Tag: Mediterranean Adventure

We started this part of our adventure on Malta – an island with a long history between Sicily and the coast of North Africa.  Once on board the Marina, we traveled to 21 different ports of call and visited 9 different countries – several of which we had never visited before. 

 Our ship, Oceana Marina, holds 1,250 passengers and about 800 crew and Oceana proclaims itself as having the Best Cuisine at Sea and with 4 specialty restaurants plus 4 other dining options there was sufficient variety to sample and enjoy the food.  The food certainly did not disappoint.

The first segment that started on Malta ended in Rome, covered 11 ports and over 1,930 miles while the second segment started in Rome and ended in Barcelona 10 more ports and 1,720 miles.  The entire adventure was 20 wonderful days and the weather was wonderful the entire time without any rain or cold weather.

On board, our Colonial Heritage neighbors Bruce and Susan joined the ship and while we didn’t do any excursions together, we did enjoy meals and drinks most evenings to get caught up on the day’s activities.  It was a treat to have them on board and we enjoyed getting to know them on a very different level from when we cross paths at home.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this series of blogs (Mediterranean Adventure) I had booked this cruise while on board the same ship in South America last March.  Well, since I did it before, there was no reason not to do it again, so we have another Oceana cruise scheduled for next October.

However, there are lots more things happening over the next several months, so while this is the last of the Mediterranean Adventure, there are yet to come other adventures to share.

Our final excursion of our Mediterranean Adventure was to the village of Villefranche and the Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild’s former villa.  After a brief ride through Monte Carlo crossing over the start/finish line of the Monaco Grand Prix and past exclusive shops of this seaside resort, we climbed the roadway through tunnels and twisting turns to be able to see the beautiful Cote d’Azur seas and vistas.  

Our first stop was to the quintessential French Riviera seaside village of Villefranche.  This resort town was just west of the French-Italian border and a lovely spot for a quick visit.   With a history going back over 1,000 years this little village was a treat to explore.   Our guide pointed out a number of interesting sites and eventually Janeen opted for a quick snack at a local shop. To be specific, it is hard to pass up a warm Nutella crepe and mint gelato. 

Once gathered together, we trudged back to the bus and continued on our journey to the Rothschild Villa.  For some reason, the name Rothschild aways conjures money and old-world history.  This spot did not lack beauty and history. Beatrice was of the European Rothschild lineage, and a bit of a feminist. 

Located between Nice and Monaco, overlooking the Mediterranean, the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is a magnificent palace surrounded by nine themed gardens: French garden, Spanish garden, Florentine garden, stone garden, Japanese garden, exotic garden, Provençal garden and rose garden. 

By birth and then by marriage, Madame Ephrussi was to become one of the greatest collectors of her century. For the construction of the Villa between 1907 and 1912, she added the talents of all the experts and merchants, friends of the family …At the age of 19, Béatrice married Maurice Ephrussi, a Parisian banker of Russian origin, 15 years her senior, and a friend of her parents. Their marriage was celebrated in great style on 6 June 1883 at the synagogue, Rue de la Victoire in Paris.

Béatrice’s father died in 1905 and the Baroness inherited his immense fortune. That same year, she decided to construct her dream home in Cap Ferrat. When she first discovered this plot of land, she was immediately seduced by the beauty of the surroundings.  In 1933, a year before her death, Beatrice bequeathed her Villa and the entirety of its collections to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. The Académie also received the 7 hectares of land and some 5,000 works of art. The Académie des Beaux-Arts entrusted the management of the site to Culture Spaces, which redeveloped the gardens, respecting the original plan designed by Louis Marchand and restoring the Villa’s interior. Several events at the site showcasing the Villa’s splendid gardens are created. 

After walking up the driveway, after a quick visit to the interior of the villa Janeen  decided to forego any further exploration inside and focus our time on the gardens of the Villa – which was an excellent decision.

If you have followed our travels, you know that periodically Janeen needs to visit a garden.  Well, today really helped with that need.  With 9 different style areas, it was easy to just wander slowly around and appreciate the beauty of the place.  At each turn of the path there was a new visit to enjoy – both of the garden and its variety of plantings plus the site of the surrounding area, as the Villa is perched on the top of a promontory projecting out into the sea.  

The one thing that continues to amaze both of us is how many of the plants we see in virtually all the Mediterranean gardens were planted in abundance in Alhambra where we lived for a number of years. The blue flowers of Plumbago, lantana, roses, are common in southern California

Once we reconnected with our group, we boarded the bus for the trip back to the ship.  We can now check off Monaco of our list of countries we need to visit and it is a lovely area that we could certainly return, but not to gamble.

Our next stop was Corsica – specifically Ajaccio the capital of the island. Corsica, located in the Mediterranean Sea, has been part of France since 1768. This charming city is located on the west coast of the island and offers a unique combination of history, culture, and natural beauty.

The view of Ajaccio from our cabin on the ship.
Founded in 1492, Ajaccio is known for being the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1769 and a city with a picturesque port, crystal-clear beaches, and a historic center with cobblestone streets, charming squares, and colorful buildings.  Our first stop was Palais Fesch – a museum of fine arts. Christien, our guide was eager to share the special pieces.

Located within the gated Palais Fesch, it was established by Napoleon the first uncle, Cardinal Joseph Fesch.  The museum is one of France’s leading museums for Italian paintings. It covers an area of 5,000 m² and is divided into several levels. We started our visit on the 2nd floor, and viewed a selection of masterpieces of Italian painting from the 14th to the 17th century.   

Eventually we got to the ground floor, where there were some superb paintings of Napoleon and his family. Also marble busts of the entire family, as well as son Charles.  It was an interesting, if a bit long, visit to a lovely museum.

After the museum, our walking tour gathered at Republique square, then wandered around the various streets, viewing the shops and markets making our way eventually to Napoleon’s birthplace, Casa Buonaparte.  

Maison Bonaparte is the ancestral home of the Bonaparte family. The house was almost continuously owned by members of the family from 1682 to 1923.  It was given to the French Government in 1967 eventually becoming a museum.  We didn’t go into it but certainly appreciated the history of the place.

We ended our walking tour at the Ajaccio Cathedral, officially the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption.   The Cathedral has been around since the late 1500’s and one of its major claims to fame is it is where Buonaparte was baptized.  A lovely old church for sure.
 

A couple of side alters and the main alter of the Cathedral

Throughout the tour, with just a glance towards the harbor we could see our ship so it was virtually impossible to get lost.

 After picking up a few post cards we headed back to the ship and a relaxing evening on board.

Sardinia, our next port of call, is a large Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. It has nearly 2,000km of coastline, sandy beaches and a mountainous interior crossed with hiking trails. Its rugged landscape is dotted with thousands mysterious Bronze Age stone ruins shaped like beehives.  Our task today was to try and gain an understanding of life in Sardinia’s rural interior, where traditional ways are still practiced. 

After driving from the port, we ended up in the village of Aggius where there is a wonderful museum that represents the origins and culture of traditional life of the area.  The various exhibits reflected the period furniture and everyday tools that might have been used.  

Brought altogether they created this museum where a visitor can appreciate the richness of the Gallura history, its traditions and popular culture from 1600 to the present day. There is an original reconstruction of the ‘traditional house; different rooms that portray everyday life, food production & a stunning display of decorative breads that were used for different festivities. 

In a separate area, there were a number of displays of beautiful handmade costumes that locals worn on different occasions and an area where we could explore ancient crafts that locals made their leaving from. Working on cork and granite, the blacksmith, the shoemaker, the carpenter & their tools.

There was an entire area where you could read about the techniques of preparation of fabrics and the phases of preparation of the wool and info about how they colored the yarn with local herbs.  There was an entire area where a number of different size looms where on display – many of which were in operation.

We completed our adventure with a walking tour along the Tempio’s cobbled streets and were introduce its charms.   

We didn’t have time to visit the Cathedral of Saint Peter, parts of which date to the 13th century.   

It was a brief visit but very enjoyable.

After we left Naples, we ventured to Messina on the island of Sicily.  While I ventured ashore, Janeen had a spa day.  In Messina we really wanted to visit the Regional Museum where a couple of Caravaggio paintings live, but unfortunately the museum was closed on Mondays!  As a result, we didn’t spend as much time in Messina as it might have deserved.  We will just have to come pack another time.  After Messina, the trip took us back to Malta where we have to confess, we didn’t get off the ship – after all, we had spent several days in Malta previously and having a day of rest was needed.    

Once we left Malta, we headed to North Africa – specifically Tunisia and the town of Tunis.  

Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is the northernmost country in Africa and bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. It features the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century BC, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan.  Known for its ancient architecture, it covers 63,170 sq miles, and has a population of 12.1 million. Tunis is the capital and largest city of the country, and our port of call for the day.  

Flowers are always nice – The National Monument of the Kasbah – On the square.

Beginning in early antiquity, Tunisia was inhabited by the indigenous Berbers. The Phoenicians, began to arrive in the 12th century BCE, settling on the coast and establishing several settlements, of which Carthage emerged as the most powerful by the 7th century BCE. The descendants of the Phoenician settlers came to be known as the Punic people.  During our visit, we stopped at the only remaining Punic site on the island.  The Punic Site appears to be a sanctuary and necropolis as a large number of children’s tombs have been unearthed.  The Punic peoples didn’t survive – only leaving the graves of their children, many of whom may have been sacrificed to the glory of their “god”.

These are the remaining stones from the Punic site. Most are ‘head stones’ for the graves they covered,

Ancient Carthage was a major mercantile empire and a military rival to the Roman Republic until 146 BC when it was defeated by the Romans who occupied Tunisia for most of the next 800 years. The Romans introduced Christianity and left architectural legacies – including a major ‘bath’ complex which we visited. 

This archeological park owes its name to the most famous public baths in Africa. This monument was built in the 2nd century AD (the works started under the rule of Emperor Hadrian and were completed under the rule of Antoninus Pius).

Nowadays, the only thing that has remained from this building is its basement. In the old times, the first floor used to provide two symmetrical spaces, with an axis, on both sides, presenting a hot room, a cold room and an open-door swimming-pool overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

In the 7th century AD, Arab Muslims conquered all of Tunisia. By around the 15th century, the region of modern-day Tunisia had already been almost completely Arabized, establishing Arabs as the demographic majority of the population.  Then, in 1546, the Ottoman Empire established control, holding sway for over 300 years, until 1881, when the French conquered Tunisia. In 1956, Tunisia gained independence as the Tunisian Republic.  In 2011, the Tunisian Revolution, was triggered by general dissatisfaction with the lack of freedom and democracy under the 24-year rule of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.  The President was overthrown and this became the catalyst for the broader Arab Spring movement across the region. Free multiparty parliamentary elections have been held and Tunisia since this happened and Tunisia is considered the only democratic state in the Arab world.

Our tour included walking through wonderful alley ways past any number of shops, a number of mosques and any number of lovely vistas.  In one shop there was a woman hand tying a rug – all of which she was doing without a pattern on view or a plan.  This is also the shop where we purchased several items for Janeen which involved much bargaining (Clearing the stated price was just the starting point!)

All in all, it was a lovely overview of this part of the world.  

Our visit today, was a walking stroll through the various alleyways in Sorrento’s romantic old quarter, stopping every so often to admire the attractions and savor local treats. Not much has changed since we were here all those years ago – still a bunch of lovely shops, restaurants in abundance and plazas with beautiful buildings.  

Our trip this time, involved taking an elevator ride from the Port to Villa Comunale, the largest park in Sorrento. Although lush and leafy, the clifftop park is known more for its spectacular views of the bay and Mt. Vesuvius than its natural beauty.  

After gathering together, we started walking with Sara to the Old Quarter of Sorrento.  Along the way Sara, our guide pointed out some of the most historical landmarks while offering insight into the founding of Sorrento. 

After a few minutes, we popped into the Cloisters of the Church of San Francesco – a peaceful and relaxing spot for sure.  The open-air garden is used for weddings and various celebrations.  The origin of the monastery dates back to the 8^th century but it has been restored on several occasions.

The ‘streets’ are very narrow and filled with artisan workshops.  A couple of the streets had lovely decorations hanging along the way.  

The general ambiance couldn’t be more inviting as we walked along amongst the local residents browsing for merchandise such as fine leather goods, embroidered cloths, and lots and lots of lemon products.

A visit to the Cathedral was next on the agenda.  The Cathedral of Saints Philip and James, commonly known as the Sorrento Cathedral dedicated to Saints Philip the Apostle and James the Just, and has been the seat of the Archbishop of Sorrento-Castellammare di Stabia since 1986. It was previously the seat of the bishops and archbishops of Sorrento.  It was first built around the 11th century and was rebuilt in the 15th century in Romanesque style.  The cathedral bell tower has three stories, and is decorated with a clock. The base of the bell tower dates to the time of the Roman Empire. The façade dates from 1924. The main doors are of the 11th century from Constantinople.

After the Cathedral, it was time for a break and a refreshing scoop of gelato, limoncello and lemon rind vanilla for Janeen and chocolate and pecan for David..  Once we had finished our cone, we stopped into a shop that did major wood inlays. There were an amazing number of tables and other wood inlay products – all with very high price tags for sure.

Just prior to heading back to the Ship, we stopped into this little Enoteca (wine shop) and found a lovely bottle of Taurasi to take back for our dinner in Toscana on the ship.

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Several years ago, we visited Pompeii and were so amazed to see those ruins and all the artefacts that had been recovered.  Recently there was a PBS special about an excavation which revealed another home and explored the people who might have lived there and what they did.  Truly amazing stuff actually.  Having been to Pompeii, it seemed like a reasonable thing to visit Herculaneum.

Like the nearby city of Pompeii, Herculaneum is famous as one of the few ancient cities to be preserved nearly intact, as the solidified material from the volcano that blanketed the town protected it against looting and the elements. Although less known than Pompeii, it was the first and, for a long time, the only discovered city that had been covered after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.  Unlike Pompeii, the mainly pyroclastic material that covered Herculaneum under approximately 66 feet of carbonized ash and preserved more wooden objects such as roofs, beds, and doors, as well as other organic-based materials such as food and papyrus.

According to the traditional tale, the city was rediscovered by chance in 1709, during the drilling of a well. In the years following the site’s uncovering, treasure seekers excavated tunnels and took artifacts. Regular excavations commenced in 1738 and have continued irregularly since. Today, only a fraction of the ancient site has been excavated. The focus has shifted to preserving the already-excavated portions of the city rather than exposing more.

Smaller than Pompeii with a population of circa 5,000, Herculaneum was a wealthier town. It was a seaside retreat for the Roman elite, and this was reflected by the extraordinary density of luxurious houses featuring lavish use of colored marble cladding, frescos and marble tile floors. Buildings of the ancient city include the Villa of the Papyri and the so-called “boat houses”.  These “boat houses” would have been on the beach prior to the eruption.  Afterwards, the shoreline moved over a mile away.  Within the “boat houses”, the skeletal remains of at least 300 people were found.  It has been suggested that these people were waiting for a ship to arrive and evacuate them from the city.  Unfortunately, the ship was unable to make it and they all perished together.

Also, within the boat house, was a boat that was more than 9-meters long, it was about 2.2-meters at its widest point and with a maximum height of about 1-meter from keel to gunwale. It would therefore have been much like a large modem gozzo boat which is a traditional fishing boat still seen in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Today, when visiting Herculaneum, you drive through the Italian towns of Ercolano and Portici which lie above the former site.  It is a very different feel than Pompeii as the site is so surrounded by the current city unlike Pompeii which as a lot of open space around it.  Regardless, the significance of what happened in these places is clear to see and relatively easy to understand.  All those people and the dreams they had snuffed out as a result of the volcano.

Our next stop was the Island of Sicily more specifically, the port of Catania.  Catania is the second-largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population.  The city is located on Sicily’s east coast, facing the Ionian Sea at the base of the active volcano Mount Etna. 

Founded in the 8th century BCE by Chalcidian Greeks in Magna Graecia, the city has weathered multiple geologic catastrophes: it was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169. A major eruption and lava flow from nearby Mount Etna nearly swamped the city in 1669 and it suffered severe devastation from the 1693 Sicily earthquake.

During the 14th century, and into the Renaissance period, Catania was one of Italy’s most important cultural, artistic and political centers.  It was the site of Sicily’s first university, founded in 1434.  

The central “old town” of Catania features exuberant late-baroque architecture, prompted after the 1693 earthquake, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There were also elephants, sculpted in lava rock, on soccer shirts, and at one time indigenous to the island. 

 Our excursion today was a Chef Led Market tour and lunch.  Walking through the historic part of town, our guide gave us insights into how the city was reconstructed after the 1693 earthquake – where it was virtually obliterated, so the city started with a blank slate.  As a result, the city has wide avenues, straight lines and buildings no taller than 4 stories.

Paths through the vegetable and fish markets, however, remain cobblestoned and narrow. The group was unable to pass up sweet treats of pistachio, but were whisked through persimmons, lemons, zucchini, and sardines.

Towering higher than the buildings is the music of Bellini, musician of Operas born in Catania and in the early 19^th century beloved for his flowing melodies. He died in mysterious circumstances, alone and far from his Sicilian home.

Several stops along the way featured delicious treats (Sicilian arancini and cannoli) to sample.  After our break, we picked up the pace and headed to our lunch spot.  Ostier Vinoteca, where had lunch with wines complementing each course. Each course was authentic Sicilian dishes using only seasonal and local ingredients from the island.  We enjoyed the hospitality of the vinoteca’s friendly owner and its chef.

After finishing lunch, we headed back to the ship to relax get ready for our next adventure.

Chef Eva Mulligan – she did cooking classes on board the ship too.

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We had two ports of call in Greece – Corfu and Katakolon.  At our first stop, Corfu, we got off the ship and boarded a coach for a panoramic drive through the interior of Corfu toward the beach-blessed village of Paleokastritsa.  Along the way we saw the historic part of town and learned about its history.  

The Island is defined by rugged mountains and a resort-studded shoreline. Its cultural heritage reflects years spent under Venetian, French and British rule before it was united with Greece in 1864. Corfu Town, flanked by 2 imposing Venetian fortresses, features winding medieval lanes, a French-style arcade and the grand Palace of St. Michael and St. George.  However, we just motored through all of this on our way to our lunch spot, the Golden Fox.

The Golden Fox is located at the top of the mountain with really nice views back to the bay.  While sitting on the veranda of the family-owned restaurant we admired the views. The menu featured homemade dishes prepared from recipes that take full advantage of the local ingredients. The offerings included classics such as pastitsada, a slow-cooked beef stew that is served over pasta, some local mussels and an interesting salad mix.  They also provided some local wines (red and white) which were just OK, nothing great.

After lunch we headed out to visit a shop where various souvenirs were available.  On the whole this was not one of the better excursions we have had.

The next day, after sailing down the coast of Greece, we docked in Katakolon.  No excursions planned and Janeen stayed aboard while I wandered along the three streets of town.  Big purchase – an espresso and a couple of post cards.

The major take away for the last two days, besides the beautiful weather,  is that we can say we have been to Greece and that’s about it.

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We left Croatia and crossed over the Adriatic Sea to the coast of Italy – Bari.  Several years ago, we had driven along the Adriatic coast of Italy and about when we got to Bari, we turned right and headed to the other side.  Not sure if we actually made it to Bari or not, but no matter we weren’t going to go there anyway as our trip today was to the city of Matera.  Comprised of two districts – Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano is well known for the ancient cave dwellings which have been habited since the Paleolithic period.

To describe Sassi as “one of the most unique landscapes in Europe” would be an understatement.  The coach dropped us off in the more industrial section of the city and we began our walk passing by the more traditional shops and local markets.  However, once through the more modern section of town we came upon the spectacular view of the cave dwellings.

The Sassi originate from a prehistoric troglodyte settlement and are suspected to be among the first human settlements in Italy. There is evidence that people were living here as early as the year 7000 BCE.  These homes were dug into the calcarenitic rock (a type of limestone) itself. The streets in some parts of the Sassi often run on top of other houses. The ancient town grew up on one slope of the ravine created by the Gravina river. 

Beset by extreme poverty and riddled with malaria, the unhealthy living conditions were considered inhuman and an affront to the modern new Italian Republic.   In the 1950s, the government of Italy forcefully relocated most of the population of the Sassi to areas of the developing modern city.  However, people continued to live in the Sassi, and Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast to be still living in the same houses of their ancestors of 9,000 years ago.

Until the late 1980s this was considered an area of poverty, since many of these houses were, and in some cases still are, uninhabitable. The current local administration, however, has become more tourism-oriented, and it has promoted the regeneration of the Sassi with the aid of the European Union, the government, and UNESCO. 

We visited one of the cave homes which is showcasing how the inhabitant’s lives would have been, complete with fixtures and fitting. The entire family (on average six members) including animals like donkeys, chicken, and pigs lived together in the cave and it has been furnished as it would have been in those days. 

Materans also worshipped in cave churches, many of which are adorned with frescoes painted directly on the rock.

The entire area is really quite amazing and certainly not at all what we had expected to see.  After our walking tour we reboarded our bus and headed back to the ship.