Azamara Nice to Athens Autumn Cruise



colorful fruit stand, Livorno market

 
 
 
 
 
 
What a perfect way to end the summer:  with a cruise  aboard the luxurious  Azamara Quest  from Nice  to Athens.  It was a working holiday for I was aboard to give  a series of enrichment lectures about  the  ancient civilizations  that once thrived  in the Mediterranean.

 



sculptures adorn Livorno market

At the first port, Livorno,  most passengers  travel to Pisa and Florence since it is their first time in Italy. We enjoyed staying in Livorno for a   canal boat tour  and  a visit to  the Art Decò market, one of Italy's largest . Write "Livorno" in the search box at the top of the page  to find the many   articles about Livorno and what to visit there.

art dèco architecture of Livorno market

  

sign in Livorno market

Rain kept us aboard the ship in Civitavecchia but many  passengers  went off  to Rome and some spent the day cooking  at Fontana del Papa,  atop the nearby hill at  Tolfa. 

 The situation at  Civitavecchia  has become ugly  with local police  being called in to stop harassing  of  visitors at the  cage like “visitors’ center”.     Cruisers and crews are fed up with the  exploitation  and paying for the unnecessary  bussing in order  to take the train to Rome.  

No wonder  the port has such a bad reputation and is  considered  one  of the most "tourist unfriendly"  in the Mediterranean.  For more  articles about the  problems at Civitavecchia,  use the search bar. If you have experiences and comments  please leave them at the bottom of the page and use the icons to share  on social media .  

Our classic Mediterranean  itinerary  continued  on to a sunny  Sorrento  and then to  Messina where  we visited  a lovely  ceramics shop near the port and  munched freshly made  cannoli at the pasticceria   near the Duomo.

I Particolari, ceramics shop, Messina

The  Azamazing Evening  went as scheduled but instead of transferring everyone  to Taormina, the  singers  and orchestra  braved  the weather and drove from Catania to perform aboard for the passengers .  

arriving in Chania port, Crete

 

tourist carriage, Chania port

 


selling honey  at the  Saturday  market,Chania

   

 

Chania and  Santorini offered sunshine, markets,  folk dancers  and a night time marathon.
Late departures and overnights in ports makes it possible to see  how people  live in the different countries after the sun goes down.




On Santorini the cable car brought us up the cliff to visit the town of Fira and its  Prehistory Museum where frescoes and pottery date from before the  volcanic explosion that created the caldera where our ship was  anchored.



Arriving at Santorini  and the  zig zag trail up to Fira town

the cable car wheel

plaster casts of 3000 BC furniture

blue monkey frescoes (3000 BC) at Thera Prehistoric Museum



buskers at the Orthodox Cathedral, Santorini  

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Winter Walk in Viterbo - Antiques, Weddings and Ceramics

a profferlo in San Pellegrino medieval quarter 

It might be chilly and windy but the sky is blue and  the quiet medieval center of Viterbo beckons to be  explored.  

A Sunday morning walk through Viterbo’s  perfectly preserved medieval quarter  to the Papal Palace for a wedding show  is the  perfect excuse to get  some exercise and meet up with old and new friends.

Daniela Lai's Artistica laboratory and shop

 After parking alongside  the 12^th century walls that encircle the city pass through the   Porta San Pietro and head for the cobbled streets of  San Pellegrino medieval quarter. 

On this  January morning  the only shop open was Artistica ceramics laboratory where we  stop for a chat with Daniela Lai and admire her latest masterpieces.   

kids' ceramics workshop Feb. 14th

Around the corner another open door entices us in. Here we find several rooms full of  antique furniture of excellent quality.  

Oriental reflections 

credenza cupboard (approx. 4,000euro)

Fortepiano  

 mirrors... 

...and more mirrors 

San Pellegrino was the best place to find antique furniture  back in the 60s-80s when Danilo’s uncle  was my main source for antiques.  

Check the Antiques page on  my website for  stories of collecting antiques  in Viterbo.

Braving the wind we cross Piazza San Lorenzo to the Papal Palace, the venue for this weekend’s  wedding show housed in the lower levels of the majestic 13^th century palace.

Piazza San Carluccio 

 A large  number of foreign  couples get married in Italy each year and with the dollar stronger than ever that number will be increasing. 
The possibile  locations  in the Viterbo /Etruria area range from  an agriturismo to a fortified  castle. See my Partners page for  some  examples of magical places in central Italy that I recommend.  More are being added  during the next few weeks, so check back.

Palazzo dei Papi 

ladies of Tenuta di Corbara 

ladies  who sell  wedding rings and locations 

restaurants and photos for weddings

Antonella's  vintage setting 

Torre Alfina, a castle location 

The  Colle del Duomo Museum  and palace complex is the focal point for visitors to Viterbo for something is always going on  here: Mark your calendar for the March 21-29 Antiques Fair  and for the  illustrated conferences that  I will be presenting in February and March. 

Here is the poster for the first one -February 20 at Vetralla's library  

 On Friday, March 6th this talk will be repeated for ArcheoTuscia  at Viterbo's Prefettura (with Chief Inspector Felice Orlandini)  and  on Thursday,March 19th  my newest book "Etruria Storie e Segreti" will be presented  at Museo Civico, Viterbo with Cristina Carosi and Francesca Ceci. 

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