Spotlight on Italy

Italy is probably one of the most visually stunning countries in all of Europe. Ancient buildings, beautifully preserved as well as picture perfect beaches, rolling countryside and of course, the tasty food and wine.

Given the geography of the country, most of the major towns are easily accessible and feature heavily on cruise itineraries, such as this one on the Norwegian Epic, which covers all the ports in our personal highlights…

Rome

The main port to access Rome is Civitavecchia, from there, you are looking at an inexpensive train journey into the centre of Rome taking anything from 45mins to an 1hr 20 mins. However, most ships dock early and don’t leave until around 7pm, giving you a whole day to explore, just make sure you get off the ship early.

It is impossible to see everything in Rome in a day, so you are going to have to decide what are your must sees. You could easily lose a day at the Vatican, the museums are amazing and – as well as the Sistine Chapel – house some truly stunning works of art, so you could opt to do that and tour round the basillica. Or you could head into Rome proper, lose yourself on the winding streets and find time to visit major attractions like the Panetheon, Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps or The Forum.

Top Tip: There is a church practically on every corner in Rome, whilst they might not look like much from the outside, most are works of art with gorgeous painted ceilings and ornate carvings, so pop in to everyone one to see what you can discover inside.

Florence

Florence is arguably the most beautiful city in the whole of Italy and one of the beautiful cities in the world. You can access it from the port Livorno and from there Florence is a train journey away and takes roughly 1 hr 30 mins.

Like Rome, you can’t cover it all in a day, but you can’t miss a trip to see Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia, as well as the Ponte Vecchio, the most famous bridge in Florence. Another must see is a trip to one of the largest cathedrals in the world, the Gothic-era Duomo. Entrance is free but it gets extremely busy, so make sure you get there early to try and beat the lines. Also make sure you pay a visit to the Church of San Lorenzo, where you can find the tombs of the Medici family and Donatello; you can also find Michalangelo’s Laurentian library here.

Top Tip: For designer fans, all the top labels can be found around Via de’ Tornabuoni.

Naples

The vibrant city of Naples is built in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, the only volcano on European mainland to have erupted in the last hundred years. Whilst probably not as high on the list as Rome or Florence, it’s definitely a ‘must-see’ city in Italy.

There are two amazing castles in Naples, one dating back to the 9th century, Castel Dell’Ovo and Castel Nuevo, which dates back to the 13th century and both are definitely well worth a visit. However, one of the main draws for Naples is it’s close proximity to Pompeii – this ancient Roman town was completely wiped out after Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. Thanks to Pompeii we know so much about Roman life as this town was preserved perfectly under the molten lava and was rediscovered in the 18th century and wander around this ancient town is not to be missed.

Top Tip: There is a fantastic hop on, hop off bus in Naples, which is a great way to see the local sites and cover more ground.

Pisa

Once a maritime power to rival Venice and Genoa, this beautiful Tuscan town is the closest tourist attraction to the port of Livorno; if you have already visited Florence then it’s definitely got to be the next place on your list.

Pisa is famous for it’s leaning Tower, the Torre Pendente’s bell tower leans at a slant of 3.9 degrees of vertical. No trip would be completely without the infamous photo op of you trying to push it back up! However as well as the tower, Pisa also offers some gorgeous Romansque buildings and Gothic churches to explore, as well as a buzzing and busy cafe scene around the Piazza dei Miracoli.

Top Tip: You can climb the bell tower, but it’s at a fee for 4 euros, so make sure you have change.