21 nightsFrom Istanbul16 ports of call
21-Day Treasures Of Greece, Montenegro, Italy & Malta
Seabourn · Seabourn Ovation
Overview
A 21-night voyage aboard Seabourn Ovation, departing Istanbul on 12 May 2029 and arriving in Civitavecchia, Rome, calling at 16 destinations along the way.
IstanbulCanakkale, TurkeyVolosPatmosSymiSantoriniAthens (Piraeus), GreeceGythionSami, Cephalonia, GreeceKotorDubrovnikSarandeSenglea, MaltaTaorminaAmalfi, ItalyCivitavecchia, Rome
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Itinerary
21 nights · 22 ports of call- 1
Day 1 ·Istanbul, TurkeyEmbark
12 May 2029Depart 19:00Spanning Europe and Asia, exotic Istanbul is one of the world's most fascinating cities. Domes and minarets enhance the skyline. In the old Stamboul area, traces remain of every city built since the community was established over 600 years before Christ. Once Rome's eastern capital, Istanbul was also the center of the huge Ottoman Empire. Landmarks include Hagia Sophia, once Christendom's greatest church; the Blue Mosque with its striking Iznik tiles; Topkapi Palace, containing a sultan's ransom of treasures; Chora Church with its Byzantine mosaics; and the Grand Bazaar, the ultimate shopping experience. - 2
Day 2 ·Canakkale, Turkey
13 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 17:00Between 1865 and 1866, English explorer Frank Calvert and German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann began digging trenches through a hillock outside Canakkale and discovered layer upon layer of ancient cities. Ultimately nine cities that had thrived and fallen atop each other were identified with the legendary Greek city of Troy. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. - 3
Day 3 ·Volos, Greece
14 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 18:00The span of highrise buildings that line the waterfront at Volos speak to modern Greece, rather than the ancient land. Indeed Volos is a very Greek city, a busy port and not high on the list of places for a traveler to visit. Yet like most places in Greece, its roots are deep in the mythic and historic soil of the country. Volos lies on the doorstep of the Plain of Thessaly, the pastures of Centaurs. In the nation’s heart, at Kalambaka, the plain erupts into a phalanx of towering granite pillars, each topped by a monastery over 600 years old. This is Meteora, one of the most unforgettable sites in Greece. Nearby, Mt. Pelion looms, its slopes dotted with picturesque villages of characteristic homes with wooden stories stacked atop stone ground floors. In the city itself, an archaeological museum holds treasures dating from the Neolithic through the Bronze Age, including jewelry fashioned 35 centuries ago. - 4
Day 4 ·At Sea
15 May 2029 - 5
Day 5 ·Patmos, Greece
16 May 2029Arrive 07:00Depart 22:00Deserted for centuries because of constant raids by pirates and the Turks, this tiny arid island was first settled in 1088 when the Emperor of Constantinople made it a gift to the monk Christodoulos Latrnos so that he could establish a monastery in honor of St. John the Divine on the site. Patmos has been a place of scholarship and religious enlightenment ever since. Today this modern pilgrimage site is a quiet respite from the tourist havens many other Greek isles have become. - 6
Day 6 ·Symi, Greece
17 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 18:00Symi belongs to the Dodecanese islands and lies across the Asia Minor coast and just a few nautical miles NW of Rhodes. Aristocratic and far off the model of mass tourism, Symi pleasantly surprises its visitors with its plain, aristocratic yet wild beauty.
As you glimpse the perfectly formed harbor of Symi, Gialos, you are confronted with a beautiful picture-postcard Venetian village. Wonderfully well-preserved two and three story mansions with their facades painted in bright and vivid colors reflect the island's rich past since Symi was once one of the richest islands with a tradition in sponge diving, ship building and wood carving.
The history of Symi goes back to ancient times. Aigli, Metapontis and Kariki are some of Symi's ancient names where according to mythology the Graces were born. Symi got its current name from the nymph Symi, who according to the myth mated with Poseidon, God of the Seas, and brought to life Hthonios who became the leader of the island's first inhabitants. - 7
Day 7 ·Santorini, Greece
18 May 2029Arrive 07:00Depart 18:00"Thira, the Wild Island" and "Kalliste, the Fairest One" - all terms of endearment for this seductive, volcanic Greek island in the Sea of Crete. Extraordinary for its black sand beaches and sheer limestone cliffs, Santorini also showcases remnants of the Phoenician, Spartan and Minoan cultures, which fell under the island's spell - an unvarying, irresistible lure that continues to this day. Fira, the picturesque, pedestrian-only capital, is reached from the seaport via a short cable car ride that offers thrilling views as you ascend. - 8
Day 8 ·Piraeus (Athens), Greece
19 May 2029Arrive 07:00Depart 20:00Piraeus has been the port for Athens since 482 BC. The busy harbor is filled with ferries and cruise ships making their way to the Greek Islands and other Mediterranean cities. The busy metropolis of Athens and its treasure trove of antiquities lie just a few miles from the port. Even as the reality of the modern city took hold, with its high-rise apartments, crowded sidewalks and bustling traffic, the beauty of the Acropolis, the outstanding museums, charming cafés, sidewalk markets and startling views come together in a cultural mosaic for all to enjoy. - 9
Day 9 ·Gythion (Sparta), Greece
20 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 18:00Gythion, the small port town for Sparta, edges its way up the hillside, which surrounds the harbor. According to Homer, Paris and Helen spent their first night together here, on a tiny islet in the bay. To commemorate the occasion, Paris erected a shrine to Aphrodite, goddess of love, only to have it torn down by the vengeful Menelaus after he recaptured Helen. In its place Menelaus erected statues honoring Praxidica (Punishment) and Themis (Justice). Not far away, at the tip of the Peloponnese, lies the Mani, a distinctive area unlike anything else in Greece. This desolate region of underground lakes and rivers and windswept landscapes is strangely beautiful. To the north of Gythion lie Sparta and Mystra, well worth a visit. - 10
Day 10 ·At Sea
21 May 2029 - 11
Day 11 ·Itea (Delphi), Greece
22 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 18:00Itea is a small bathing resort and port at the end of a bay not too far from the ancient port of Delphi. The hills are covered with olive trees belonging to the sanctuary of Apollo in ancient times. Referred to as a "sea of olives," their production is now an important part of the local economy. - 12
Day 12 ·Sami, Cephalonia, Greece
23 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 18:00Located on the east coast of Kefalonia, Sami is home to beautiful beaches and pleasant cafés and tavernas around the harbor that provide an ideal setting to soak up the traditional Greek atmosphere. Situated on a hill to the south of town are the ruins of ancient Sami, where visitors will find a fascinating site consisting of artifacts spanning several different civilizations over thousands of years. - 13
Day 13 ·Brindisi (Lecce), Italy
24 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 18:00Set on a peninsula between two arms of the Adriatic Sea, Brindisi was an important port of the Roman Empire, and later for the East India Company. In the 2nd century BC the Appian Way was built, linking the port to Rome, and a column near the harbor marks the end of that famous route. It is here that in 71 BC, the gladiator Spartacus led thousands of rebel slaves in an unsuccessful escape. Today visitors find Romanesque churches, a 13th-century castle and, in the surrounding Apulia region, remains of ancient Messapian culture. - 14
Day 14 ·Kotor, Montenegro
25 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 23:00One of the best preserved medieval towns of the Adriatic, Kotor is protected by UNESCO. Between 1420 and 1797, the area was under the rule of the Republic of Venice and the Venetian influence can be seen in its architecture. The Gulf of Kotor is sometimes called the southernmost fjord in Europe, although it is actually a submerged river canyon. The overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovcen complete one of the Mediterranean's most beautiful landscapes. - 15
Day 15 ·Dubrovnik, Croatia
26 May 2029Arrive 07:00Depart 17:00Founded in the 7th century, Dubrovnik rose to greatness as a merchant state, independent republic and cultural crossroads. The traffic-free Old Town has been called a Croatian Athens. This UNESCO designated World Heritage Site is a living museum of the ages with fortifications, chapels, monastic cloisters and Europe's second-oldest synagogue crowded into its ancient walls. Relax at a sidewalk café, listen to the chimes of the 14th-century bell tower or join the promenade down the palace-lined avenue known as the Stradun. - 16
Day 16 ·Sarande, Albania
27 May 2029Arrive 09:00Depart 18:00This important port on Southern Albania curls around a superb natural harbor, dominated by the hilltop 16th century Lekuresi Castle with distinctive round towers. In the town center are the ruins of a 5th century synagogue, later a Christian basilica, with remnant mosaic floors. Another picturesque ruin is the Forty Saints Monastery from the 6th century, which is thought to have been an important pilgrimage site. But the main attraction in southern Albania is the archaeological site of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with extensive ruins of communities dating from prehistory, though the Greek and Roman eras, as well as the Byzantine period, until the medieval period. - 17
Day 17 ·Taranto, Italy
28 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 18:00 - 18
Day 18 ·At Sea
29 May 2029 - 19
Day 19 ·Valletta, Malta
30 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 18:00Occupied successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, French and British, Malta has been of strategic importance throughout history. A British Crown Colony until 1964, Malta received the George Cross for its valiant resistance to German occupation in WWII. The island's rich heritage is reflected in the architecture of Valletta, the current capital, and Medina, the capital until 1565. In Valletta the Knights of St. John built such masterpieces as St. John's Co-Cathedral and the Palace of the Grand Masters, along with the fortifications that guard the town's magnificent harbors. - 20
Day 20 ·Giardini Naxos (Taormina), Italy
31 May 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 18:00This harbor on the eastern shore of Sicily near Messina gives us close access to the fabulous Greco-Roman ruins of Taormina, as well as the active volcano Mt. Etna. The temples, streets and large amphitheater of Taormina make it one of Italy’s premier ancient sites. Its location overlooking the sea and with the backdrop of snow-capped Etna complete the package and make it among the most famous attractions in the Mediterranean region. Giardini Naxos itself boasts a lovely beach at Lido Europa, and intrepid visitors can climb Mt. Etna to see a volcano close up - 21
Day 21 ·Amalfi, Italy
1 Jun 2029Arrive 08:00Depart 18:00The Amalfi Coast has been called the greatest meeting of land and sea on earth. Situated in the Campania region between Sorrento and Salerno, Amalfi and Positano are the two main towns on the world-famous Amalfi Drive - renowned as the most scenic and romantic road in Italy. The road is carved into the side of rocky cliffs plunging into the sparkling sea. Erosion has sculpted the rocky slopes into gargoyle shapes and hollowed out fairy grottoes where the air is tinted turquoise by the glowing blue water below. During the Middle Ages, Amalfi was an independent maritime state with a population of 50,000. The ship compass was invented here in 1302. Approximately 10 miles away from Amalfi is the village of Ravello. An enchanting village with wonderful views and quiet lanes, Ravello boasts romantic gardens surrounding medieval ruins, affording magnificent views of the entire Bay of Salerno. - 22
Day 22 ·Civitavecchia (Rome), ItalyDisembark
2 Jun 2029Arrive 07:00Originally built by Emperor Trajan who had a villa here, Civitavecchia has flourished as a major port for Rome since the 13th century. Today it is an important ferry terminal and for many travelers the gateway to the Eternal City, Rome. The Renaissance fortifications that surround the harbor area were begun by Bramante and completed by Michelangelo in 1535.
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