Designers of Discerning Holidays
Designers of Discerning Holidays
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From the elegance of the Alhambra to the splendours of Imperial Rome to the picturesque Cote d/Azur and the treasures of Florence....this itinerary has been planned to explore the magnificane tscenery and fascinating history this remarkable sea has to offer.
Your journey begins in the charming capital of Portugal, Lisbon, where gothic cathedrals, majestic monasteries and quaint museums are all part of the colourful cityscape. Enjoy some sherry-tasting in the Spanish port of Cadiz and explore Malaga, the birthplace of Picasso, or drive through the Andalusian countryside to the Moorish Alhambra Palace in Granada.
See the outstanding monuments of Barcelona and wander through the ancient covered alleyways of Monte Carlo’s old town. Cruise the Cinque Terre to the beautiful fishing village of Portofino in Italy, then be transported through the Tuscan hills to Renaissance Florence, one of the most historically fascinating cities in the world. Finally, discover the splendours of Imperial Rome during a two-night hotel stay in the Eternal City.
There is a particular pleasure that comes with cruising aboard a smaller ship. Hosting an average of just 350 passengers, Aegean Odyssey is no ‘floating city’. She is small enough to sail rivers and put into the more characterful ports inaccessible to the ‘mega-ships’, the service is more personal and you get plenty of time to interact with the onboard experts.
Yet on the other hand, she is large enough to offer a superb selection of amenities, including two dining venues, several comfortable lounges and bars, a relaxing spa centre and well-stocked library. Cabins are spacious, modern and intelligently designed, and 39 cabins across a range of categories (including balcony) are set aside for solo travellers at low supplement.
Excursions are included in cruise fare apart from small supplements for Sintra, Gaudi, Nice, Vatican
25 Aug Lisbon, Portugal
Half Day
Heading towards the west side of Lisbon, you will arrive at the historical Belem Quarter, a pleasant riverside area that has historic links with the 15th-century Portuguese Age of Discovery as it was from here that the Caravels set sail on their voyages to the New World. Belem is also where the most famous Lisbon’s landmarks are located including the Belem Tower, the Discoveries Monument and the Monastery of Jeronimos.
25 Aug Lisbon, Portugal
Half Day
This panoramic tour begins in the city of Queluz, with the magnificent 18th-century Queluz National Palace, one of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe and the former seat of the Portuguese royal family. Frequently compared with Versailles, Queluz is actually earlier in date than the French masterpiece.
27 Aug Cadiz, Spain
Half Day
Enjoy the picturesque views of the seaport as you make your way to the old quarter of Cadiz. Here you will see the most beautiful monuments of Cadiz. Start by passing the tobacco factory built in 1741, which now serves as the Congress building,
27 Aug Cadiz, Spain
Half day
Cadiz has clung to Spain’s Atlantic coast for over 4,000 years and in this time its influence has been felt far and wide. The city has long been considered a bridge between Europe and Africa and was the gateway to the Americas during the age of discovery.
28 Aug Malaga, Spain
Half Day
Departing from the pier this tour will show you the major coastal city of Andalusia: Málaga. Take a panoramic drive and pass by some outstanding structures, parks and gardens.
28 Aug Malaga, Spain
Full day
"Everything here appears calculated to inspire kind and happy feelings, for everything is delicate and beautiful. The very light falls tenderly from above, through the lantern of a dome tinted and wrought as if by fairy hands." Washington Irving, Tales of the Alhambra.
Leave the port of Malaga and drive through the wonderful landscape of Andalusia passing endless fields of olive trees and picturesque villages. Your journey takes you to one of the most magical places in the world and the most outstanding symbol of Moorish heritage in Spain, the Alhambra. The Alhambra was a palace, a fortress and home of the Nasrid Sultans. The Nasrid Dynasty (1238-1492), was the last Islamic sultanate in the Iberian Peninsula and the Nasrid Sultans chose this site for their court as it was the ideal place from which to keep watch over the capital of their kingdom and the surrounding area. From the beginning of the 13th century, the original fortress grew into a huge walled site that was clearly intended to be both a palace and court.
Within this gradual change, different stages of development, grandeur and decadence can clearly be seen through the various works of art and buildings erected over the years. The Alhambra was not a single construction, but rather the result of an evolution of successive reforms and extensions. Your guide will take you inside the “Alqala hamra”, meaning "red castle" where you will be able to visit the Nazaries Palaces with intricately carved stucco walls, knotted ceilings, elaborate honeycomb vaulting, and beautiful courtyards; “Serallo”, the official residence of the Sultan and the Harem, which surrounds the famous "Patio de los Leones," with its fountains feeding water through the mouths of 12 lions (representing months of the year), and many other wonderful sites within the fortress.
Continuing on, the tour will visit the “Generalife Palace” which was build as the summer paradise for the Sultans of Granada. Its lovely terraces, grottoes, flowerbeds and fabulous fountains will make you feel the glamour of the Moorish inhabitants. After taking in all of these wonderful sites you will enjoy a traditional lunch at a local restaurant. Finally, and to round the day off, there’s a panoramic tour around the city of Granada before returning to Malaga.
31 Aug Barcelona, Spain
Half Day
Barcelona is an art historian’s dream destination as its galleries contain some of the greatest works of art ever created. Your tour will start, however, with a drive towards the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona’s oldest neighbourhood.
Take a stroll through the maze of streets and after a photostop at the Gothic Cathedral, continue your drive towards the Montjuic mountain. This site was selected for several venues during Barcelona’s 1992 Summer Olympics and hosts spaces like the Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Ring and other sporting facilities. You will then head to the National Art Museum of Catalunya (MNAC).
The MNAC is housed in the fabulous National Palace of Montjuic, a spectacular building with wonderful views over Barcelona. Here you will have the opportunity to gain an extraordinary insight into the development of Catalonia’s – and some of Europe’s – finest artists over the centuries.
The gallery’s most famous works date from the 16th to 18th centuries, and include paintings by El Greco, Velazquez, Rubens and other masterpieces from the Spanish Golden Age. The collection also includes a wide range of styles of the 19th and 20th centuries, from Neoclassicism to Avant-gardes of the 1950s. There are artworks by Fortuny, Casas, Rusinol, Gaudi, Picasso and Miro.
31 Aug Barcelona, Spain
Half Day
Descend to a unique underground museum for a glimpse of everyday life in Barcino, as Roman Barcelona was called. Hidden under the medieval buildings and squares of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter is a town of far greater antiquity.
Roman troops arrived here during the Punic Wars (264 to 146BC) and remained for over 600 years, putting their imprint on the language, law and culture. Not all of the ancient colony is underground. Sections of the original walls, towers and gates can be seen en route to Plaza Ramon Berenguer and Plaza Nova, where an aqueduct and main road once connected Barcino with the rest of the Empire.
View the Forum with its remains of a 1st century temple to Caesar Augustus. Then take an elevator to get an in-depth look at daily life in Roman times. Visit one of Europe's largest underground archaeological sites at the Barcelona City History Museum. Stroll metal walkways through workaday Barcino with its laundry, dye shop, salted fish factory and wine shop to get a slice of life – 20 centuries ago.
Collections of objects found at the digs include Roman portraits, mosaics, Roman and Hebrew inscriptions, as well as the utensils of daily life. Emerge from this tour with an enriched understanding of Roman influence and appreciation of Barcelona's antiquity.
31 Aug Barcelona, Spain
Half Day
As soon as you enter the city you will find yourself immersed in Barcelona’s history. The imposing Columbus Monument, at nearly two hundred-feet-tall, serves as a reminder that Christopher Columbus reported from Barcelona to Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand V after his first trip to the new continent; while the Arc de Triomf, designed by Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas, stands as a similar testament to the 1888 Barcelona World Fair.
31 Aug Barcelona, Spain
Half Day
Antoni Gaudi's work is admired by architects around the World as being one of the most unique and distinctive architectural styles. His work has greatly influenced the face of Barcelona’s architecture and you will see stunning examples of Gaudi's work all around the city centre.
Departing from the pier, you will start with a brief panoramic drive to the Sagrada Familia (outside visit), Gaudi’s most emblematic work and the greatest example of his genius. This famous structure has become a symbol of Barcelona all over the world. Next, you will head to Passeig de Gracia, the famous boulevard where Gaudi’s houses of La Pedrera and Casa Batllo are located.
The present Casa Batllo is a result of a total refurbishment of an old previous conventional house built in 1877. Some people regard Casa Batllo as a building that embodies a unique fusion of art, architecture and design. It is celebrated for its visual solutions and its creative use of materials and colour. Casa Batllo has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage list since July 2005. After your tour of the interior, you take a short walk to La Pedrera for a photo stop. Once you arrive, you will look in vain for straight lines and admire the sumptuous curves of the façade, the wrought iron balconies with forms of plants, the paintings on the ceilings of the foyers, and much more.
Before returning to the ship – time permitting – you will have the chance to admire the Olympic Stadium while enjoying a panoramic drive through the Montjuic Mountain.
1 Sep Carcassonne, France
Full Day
Relive centuries of history when you visit two cities with Roman roots: the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Carcassonne, an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town, and landlocked Narbonne, once a leading port celebrated by the troubadour Bertrand de Bar.
Your adventure starts with a drive through the wild Languedoc countryside to Carcassonne, a site continuously occupied for over 2,500 years. Encircled by double walls, this stronghold stands exactly as it did in the Middle Ages with miles of battlements, 52 towers and a castle. View the mighty gate with its chains, portcullis and intricate access system. Stroll the lists between the double walls and savor the atmosphere as you get an education in military architecture.
Then you will be taken by coach to the second major place of the region: Narbonne. Enjoy a three-course lunch before visiting the first town founded by the Romans during the second century BC. At that time the town was also a sea port and took advantages of the privileges as Rome. In the 5th century Narbonne was a Visigoth capital and in the Middle Ages an important Episcopal centre, as can be seen in several superbly preserved monuments.
2 Sep Marseilles, France
Full day
The day begins in Marseilles where you’ll visit the “Vieux Port," the Old Port, where the Greeks landed in 600 BC. Here classically French cafes and restaurants nestle about gently bobbing fishing boats in the harbour. Continue along the J.F. Kennedy Corniche. The first stop is Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica, located at the highest point of the city at just over 500 feet. Built on an ancient fortress from the 16th century, the sanctuary was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and consecrated in 1864. From the Basilica descend into the city's shopping district and the Longchamp Palace. This municipal water tower, houses the Museums of Fine Art and Natural History.
In the afternoon, your visit to Aix-en-Provence starts with a walking tour of the Cours Mirabeau. This wide avenue is shaded by trees and was built in the 1600s on the site of the city’s medieval ramparts. The aristocratic façades of the old mansions line the Cours and their wrought-iron balconies and finely carved doorways invite the visitor to explore. Note the different architectural styles of Saint Sauveur Cathedral with a Romanesque nave, a Merovingian baptistery and a Gothic section.
2 Sep Marseilles, France
Full Day
Explore the Provençal countryside on this full-day tour that visits Avignon with its papal legacies. Your adventure starts with a 90-minute drive to Avignon which rose to glory in the Middle Ages, when a series of French-born Popes fled Rome and made the town a base from which they ruled Christendom until 1407. Enjoy views of the Rhone River and Avignon's much-sung-about bridge, Pont St Benezet. The highlight of your visit is a guided tour of the Pope's Palace with its long, echoing Great Audience Hall, 14th-century wall paintings and Great Chapel. Also enjoy a walking tour through Palace Square and Horloge Square. Then enjoy a leisurely lunch and time on your own to wander or shop before heading back to Marseilles.
4 Sep Monte Carlo, Monaco
Half Day
Your guided walking tour takes you past the Prince’s Palace, the Oceanographic Museum and the 19th-century Romanesque Cathedral in which Prince Rainier and Princess Grace had their fairytale wedding.
Wander the ancient covered alleyways of Old Town, before continuing to Monte Carlo. Drive along part of Monaco's famous Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit to Casino Square.
In this haven for the rich and famous, you have time on your own to take in the attractions of your choice, be it the Grand Casino, the opulent Hotel de Paris, the chic boutiques – or you can just soak up the atmosphere for future daydreams after your return to the ship.
4 Sep Monte Carlo, Monaco
Half Day
Enjoy a scenic drive from the port of Monte Carlo to Nice for a panoramic tour of the city and a ride along the Promenade des Anglais.
Afterwards, leave your coach for a walk to the old town to enjoy some free time on Cours Saleya, the elegant promenade of Old Nice which is lined with shops and restaurants and the famous flower and fruit market. It's an ideal opportunity to purchase a memento of your visit or the perfect gift for someone back home.
After this break, re-board your coach for the drive back to Monte Carlo.
6 Sep Florence (Livorno), Italy
Full Day
Enchanting Lucca, situated on the banks of the River Serchio, in the northwest corner of Tuscany, endears itself to everyone who visits. Hidden behind imposing Renaissance walls, its cobbled streets, handsome piazzas and shady promenades make it a perfect destination to explore by foot. Always important, this town began life as a Roman colony in 177 BC, and grew in importance to become the provincial capital of Tuscany in the Middle Ages.
This fascinating walking tour will begin with a stroll to the Cathedral of San Martino with its Romanesque façade. Its decorated interior is rich in reliefs, fine sculpture and religious artefacts. Then on to the arena and a series of arches that are the remains of the colossal ancient Roman amphitheatre that once graced the centre of town. You will walk through the “Piazza” and find the Church of San Frediano, founded in the 6th century. Its Romanesque style is a monument to a 12th century restoration project, and its impressive façade features a mosaic depicting Christ and the Apostles. After your tour of Lucca, enjoy some free time for lunch on your own and to explore this picturesque town.
Next, continue by road to Pisa, a city internationally famous for its superb and unusual architecture. Unfortunately, most of Pisa was bombed during World War II, but one section miraculously survived intact: the Piazza del Duomo, now known as the Piazza dei Miracoli because of its remarkable escape from destruction. As you approach the Square of Miracles, the city’s most famous symbol, the precarious Leaning Tower, appears before you. Begun in 1174, the tower started to lean when construction reached the third story. Attempts to make the remaining floors slightly higher on the leaning side only made it worse. Legend says that Pisa’s most illustrious son Galileo (born in 1564) conducted his famous experiments on gravity by dropping metal balls from the top of the 187-foot-high tower.
Next, visit Pisa’s magnificent Cathedral, a Romanesque basilica of white marble that is renowned for its beautifully carved pulpit and paintings and, on the door facing the tower, the Romanesque panels portraying the life of Christ. Admire its famous pulpit designed by Giovanni Pisano, who decorated it with nine biblical reliefs. Enter the lovely Gothic Baptistry and view its marble font under a conical dome and famous organ, noted for its fine echo. Also admire its pulpit, carved by Giovanni’s father, Nicola Pisano.
Then, relax and savour your experience as you return to Livorno.
6 Sep Florence (Livorno), Italy
Full Day
Discover the town that gave birth to the Italian Renaissance and view the period's outpouring of art in the renowned Uffizi Gallery. From the port of Livorno, it is a about an hour and a half drive through the Tuscan hills to Florence where you begin a tour through the history and art of this timeless city.
A highlight of the morning is a visit to the Accademia, Europe's first school of drawing, where Michelangelo's colossal statue of David presides over a rich collection of paintings and sculptures.
Enjoy a guided walking tour past such landmarks as the 10th-century Ponte Vecchio spanning the River Arno. View the Duomo cathedral flanked by Giotto's Bell Tower. So dense is Florence with monuments, every step reveals new marvels. See the Baptistry, where Ghiberti and Donatello competed to design the bronze doors. Admire the Basilica di Santa Croce where Michelangelo and Machiavelli are interred. Pause in Piazza Signoria, in 1497 the site of Fra Savonarola's Bonfire of the Vanities. Then there is free time to relax over lunch on your own.
The centrepiece of this tour is an afternoon visit to the world-renowned Uffizi Gallery. The 16th-century palace, built when Cosimo Medici was the First Grand Duke of Tuscany, houses such Renaissance masterpieces as The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci, the exquisite Madonnas of Filippo Lippi, and an entire room of Botticellis, including The Birth of Venus. Foreign artists from Rembrandt to Rubens are also represented. Later, savour your impressions on a panoramic drive back to the ship.
6 Sep Florence (Livorno), Italy
Full Day
The fascinating city of Florence is a place that engulfs the senses and stretches your mind at every turn. This is the birthplace of the Renaissance and was home to many of Italy’s artistic giants, all of whom left behind an astonishing legacy of art waiting to be discovered.
Your tour begins at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly known as the Duomo because of its magnificent dome. The fourth largest church in the world, the cathedral was designed by Cambio in 1296, but it was the great Renaissance architect Brunelleschi who gave it its crowning glory, the dome.
Other highlights of the Piazza del Duomo include the 14th-century Gothic Campanile or bell tower, designed by Giotto, and the Romanesque Baptistery featuring Ghiberti’s Bronze Doors decorated with scenes from the life of Christ. Then there is free time to relax over lunch on your own.
Then we will continue to Piazza della Signoria, the most impressive square in Florence and the political centre of the city since the 14th century.
Surrounding the square are the Palazzo Vecchio – a municipal hall begun in 1299 – and the 14th-century Gothic Loggia dei Lanzi. Built at the end of the 14th century, it was once the Assembly Hall, before becoming the Guardroom of the Lanzi (foot soldiers). In the Piazza are the Fountain of the Neptune by Ammannati and a copy of Michelangelo’s David.
Finally, the tour will finish at Santa Croce, Italy’s largest and most famous Franciscan Gothic church, where many important Italians are entombed, including Michelangelo, Galileo, Rossini and Machiavelli.
7 Sep Rome, Italy
Half Day
Buried for centuries, this well-preserved archaeological site is far less visited than Pompeii, yet in many ways provides a more complete picture of daily life in the Roman Empire. Ostia Antica was ancient Rome's main port on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Anco Marzio (640BC to 616BC), the fourth king of Rome, is traditionally named the founder of this city at the mouth "ostia" of the Tiber. At the city's peak, about 100,000 people from all classes and all parts of the Mediterranean lived here until decline began due to silting river, barbarian invasions and malaria. Excavations reveal a hard-working city with apartments, warehouses, bakeries, bars, plus public and religious buildings.
Your tour of the archaeological zone begins at Via delle Tombe, leading to the city gates. Stroll along the Decumanus Maximus, the main road. Visit the Baths of Neptune with beautiful black-and-white mosaics of the god's wife, Amphitrite. Walk to the theater, the Forum and such public buildings as the Capitolium and the Temple of Rome and Augustus. A variety of religious buildings include several temples dedicated to the cult of Mithras, Egyptian and Roman gods, plus a 1st century BC Jewish synagogue and a Christian basilica.
See the large thermal baths, the 20-hole public latrine and the living complex called the House of Diana. The Termopolium with its marble counter where ancient Romans could have a quick lunch features a fresco representing the food on sale. Round out your visit with a stop at the Museum Ostiense, displaying some of the wonderful sculptures and mosaics found at this remarkable site.
7 Sep Rome, Italy
Half Day
This tour begins at the Flavius Amphitheatre, better known as the Colosseum of Rome, the biggest and most imposing stadium of the ancient Roman world. Built with a series of arches, it remains an extraordinary feat of engineering.
At its peak, the Colosseum could hold an average of 65,000 spectators and once featured a canvas roof to protect the crowds from the sun. First commissioned by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavia family, this huge elliptical amphitheatre was opened by his son Titus in 80AD, during a week-long celebration featuring combats between gladiators and beasts, mock sea battles and executions.
After a guided walk around the site, it’s only a short stroll to the Arch of Constantine. Built in 315AD to honour the first Christian Emperor, the arch is the largest of its kind in existence and spans the site of the ancient Via Triumphalis, the route used by emperors for entering the city in triumph.
From here you, will re-board your coach for the short journey to the Colle Oppio, where you will see some of the remains of Nero’s Residence, known as the Golden House, and the Baths of Titus, before your visit to the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, famous for the statue of Moses by Michelangelo. Legend has it that one day the great Master said to his statue, “You are so beautiful. Why don’t you speak to me?”
Finally, we will drive to Via della Conciliazione for a glimpse of St Peter’s Basilica and Square.
7 Sep Rome, Italy
Half Day PM
Enjoy a dazzling visit to what is considered one of the world's most important art collections, the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.
At the Vatican Museums, you will wander through the fascinating Candelabra Gallery, the Gallery of Tapestries and the Gallery of Maps. Then pass through the magnificent Stanza of Raphael, where in the 16th century the young artist decorated the rooms of Pope Julius II's residence with his masterpieces, including the "School of Athens," depicting Aristotle, Plato and other philosophers.
Your tour will then move to the Vatican's most celebrated building, the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo painted the chapel's extraordinary ceiling with nine scenes from Genesis, including the Creation of Man, the Expulsion of Adam and Eve, as well as The Flood.
On the wall behind the main altar, The Last Judgment, painted twenty years later, provides further testament to the artist's genius. Though working against his will and in a medium he disliked (he saw himself as a sculptor), Michelangelo managed to fill the room with masterpieces and left a legacy at which the world can only marvel.
Finally, there will be a visit to St Peter’s Basilica, the most important basilica in the Christian World, where inside an almost unimaginable wealth of art treasures await. The basilica is built on the site of the church where St Peter, the first Pope, is said to be buried. Fronting the basilica is one of Rome’s most famous squares, Bernini’s elliptical Piazza San Pietro, an extraordinary sight punctuated by an Egyptian obelisk and a graceful colonnade.
8 Sep Rome, Italy
Half Day
Among the world's most beautiful gardens, the grounds of the Villa d'Este embody Renaissance culture at its most refined and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Your visit to this remarkable place starts with a drive to Tivoli, a small town in a lovely wooded area on the slopes of the Apennines. The region is rich in caves, waterfalls and legend (a local Sybil prophesied the birth of Jesus). In the hills, opulent villas date to a time when Tivoli was the resort of Roman emperors. Your destination is the 16thcentury Villa d'Este, famed for its spectacular gardens, which feature the Avenue of the Hundred Fountains, the Rotunda of Cypresses and an Organ Fountain that still makes music. With their grottoes, terraces and water displays, these gardens had a profound influence on European mannerist and baroque style garden design.
Originally a Benedictine convent, the palace was the residence of the exiled Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, governor of Tivoli from 1550. He envisioned a garden set amid hanging cliffs and enlisted the painter-architectarchaeologist Pirro Ligorio to design them. Their innovative construction and the series of terraces upon terraces call to mind the hanging gardens of Babylon. The Aniene River laces the property and the control of its waters, along with the gravity-powered fountains evoke the engineering skill of the Romans.
Following your visit, enjoy free time to wander through the colourful open air market offering souvenirs, fruit, and a variety of local products.
A$4566 Inside Cabin
A$6906 Deluxe Outside Cabin
A$10185 Owners Suite
There is a limited selection of single cabins price from A$5570
International airfares additional.
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