The whole plan involved 2 cruises. One off the Rhine River and the next aboard MSC sailing out of Barcelona. At the last minute, the Rhine Cruise was cancelled, leaving us “stranded” in Strasbourg. Thank goodness we had booked a 2nd cruise with MSC and that pushed through as scheduled. We tweaked our travel schedule so we can stay longer in our Strasbourg hotel and booked extra nights in another Barcelona hotel prior to the MSC Mediterranean cruise. Just 7 nights but with lovely ports of call one can dream of.
First port was in Marseilles in the south of France. Think panisses and bouillabaisse — Marseille’s signature seafood stew and chickpea flour fritters. We booked a walking tour here and decided on a lunch recommended by our guide. In Genoa — our 2nd port of call — we winged it on our own and heard Sunday Mass in the beautiful Cathedral of San Lorenzo, just a stone’s throw from the Chiesa del Gesu. More photos and details here.
Marseille
Genoa
In the past, we’d just breeze through Napoli and instead spend time in Positano, Sorrento and Capri. The Amalfi Coast is so breathtaking while Naples has gained quite a bad rap. I wasn’t confident to check out the city on my own but having crafted our own walking tour, we got off the boat and took a cab all the way to the Chiesa del Gesú Nuovo which is just a stone’s throw from the Monasterio delle Santa Chiara. Both churches run along the Spaccanapoli. We walked all the way back to the cruise terminal without any incident. Have a read.
Napoli, Italia
Taormina, Sicily
Galleria Umberto in Naples
By the time we docked in Valletta, Malta, we were almost sad it’s our last port of call. It was a near perfect ship itinerary. From the south of France down south off Italy, with a day at sea to sail back up to Barcelona. But Malta is super impressive. It’s so small but soooo packed with history and culture. We wonder how the streets look and the vistas off the cliff after sundown when the swarming cruisers have gone back to boat.
Valletta, Malta 🇲🇹
