Deal

Your gateway to the Eternal City, Civitavecchia has served as Rome’s seaport since the 13th century. The port has a long and venerable history. The emperor Trajan built a pleasure villa near the modern city, while Bernini and Michelangelo designed the harbour fortifications. Yet the Eternal City eternally beckons. The ancient capital of the Western World and the centre of Christianity for nearly 2,000 years, Rome provides an inexhaustible feast. Visit the ruins of the Forum, view the splendours of the Sistine Chapel, or climb the Spanish Steps, once the heart of Rome’s Bohemian Quarter. Rome has been a magnet luring the world’s greatest artists, architects, and philosophers since the days of the Caesars.

Italy’s third-largest city, Naples is a bustling metropolis famed for it stately buildings, crowded streets, pizza – and notoriously bad traffic. However, this beautiful city is rich in centuries-old culture and customs. Naples is also your gateway to the Isle of Capri, the fabled Amalfi Coast and the ruins of Pompeii, buried in ash by the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Naples boasts an ideal location, with both the ruins of Roman cities and the stunning Amalfi Coast in easy reach.

Weaving a tapestry of awe and wonder, Chania is a centuries-old mix of Minoan myths, well-preserved Venetian mansions, a mesmerising Old Town complete with labyrinthine passageways, and atmospheric Kastelli Hill, once the site of a Roman acropolis. But Chania may be best known as the gateway to the breathtaking 4,000 year-old Minoan ruins at Knossos, home of the legendary King Minos and the part man and part bull known creature as the Minotaur. And around every corner of this idyllic area you’ll find picturesque villages, breathtaking views and architectural wonders that will remain with you for a lifetime.

From the port of Kusadasi on Turkey’s Anatolian Coast, one travels into the past. Nearby stand the ruins of ancient Ephesus, a major site of archaeological excavation. The city was once a Roman provincial capital and trading centre. Ephesus is also home to several of Christendom’s holiest sites. St. Paul preached at the Great Theatre and the ruins of Ephesus’ Basilica cover the tomb of Christ’s most beloved disciple, St. John the Apostle. In Kusadasi, whitewashed stone houses rise in tiers behind the market district. The palm-lined esplanade is the centre of town life, with thousands of merchants offering wares to rival the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

Thanks to its proximity to the mainland, Mykonos was one of the first Greek islands to become an international travel destination. During the late ’60s and early ’70s, Mykonos was famed as a haunt for the rich. The island’s nightlife – then and now – was a glittering whirl of coloured lights, music, and parties. But there’s another side to Mykonos – the neighbouring island of Delos. In classical mythology, Delos was the birthplace of Apollo and his twin sister Artemis. Travellers to Delos can stroll among the island’s vast ruins, which include three temples consecrated to the Sun God and the famed Lions Walk. Mykonos town features hip boutiques, restaurants, jewellery stores, souvenirs, taverns and cafés. The island’s famed windmills are found just south of the waterfront.

– The past maintains a vibrant presence in the cradle of Western civilisation. Atop the Acropolis, the serene Parthenon sails above the commotion of the modern city. The tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were performed in the Theater of Dionysus at the foot of the Acropolis. On Pnyx Hill, citizens of a fledgling democracy gathered to cast their votes on Athens’ destiny. Then there is the hustle and bustle of the modern city, a metropolis of 4.5 million that spreads out from the foot of Mt. Lycabettus and across the plain. Packed with busy shops and lively tavernas, modern Athens is a colourful counterpoint to classical Greece. Piraeus is the port city for Athens and has been Athens’ port of entry for over two millennia.

Archaeological evidence shows that Heraklion probably arose during the 9th century B.C. and was named in tribute to the Greek goddess Rhea, mother of Zeus. And like most Mediterranean cities, Heraklion has a long and turbulent history. Officially founded by the Saracens in the 9th century, the Byzantine Empire invaded in 961 only to lose control to the Crusaders who sold Crete to the Venetians in 1211 for a thousand silver coins. Heraklion finally flourished under the Venetians. Throughout the city you’ll find stunning reminders of their influence: the Loggia, Venetian Walls, and Fountain of Morosini are just a few must-see examples. But Heraklion is probably best known as the gateway to the breathtaking 4,000 year-old Minoan ruins at Knossos and to the famous windmills stretched across the Lassithi Plateau.

Bar, Montenegro, is an unsung resort town on the country’s south coast. Nestled between breathtaking mountains and the glistening Adriatic Sea, Bar offers plenty of culture and history to discover, nature right on its doorstep, and a string of pebble beaches to relax on. While Bar may not be as well-known as, say, Kotor or Budva, two of Montenegro’s most well-known destinations, travellers will find an authentic atmosphere here, and plenty to see and do during a short visit. There’s sizzling weather, too, with 270 days of sunshine every year. Culture and history are present, too. If you enjoy delving into a destination’s past, Stari Bar, the picture-perfect old town, is a must-visit, while lazy beach days are encouraged on the coast.

The lush and verdant island of Corfu lies in the Ionian Sea, midway between Greece and Italy. The island has a long and colourful history. First colonised by the city-state of Corinth, Corfu has been ruled by the Romans, the Venetians, the French and the English. Corfu Town boasts fortresses bearing the insignia of the Venetian Republic, an esplanade lavishly planted by the French during the Napoleonic Wars, and an English cricket pitch. The island also offers some of the finest coastal scenery in the entire Mediterranean. Corfu’s old town is a mixture of the medieval and the modern. The Esplanade, planted with palms and eucalyptus by the French, leads to the English cricket pitch.

Messina has played a major role in European history since its founding as a Greek colony in the 8th century B.C. During the Roman Empire, the city was a major port and commercial centre, during the Middle Ages, Messina was the major port of departure for Crusaders. History has also left its scars: a massive earthquake levelled much of the city in 1908 and the World War II campaign for Sicily devastated Messina. Yet Messina emerged from that devastation with some of its historic treasures intact, including the 12th-century Annunziata dei Catalani Church. Messina is also your gateway to the rugged beauty of southeast Sicily, from the seaside resort of Taormina to Mt. Etna. Between the fall of Rome and the 1861 unification of Italy, the Arabs, the Normans, the Germans, the Spanish and the French ruled Sicily.