Valletta is the capital of Malta. This remarkable fortified city with its massive bastions followed the most advanced Renaissance ideas in town planning, with streets laid straight on a grid looking over the Grand Harbour. Outside the 'City Gate' is the famous Triton Fountain. 'City Gate' has public buses and vendors selling soft drinks and all sorts of traditional fresh Maltese bread and sweets. Freedom Square shows an extraordinary capital with buildings of fine architecture of different tastes and styles ranging from the Mannerism to Baroque to Rococo to Neoclassicism. Valletta is a fascinating city for wandering around looking at what used to be the Knight's own cathedrals and Auberges. The city's backbone is Republic Street, which runs straight through the city center to Fort St. Elmo. Valletta has several narrow, steep side streets decorated with traditional Maltese pastel colored balconies and a statue on almost every street corner. There are plenty of shops, cafes, and restaurants to choose from.
Le Dumont-d'Urville belongs to a new generation of ships fitted with innovative equipment and designed to be environmentally friendly, and which come equipped with lounges that are largely open to the exterior, an outdoor swimming pool and a Blue Eye, a multisensorial underwater lounge. Everything is in place for an extraordinary cruise experience. It's now possible to depart for adventure to the most remote places on the planet onboard a ship offering luxury services.
May 14, 2028 - Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta. This remarkable fortified city with its massive bastions followed the most advanced Renaissance ideas in town planning, with streets laid straight on a grid looking over the Grand Harbour. Outside the 'City Gate' is the famous Triton Fountain. 'City Gate' has public buses and vendors selling soft drinks and all sorts of traditional fresh Maltese bread and sweets. Freedom Square shows an extraordinary capital with buildings of fine architecture of different tastes and styles ranging from the Mannerism to Baroque to Rococo to Neoclassicism. Valletta is a fascinating city for wandering around looking at what used to be the Knight's own cathedrals and Auberges. The city's backbone is Republic Street, which runs straight through the city center to Fort St. Elmo. Valletta has several narrow, steep side streets decorated with traditional Maltese pastel colored balconies and a statue on almost every street corner. There are plenty of shops, cafes, and restaurants to choose from.
May 15, 2028 - Siracusa
Sicilia is the favorite island of Gods in traditional poetry. The most powerful and biggest ancient city in Sicilia is Siracusa. Its name may come from the native word "Siraco", which means "marsh", due to the bogs which surrounded the city. Or it may derive from a Phenician etymology signifying the presence of seagulls on its rocky shores. Few cities of the ancient world had the importance Syracuse had in Magna Grecia, the ancient Greek settlements in Italy. The most spectacular monuments in the archeological area surrounded by colorful Mediterranean vegetation are the Greek amphitheatre and the Orecchio di Dionisio (Dionysius' Ear). Besides touring the Archeological Museum that contains beautiful objects, Ortigia Island, the heart of the old Greek city, is worth a visit. Outside the city limits is Eurialo Castle, an incredible structure built to protect the city from the Cathaginians, and Pantalica, the great rocky necropolis in Anapo Valley.
May 16, 2028 - Taormina
The east coast of Sicily is considered by many to be its most magnificent. Lovely Taormina was called "the greatest work of art and nature" by Goethe in his Italian Journey. Situated above the Ionian Sea with Mount Etna as a spectacular backdrop, this storybook town of sculpted gardens, stately palaces and ancient monuments is easily one of Sicily’s most striking sites. There is much to see and do here; the main attractions in Taormina are seen on foot. Incredible vistas are available from Taormina's Public Gardens which are filled with exotic flowers and plants. In Giardini-Naxos, close to the pier, the Bourbon fort contains a fine museum, Museo Archaeologico. The entrance is via a garden bisected by an ancient lava flow.
May 17, 2028 - Palermo
Palermo is a city and seaport in Italy on the northwestern coast of Sicily, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the largest city and chief port of Sicily. Many of the oldest buildings in the city date from the period when Sicily was a Norman kingdom and show Arab, Byzantine, Norman, and Spanish influences. Outstanding examples are the cathedral (1169-1185), the Palatine Chapel (1140), and the church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti (1132).
May 18, 2028 - Sardinia (Cagliari)
As Sardinia's capital, Cagliari is both a thriving modern city and a fine example of the varied history of this Italian island. Explore the Roman amphitheater, Spanish townhouses, and Pisan watchtowers. Antiquities from the native Nuraghi culture and from the Phoenician era onward are well-displayed in the National Archaeological Museum.
May 19, 2028 - Bonifacio
Corsica's picturesque southernmost town Bonifacio gazes across the blue Mediterranean to Sardinia. In its narrow cobbled alleys lingers a strangely medieval mood and the ancient stone houses of the fortress-like, once much-besieged community cling to one of the island's most striking sites - a towering promontory of sheer limestone rock jutting out improbably into the sea 200ft below. Founded about AD 828 as a defence against pirates, the town was taken from Pisa at the end of the 12th century by the Genoese and remained under the influence of Genoa until modern times.
May 20, 2028 - Portoferraio, Elba
Portoferraio, with its lemon-yellow buildings, is among the most elegant of the old Mediterranean ports. Beyond the town lies an island of great natural beauty. The hills are covered with pine forests and the scent of wildflowers fills the air; discover the island's medieval and Napoleonic history on a countryside tour.
May 21, 2028 - Nice
Nice is undoubtedly the place for the opening up of art and culture. The Côte d'Azur has inspired, from time immemorial, the greatest painters, writers and musicians. It has compelled recognition of its avant-garde across the Atlantic, its museums are holding prestigious collections in edifices of renowned architecture. Nice is full of an extraordinary artistic and cultural heritage. The gentle way of life sustains the imaginary world of artists and stimulates their creativeness. A cultural and aesthetic atmosphere prevails here; the cultural life is intense. It is punctuated by temporary exhibitions in the museums and the municipal galleries, by the programming of the theatres of which the most important is the Theatre of Nice - National Dramatic Centre - directed by Jacques Weber. The Opera House of Nice's Theatre proposes events of great quality.