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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Unexpected Encounters: John Henry Newman and Beniamino Gigli in Vetralla

what the monastery looked like in  1744

On these hot August  days  one of the best places  to  find a cool breeze is  in the wooded hills of  Monte Fogliano   overlooking Vetralla.   The road winds up through the  shadowy  woods where mushrooms and wild boar  can be sighted. 

Along the roadside a series white ceramic stations of the cross  mark the way before the road turns in   narrow cypress lined drive . Here is the majestic   Passionist monastery  founded  by  St. Paul of the Cross in  1744. 

The Passionists'  priorities   included  good   views and prime real estate  for an almost identical Passionist monastery can be found  on an almost identical  hill on the  Monte Argentario  peninsula, less than  100 kilometres away in Tuscany.  

sculpture of Newman's conversion by  Barbieri 

In  this lush  Italian  landscape and this historic  Italian monastery  visitors are  quite    surprised  to find connections with   England ..and the  opera world.

the sculpture   of Newman and Barbieri 

On the left hand side of the monastery chapel is a double  statue  honoring  Blessed Domenico Barbieri (1792-1849  and Cardinal John Henry Newman. Father  Barbieri    was a missionary in England  where  he  founded  four Passionist houses and  was responsible for the conversion of  John Henry Newman.  When  Newman became a Cardinal he was dedicated to  Catholic  education, as the many  university  Newman Clubs  attest.

In the early years of the 1900s, a brother of popular Italian tenor, Beniamino Gigli, was a priest here. Thanks to this connection electricity was brought up the mountain for the monastery,   as the   plaque  located just above  the “cabina elettrica”  reminds visitors.

 the monastery  today is a place for retreats 

altar of  St. Paul of the Cross 

Read about the  Wedding of the Trees which takes place each year  on May 8^th  in a clearing nearby.  Have you been to this festival? 

Summer Music Festivals in central Italy

The hills  are alive with the sound of music…the hills of Northern Lazio, that is.

Jazz concert in Vetralla

Throughout  the summer, from  seaside   Tarquinia to  Proceno on the border  with Tuscany, the sounds of music can be heard most  evenings thanks to a myriad of concerts  held in  many different venues. 

Opera Extravaganza's summer theatre, an ancient  grotto,

"When the saints, come marching in....!

You might find  a jazz  quartet playing in a   secret garden  or Baroque strings  in a castle courtyard.

orchestra music at Proceno Castle 

 Many top level musical events take place  inside  candle-lit  churches or outdoors on piazzas surrounded by medieval, Renaissance or Baroque buildings. 

Pianist Manuela Cola at Proceno Castle 

For music lovers visiting central Italy, here is my personal  list of musical happenings in northern Lazio for the next month or so.  It is by no means  complete for most small towns in the Viterbo area  put on free concerts  and local  festivals (called Sagre if food is involved)  around mid-August. 

after concert dinner, Opera Extravaganza 

 Information  can  generally be found posted on  billboards around town, so keep your eyes open as you travel.

Proceno   Convivio in Musica  

audience  around the ancient fountain 

 Other musical events are put on by  private associations  with  “members only”  mailing lists.

 Most of the photos here were taken during the recent  jazz concert followed by dinner which closed  Opera Extravaganza's  season in Vetralla. 

Check out these  websites for  the complete  list of concerts and to buy tickets on line to enjoy  a summer full of  music! 

Nepi-Stagione Borgiana –concerts  in the Borgia Castle 

Bagnoregio- Tuscia in Jazz, summer courses, and the extraordinary Glenn Miller Orchestra on  Monday July  22 

Viterbo Province-Tuscia Opera Festival 

 and Festival Barocco  are the  longest running, most prestigious music festivals in  the area. 

castello  di Proceno 

Proceno-Convivio in Musica-Bach  concert July  24  at the castle of Proceno.

Tarquinia- Notturni tra le vie della musica 

Civita Castellana –Civita Festival  

Do you know other local music festivals  in your area ? 
 Please leave a comment and help to make this a more complete listing.