It’s difficult to imagine a country that offers greater variety than Italy. A wealth of choice through architecture, culture & gastronomy to the scenic beauty of the coastline, the inland areas and the islands. It’s entirely possible to revisit the country for years and still not run out of new places to go, new things to experience. There are also any number of different ways to travel to and around the region.
It’s no surprise to those that know me that many of our visits to Italy have been by boat! Some time back, we had a wonderful holiday sailing on a 5-masted Tall Ship, the Royal Clipper, from Venice to Rome, along the Adriatic coasts of Croatia, Montenegro and Albania before stopping off in Taormina (Sicily). We then sailed up the west coast of Italy, calling at a number of ports before arriving in Rome for a short city break before flying home. We spent most days ashore exploring the delightful small ports of call accessible to our beautiful small ship. We sailed mostly from late afternoon or early evening, allowing us to enjoy the coastal scenery along the way.
Another love of mine is music and the range of festivals and operas on offer in Italy is so wide. We travelled to the Verona Opera Festival a couple of years ago by train. The quickest way is via Paris and Milan but we decided to take a slightly longer route, to travel through the Alps during daylight. London-Paris-Munich-Verona, with an overnight on the German rail service, worked out really well and was a great start to the trip but the highlight was Verona itself, and the stunning arena where the festival takes place.
Other holidays have included a city break in Venice, road trip through Tuscany and a family holiday on Lake Maggiore. Our next Italian adventure is towards the end of October. Predictably now, it’s another cruise, onboard Crystal Serenity from Athens around the Greek Islands initially but then again visiting Sicily and western Italian ports on the way to the Mediterranean coast of France, ending in Barcelona. We are delighted to be visiting more of the coastal towns of Tuscany, Lombardy and Campania.
You can sail on Royal Clipper next Spring between Rome and Sicily, from £1680 per person, or maybe sail the Adriatic and Greek Isles onboard Crystal Symphony next summer, from £3118 per person. If you’d like to know more about our experiences of Italy or want help to create your own Italian experience, just give us a call on 01225 744992 or email kit@silvercompass.co.uk
Kit Williams, Silver Compass