik. Old stone buildings with red tile roofs greet us as we arrive in what used to be the hub for Croatia’s trading fleet in the 15th and 16th centuries. We approach the city in the customary way - through the Pi...
Our ship hugs the Dalmatian Coast, heading north towards Korčula Island, where Marco Polo was reportedly born. The Old Town is another charming medieval village built of stone, where narrow streets and public squares are lined with 15th and 16th century palaces of mer...
The island of Hvar is one of the sunniest places in Croatia. One of its most atmospheric too. Thirteenth century city walls meet Gothic palaces and a dizzying selection of restaurants and bars. Our ship docks in Stari Grad, where a short coach ride places us in the mi...
Split is one of those exuberant places where history is alive, kicking and very much part of daily life. It was founded by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC. Then, in AD 293, Emperor Diocletian, who was born nearby, chose Split as the site of his retirement palace and ...
While we have been spending time on the coast, Croatia’s inland attractions are just as visually stunning. Today, we visit Krka National Park, which encompasses both banks of the River Krka. It is a place of spectacular gorges, deep turquoise water and waterfalls - Ro...
People have lived in the city of Zadar continuously since the late Stone Age. It has been conquered, burned or occupied by the Romans, Avars, Byzantine Empire, Franks, Venetians, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires. All left traces of their rule via architecture. In ...
We spend the morning walking the streets of Zadar, then sail for Rab, a picture-perfect medieval town set on an island with olive groves and grapevines. The Old Town features four elegant Romanesque bell towers and stone streets. Soak in the Mediterranean air and dine at any of Rab’s atmospheric restaurants tonight.
This morning, our ship takes us to Opatija, once a seaside retreat for the elite of the Austro-Hungarian empire, who built lavish Belle Époque villas here in the late 1890s. Spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the town on your own, then return to the ship for a farewell dinner. Tomorrow, we leave our ship, headed for Italy, on the other side of the Adriatic Sea.
We disembark Princess Eleganza and drive to the city of canals where we’ll stay three nights at Hotel Danieli. Venice never fails to charm. It is a rare destination that manages to make decay a thing of beauty. Here palazzi, in a resplendent mix of Gothic, Byzantine and Moorish styles, continue looking majestic even with their ground floors flooded.
By now we will have discovered why the iconic Hotel Danieli was adored by the classic composers, authors and poets, having played host to Goethe, Wagner, Dickens and Byron. This evening, we dine in our hotel, taking full advantage of its opulent interiors.
Today, take a guided walk that includes the city’s most delightful sights. You may also choose to explore the city on your own. A gondola ride is a classic Venetian experience. As is devoting a couple of leisurely hours to St Mark’s Basilica. Or visit the bustling Ria...
We bid the Hotel Danieli goodbye this morning. A boat whisks us directly from the hotel to Santa Lucia Station on the Grand Canal where we join the Golden Eagle Danube Express train and head west along the Po River to Cremorna. The town is often overlooked by tourists...
Bologna has several nicknames. La Grassa (the fat one), La Dotta (the educated one) and La Rossa (the red one). La Grassa because this is where bolognese sauce was created. La Dotta for the University of Bologna, founded in 1088, which we visit. And La Rossa for the c...
Today, our train hugs the Adriatic coast all the way south to Bari. You’ll have a few hours to simply gaze out the window and permanently fix the views in your memory. Bari’s old town welcomes us with narrow streets and priceless glimpses into its residents’ lives. Do...
In AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying Herculaneum, Pompeii and many of its inhabitants under tonnes of ash. Since 1748, visitors have come to see the extraordinarily preserved buildings and casts of the volcanic eruption’s victims. Besides visiting the major sight...
As we enjoy breakfast on board, the Golden Eagle crosses the narrow Strait of Messina between the Italian mainland and Sicily via a unique train ferry, one of just a handful in the world. A short ride later, we arrive in Palermo, a city that is over 2,700 years old. R...
Agrigento is home to the largest and best-preserved ancient Greek buildings outside of Greece. We tour the World Heritage-listed Valle dei Templi, a breathtaking sacred area where seven monumental Doric-style temples were built between the 6th and 5th centuries BC. A...
Once upon a time, Syracuse was a larger, more vibrant town than Athens. Cicero even wrote that it was the most beautiful city in Ancient Greece. It was occupied for a time by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths. And in AD 535, was the first part of Italy that the Byzantine...
The hilly landscapes of Sicily roll by as we travel to Catania, set picturesquely and dangerously at the foot of Mt Etna. It has been destroyed several times by earthquakes and eruptions from the volcano. Yet, there is much architecture of note to see. The city is pep...
Taormina sits on a hill that is the last point of a mountain range, overlooking the Ionian Sea. It is the premier holiday town on Sicily and has a distinctly relaxed air. Our personal volcanologist takes us on a tour of the Mt Etna Museum, then onto the mountain itsel...
Reluctantly, we leave today for the airport, where we fly to Rome and then onwards to Australia. As we travel home, we contemplate the region’s history and natural beauty, unable to decide which is more impressive.
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