Italy Intensive Cruise on the Azamara Pursuit
6/16/24 to 7/2/24
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Page 1 – Pre-cruise in Venice, Italy
Page 2 – Embarkation, Ship, Cabin
Page 3 - Entertainment, Activitiess; Ports of Call: Ravenna, Italy; Sibenik, Croatia
Page 4 - Ports of Call: Kotor, Montenegro; Taranto, Italy; Taormina, Sicily
Page 5 - Ports of Call: Palermo, Sicily; Amalfi, Italy; Sorento, Italy
Page 6 - Disembarkation; Post-cruise in Florence, Italy
Palermo, Sicily
Palermo was the other port that I was most interested in visiting on this cruise. We have previously only been on the east coast of Sicily and I was looking forward seeing much more of this beautiful island. I always like a city with a mountainous background. It is totally different from where we live in Florida.
We were surprised that there was light rain at 7:00 AM when we woke up. This was the first we had seen on the whole trip. There was no rain in the weather forecast, but we know how that can change. And it changed quickly when it stopped a few minutes later. The rest of the day it was mostly sunny with a high of 78 degrees. Great touring weather.
I found a private walking tour on Tours by Locals (LINK) that sounded like a great way to experience Palermo for the first time. Our guide was Claudia. She provided us with an outstanding tour. We saw and learned so much about this city.
The captain told us that it was only a 300-meter walk into the old town. It was a lot further, at least the way we went. On the way into old town, we passed by the church of San Giorgio dei Genovesi and two monuments. The church, built in the late 1500’s. During WWII, the area around the church was destroyed by Allied bombings, but the church was miraculously spared.
One monument was the Obelisk for the 13 Victims of 14 April 1860. This monument honors 13 prisoners who were executed without a trial for starting a revolt against the government.
The other is the Memorial to the Fight Against Mafia. It is in memory of all the innocent victims of the Mafia.
While walking through town, we saw some nice buildings, but we also noticed that many areas were not well maintained and rather dirty. I read about this issue and seen videos warning tourists about it. It still is sad to see a beautiful town not being taken care of.
Walking down a narrow street, we saw a large building in the distance. It was the Teatro Massimo, the largest opera house in Italy and third largest in Europe.
The scenery was getting better as we entered the main tourist area.
We reached the traditional center of Palermo, called Quattro Canti or Four Corners. Each of the buildings on the four corners has beautiful statues and reliefs. I put in some photos, but later in the day I decided to put in a video to show the intersection.
A block away was the Praetorian Fountain. It is a huge, beautiful structure that was built in the late 16th century. A five-year renovation of the fountain was completed in 2003.
I liked the different animals around the outer edge of the fountain.
Close by was the Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio. Construction of the church began in 1143AD with expansions and modifications through the 16th – 18th centuries.
It was one of the churches that I saw online that I wanted to visit while in Palermo. I was so glad I found it. Just a gorgeous ornate interior.
The floors were beautiful too.
There were so many churches in Palermo, three on this same square.
On the way to our next destination, Claudia took us to an old coffee shop. They were roasting the coffee beans.
Claudia then took us to a place that was not on our itinerary, Archivio Storico Comunale. This is where the city of Palermo stores its archives dating back to the end of the 13th century up until 1957. We are talking over 700 years of the city’s documents.
As we entered the building, we couldn’t believe what we were seeing. The rooms were covered with old documents from floor to ceiling. I like the circular staircases used to reach the upper documents.
We were astounded that there was no security check to come into the room or any guards to make sure someone didn’t steal or destroy the documents. Claudia pulled out one of the books and showed us a page of the hand recorded records. It would be a fascinating place to research if you could read Italian.
We next went to the 16th century Church of the Gesu. This was the first Jesuit church in Sicily.
The interior of this church was a real stunner! I love ornate baroque churches.
The more I looked around the more impressed I was with all the inlaid colored marble. It is an amazing church.
Even the floors were gorgeous.
We left the church and continued our walk through a very nice part of town.
As we approached the Royal Palace, referred to as the Norman Palace we could see the Teatro Marmoreo monument that has been there since 1662.
We then saw the Royal Palace that we would be entering to see the world-renowned chapel.
We passed through the courtyard with colorful murals under the porticos.
Entering the chapel was eye candy heaven. Just a breathtaking interior of marble and mosaics.
Claudia made a point of emphasizing the ceiling decorations. With it being so far from view, I couldn’t see the detail very well, but the camera’s zoom lens could. There was so much beautiful detail
The tour was supposed to be 3.5 hours, but Claudia wanted to show us more than what was on the itinerary. She ran over the allotted time and showed us so much of beautiful Palermo. I was very pleased with Claudia. She did an outstanding job for us. There are many more places that I want to see around Palermo, but it will have to wait for another trip.
One of the places I wanted to see was the Palermo Cathedral. Claudia told us where to go to see it and she told me to make sure I went around to the back side of it. When we arrived at the cathedral, I was quite impressed with the size of it. I had to take a panorama photo of it.
Claudia kept us on our feet for almost 4 hours, so we sat down across from the cathedral to rest for a bit. Like most people, other than me, Cathy had seen enough churches for the day and decided to continue her rest period, while I walked around the church as Claudia recommended and went inside. The exterior was pretty, but the inside wasn't anything special. I had already seen three amazing churches, so I didn't even take any interior photos.
When I got to the right side of the building, I saw what she was talking about. The designs on that side were amazing. I’m so glad she told me about it, or I would have missed it.
When I came back around the front, I saw a nice monument with decorations strung around it.
I rejoined Cathy and discussed how we would get back to the ship. It wasn’t supposed to be that far away, so we walked where Claudia told us to go. When I looked at the Google map, it said that we were 1.5 miles away from the ship. Good grief! We were already exhausted and had no desire to walk that far. We saw another couple from the ship that we knew at one of the corners. We asked how they were getting back to the ship. We all decided to just share a taxi. Best idea ever! We were there in no time.
Once on the ship, we had time to chill. With the milder temperature, we were able to go out and enjoy the balcony taking in the beauty of the Palermo area.
Amalfi, Italy
Cruising into Amalfi was a real treat. The coastline drive is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Seeing it from the water was another wonderful way to enjoy this section of the area.
I toured the Amalfi coast three previous times with a wonderful private tour guide, Marcello. We would be having another tour with him when we stopped in Sorrento the next day. I was looking forward to just walking around the lovely town of Amalfi, since I had never stopped to explore it. But with us being in Amalfi from 8:00 AM until 10:00 PM, we needed another activity to help fill out the day. Since Cathy had not previously been to Pompeii, we decided to take a ship tour there. We had a lot of onboard credit to use, and this tour would use up a bunch of it.
Amalfi was also a tender port. The ride only took about 7 minutes with the smooth seas. Once at the tender dock, I took a photo of the scenery and the top of the cathedral I would visit later in the day.
We had an excellent guide, Sandra, who would take us to places in the town and explain what they were and their importance. With the large crowds touring Pompeii, she did an amazing job of keeping everyone together and finding places away from the crowds to talk to us.
My main concern about taking the ship tour was that the 5.5-hour tour might not be enough time to get a decent overview of Pompeii. The drive each way would be around 1 ¼ hours, leaving a maximum of three hours to see the site. When we arrived at Pompeii, Sandra gave us some free time for toilets and some shopping, while she got the tickets and coordinated with the people that would give us the whisper devices so we could hear Sandra during the tour. This took another half hour before we entered the grounds, in part due to some people taking too long shopping. One of the issues with taking a ship tour.
We entered Pompeii near a large theater.
We continued our walk passing by the mostly roofless structures. The weight of the ashes from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD collapsed most of the roofs.
We went inside some of the homes where we saw the remains of mural covered walls. These homes must have been quite a sight in their heydays.
We saw a different house with a mosaic floor along with some bones found on the property.
Inside one home was a preserved wagon along with ceramic urns.
There were so many ancient streets that were still functional after so many years. The Romans knew how to build them. With sewage and other water running down the streets, steppingstones were strategically placed where the residents could cross the street without getting their feet wet.
We continued our walk toward the forum area passing by homes I would have liked to have time to check out closer.
The streets in this area were much more crowded with tourists. One of the more popular attractions at Pompeii are the molds of the bodies that were created by pumping plaster into the hollowed area of hard ash where the resident’s bodies rested two thousand years ago.
We walked down a street in the red-light district of Pompeii. The phallic symbol over the door let potential customers know where the brothels were. We went into one where there were paintings on the wall of the various services offered.
We finally moved up the hill to the forum. I loved the centaur statue.
We were very fortunate to be able to have an unobstructed view of Mt. Vesuvius in the distance. It is normally partially or completely covered by clouds.
When we left the forum, we headed to the exit. At the edge of a hill we could see the back of a large bronze statue of a Roman warrior.
As we came down the hill, we could see the statue from a different angles.
We then went to the main concession area to get a demonstration in a store that makes cameos and a restroom break. It also was a good time for some gelato. We were in the main Pompeii ruins for only one hour and fifty minutes. Not nearly enough to see the amazing city. But I knew it wouldn’t be enough time when I booked it. This is why I normally book private tours in places I am most interested in.
When we returned to Amalfi, Cathy and I split up. I wanted to see the cathedral and she had other plans. We both started our exploration together at the lovely beach.
The Cathedral of St. Andrew was just a couple short blocks away from the beach. It has 62 steps leading up to it.
After entering the church, you pass through the lovely cloister.
I then entered the museum that is in the original 9th century chapel. They did have some very nice exhibits.
I then walked down to the crypt of St. Andrew. Now this was a stunning room. It is also where the St. Andrew’s relics are kept under the altar.
I then walked back upstairs to the beautiful cathedral.
At one side was the statue of St. Andrew that would be taken down the steps and walked through the streets that evening. We were there on one of Amalfi's two celebration days of the St. Andrew.
I left the cathedral and walked down the steps to the square.
It was almost 3:00 and I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast other than a gelato at Pompeii. I looked for a place to get a slice of pizza. I found one and it was one of the best slices I have eaten. I’m sure my hunger made it taste even better, but it was delicious. While sitting outside eating my pizza, I saw people walking around with lemons filled with lemon sorbet. This part of Italy is known for their lemons, so I thought it would only be right to try one. I’m so glad I did. It was a winner!
Back at the ship, the staff was getting prepared for the White Night party. It is held on the pool and upper decks. This is why the ship was staying until 10:00 PM. During the party the captain made an announcement that we would stay in port later than planned since there would be a fireworks show at around 11:00 PM after the St. Andrew celebration. That was a great idea. We stayed up waiting for the fireworks, but they didn’t start until just after 11:30 PM. We wouldn’t get as much sleep that night, but the show was worth staying up for.
Sorrento, Italy
For our last cruise day, we would be tendering into the port of Sorrento. The other three times I cruised to this area, I docked in Naples, so this was quite a treat. As we approached the port, we passed by the island of Capri.
The coastline of Sorrento was very pretty and had tall stone walls along it.
I set up a private tour for Cathy and me with a guide I used first in 2003 and again in 2007 and 2012, Marcello. We tried to tour with him in 2021, but the cruise line wouldn’t allow any private tours from Naples.
We have kept in touch over the years and on Facebook. He has been a good friend and excellent guide. He has now reached the age where he has retired from doing tours but will on occasion with prior clients. He asked that I not put in any contact information, since he is really enjoying his retirement.
He told us about how bad the traffic has become on the Amalfi coast road and how he would show us the area without having to get into the main congested traffic areas. I was most interested in Cathy seeing this incredibly gorgeous area for the first time. I knew that Marcello would do a great job of showing her “his Italy” as he refers to the less touristy and congested areas. Our first stop after driving through Sorrento provided us with a great view of Gulf of Naples with the Pursuit at anchor.
We then stopped at another overlook where we could look down on two of the three Sirenuse islands. In mythology, several sirens (humanlike mythological beings with alluring voices) were said to have inhabited these islands. The one on the left is Gallo Lungo. It was purchased by Russian dancer Rudolph Nuryev in 1988. He spent the last four years of his life there before dying of AIDS related complications at the age of 54.
On the way to our next stop, we saw an interesting tree that someone had carved a face into.
We saw more beautiful views and then stopped above the very popular touristy town of Positano. It is a gorgeous place, but the sun was in front of us.
I asked Marcello if we could go where we could look back at Positano, since it would make for much better photos. He said that he knew a great spot for me. I liked it much better.
There were so many boats anchored and traveling to and from Positano. Marcello said that it is the fastest and easiest way to get there. As we continued our drive along the upper road, we saw long lines of cars parked along the road. Since there is very little parking, people wanting to go into Positano must park on the upper roads and either walk down to the town or get a taxi. Tour companies also drop off their clients and park up there.
Marcello would stop at different viewpoints, and we would get out to admire the beauty and take photos. Marcello pointed out a rock formation that looked like a bride with flowers.
We would drive by beautiful villages on the side of a hill that were as beautiful as Positano, but no tourists were there, so traffic was not an issue.
We were able to get a nice photo of Mt. Vesuvius.
Marcello took us on a figure 8 route so we would not drive over the same road twice. We came back toward Sorrento where we could see one of their lovely beaches.
We continued our drive to where we would have an amazing lunch. Marcello is known for finding wonderful local restaurants for his clients. They are small restaurants that grow their own vegetables and, in some cases, their own livestock. They cater to the local community and few tourists go to them. We have had some amazing meals when touring with Marcello. The restaurant he picked out was another great one.
We sat on the patio that looked out to the Sirenuse islands we saw earlier in the day.
The meal started with carafes of red and white wine, followed by an a very full antipasto platter for each of us. So good!
For the pasta course we got to try a smaller portion of what Marcello ordered for his main course. The proprietor was proud of his food and wanted us to know how good it was. It certainly was.
For our pasta course, we each had a selection of three different pastas. The white one was a walnut ravioli. Oh, my goodness, was it yummy. Before we could even taste everything, he brought us each a small piece of his special for the day, eggplant parmesan (not in photo). All the pastas were so delicious.
For the main course, we had beef from cows that had been used for milk. Because of how they are fed and treated, the meat is a prized variety. It was served with some of the best vegetables ever.
For dessert we had a trio of a moist rum cake, the sweetest melon ever and a chocolate covered cream puff. I don’t know how we had any room to eat the dessert, but it was so good we had no choice.
After dinner we were served three cordials. One was limoncello, the others were an apple liqueur and a fennel liqueur.
It had been a meal to remember! Before we left, I took a photo of Marcello with one of the owners. I’m sorry I didn’t get a photo of her husband, who served and took care of us during the whole meal. He was too busy taking care of customers. We thanked them both repeatedly for serving us such an awesome meal.
On the way back to the ship Marcello wanted us to see an old church in the town of Sirmione. The church of Santa Maria della Neve was built in the 15th century. Marcello said that we should look at the interior, but we were tired and needed to get back to the ship to pack for the next day’s disembarkation. Looking at photos of the church now, we probably should have gone inside. The 500+ year old frescoes and stained glass looked very nice.
We stopped at one more lookout on the way back to the ship. We never get tired of looking at the beauty of the Amalfi coast.
Marcello had once again done an outstanding job of showing us “his Italy”. We were so grateful the weather was perfect and that we got to spend the day with Marcello. Back on the ship, I was able to get a nice panorama shot of Sorrento.
We did a little packing before dinner, but with us being able to get our luggage out the door before 11:00 PM, there was no rush. We had an amazing cruise and were looking forward to spending the rest of the vacation in Florence.
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