Spain: Barcelona | Sardinia: The Barbagia, Cagliari | Sicily: Mazara del Vallo, Agrigento, Siracusa | Malta: Valletta | Greece: Assos, Zakynthos Island, Athens
Ship
Privately Owned, 89-passenger Ship
Includes airfare
During your trip, you will have the opportunity to join optional tours to further your discoveries—all of which are noted below. Most of these tours can only be reserved onsite with your Trip Experience Leader, however due to limited space and other special requirements, some optional tours must be reserved before your departure from the U.S. If this trip has optional tours that need to be purchased in advance, they will be noted with a disclaimer below.
Day 8 | $150 per person
Day 8 | $150 per person
On this full-day optional tour, you’ll witness some of the best examples of the Sicilian Baroque architecture in the area, when you visit towns in Val di Noto (southeast Sicily)—part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your day begins with a visit to the Ragusa Ibla (Ancient Ragusa), where you’ll tour the majestic Church of Saint George. This afternoon, your journey continues in the city of Modica, where you’ll entice your taste buds with local chocolates during a tasting, followed by an included lunch.
Day 10 | $155 per person
Day 10 | $155 per person
Join a full-day optional excursion to Mdina, Rabat, and Vittoriosa. Begin with a walking tour of Malta's ancient capital of Mdina, also known as "The Silent City." Surrounded by thick imposing walls, and limited access allowed to traffic, this medieval city abounds with peaceful winding streets. Continue to Rabat for a tour of this historic city, then depart for Vittoriosa for an included lunch in a local restaurant and a walking tour of the 16th-century, fortified city with a local guide.
Day 10 | $155 per person
Day 10 | $155 per person
Set out for a tour of one of Malta's best-known prehistoric temples, Hagar Qim, which means “free-standing boulders.” This megalithic temple complex was constructed more than 5,200 years ago. The large stone complex contains rooms formerly devoted to animal sacrifices, burnt offerings, and ritual oracles, making it one of the oldest religious sites on Earth.
Next, explore the area Napoleon dubbed “The Three Cities,” settled as early as the time of the Phoenicians. A trio of historic fortified towns—Cospicua, Senglea, and Vittoriosa—ring the Grand Harbor.
Vittoriosa, also known as Birgu, was settled by the Knights of St. John in 1530 when King Charles V of Spain granted them the territory of Malta. After resisting an Ottoman siege in 1565, in which a force of 700 knights overcame 40,000 Turkish soldiers, the knights ushered in Malta’s Golden Age. Cospicua, the largest of the three, is a double-fortified harbor city known for its majestic bastions, built by the Knights of Malta. Today the city is also dominated by its old dockyard, one of the features that endured the terrible bombing campaigns of World War II. And Senglea, set atop a narrow promontory extending into the Grand Harbor with an area of just over half a square mile, is Malta's smallest locality but also its most densely populated.
After lunch at a local restaurant (included in the cost of the optional tour), you’ll have some free time for independent discovery in Vittoriosa before returning to the ship in the mid-afternoon.
Day 15 | $185 per person
Day 15 | $185 per person
Travel into the depths of Sardinia's history at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Su Nuraxi Barumini. This complex dates back to the seventeenth century BCE, and includes an ancient stone nuraghe, a cluster of towers, and a village dating back to the thirteenth century BCE. A local guide will walk you through the sprawling remains of a thriving civilization, and then you'll get the chance to stroll through the quaint commune of Barumini on your own. Afterwards, savor an included traditional lunch at a nearby family farm.
Day 15 | $157 per person
Day 15 | $157 per person
On this optional tour, engage your senses with a number of Sardinian specialties. First, drive to the village of Selargius. Here, you'll meet a local villager who will demonstrate how to bake and decorate bread, and you'll have the opportunity to try your hand at these techniques based on centuries of culinary tradition. Back in Cagliari's city center, savor a traditional lunch wherein you'll sample a stuffed pasta called culurgiones and learn how it is made. Finish up your tour at a local bakery for a dessert tasting.