Transatlantic, Italy & Greece Collectors' Voyage

Fort Lauderdale is South Florida's reinvented waterfront city, where three hundred miles of inland waterways, the NSU Art Museum's contemporary collection, and the tree-lined Las Olas Boulevard create a cruise departure point of genuine sophistication at Port Everglades. Arrive a day early between November and April to explore the 'Venice of America' by water taxi and discover the dining scene that has replaced Spring Break with year-round culinary ambition.

Ponta Delgada, Portugal, offers the Atlantic coast of Europe at its most authentic—fresh seafood, dramatic coastal scenery, and the maritime character of communities shaped by centuries of oceanic tradition. Don't miss the local markets and the regional wines that complement the cuisine perfectly. Best visited October through April, when cooler temperatures and lower humidity create ideal conditions. Cruise lines including P&O Cruises feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

Funchal — Madeira's radiant capital, its name derived from the wild fennel that greeted Portuguese settlers in 1419 — cascades down volcanic hillsides to a deep-water harbour that has welcomed mariners and wanderers for six centuries. The Reid's Palace, opened in 1891, remains one of the Atlantic's most legendary hotels, its clifftop terraces commanding views that inspired Churchill, Shaw, and a century of distinguished guests. The city's floating flower market, levada walks through ancient laurisilva forest, and the exhilarating toboggan descent from Monte combine for days of effortless discovery. The subtropical climate makes Funchal appealing year-round, with spring particularly spectacular for wildflowers.

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory perched at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic beneath an iconic limestone monolith steeped in over a millennium of contested history. No visit is complete without ascending the Rock to encounter the Barbary macaques and the panoramic views stretching to North Africa, followed by a plate of calentita — the territory's beloved Genoese-heritage chickpea bake — at a Main Street bakery. The mild Mediterranean climate makes Gibraltar a rewarding port call year-round, though spring and early autumn offer the clearest skies for spotting whales and dolphins in the Strait.

Barcelona is the city where Roman history, Gothic grandeur, and Gaudí's delirious Modernisme collide in a Mediterranean coastal capital of astonishing energy and beauty. The Sagrada Família — still under construction after 140 years — continues its audacious ascent toward completion, while the Gothic Quarter's Roman-era foundations and the Passeig de Gràcia's extraordinary concentration of Modernisme masterpieces reward days of exploration. For a complete sensory experience, lose an afternoon in the covered labyrinth of La Boqueria market before descending to the waterfront for Catalan seafood at its finest. May through June and September through October offer the most pleasant weather; the city connects directly to Paris by overnight train.

Villefranche-sur-Mer is a thirteenth-century duty-free port town on the French Riviera, where medieval stone passages and ochre-walled lanes cascade toward one of the Mediterranean's most spectacular natural harbours. Visitors should not miss Jean Cocteau's painted Chapelle Saint-Pierre and the covered Rue Obscure, followed by socca and Bellet rosé at the waterfront. The town is at its luminous best from late April through early October, when the bay glows cobalt and the evening light lingers long enough for an unhurried dinner along the Plage des Marinières.

Purpose-built as a Medici utopia in the late sixteenth century, Livorno was conceived from the outset as a city without discrimination — its founding Leggi Livornine granted equal rights to Jews, Christians, Muslims, and merchants of every nation, making it one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Renaissance Europe. Today, the Venetian-style canals of the Venezia Nuova quarter reflect colourful palazzi with a distinctly faded glamour, while the Mercato Centrale's fish counters display the cacciucco ingredients — a robust Livornese brodetto of five sea creatures — that make this port city a pilgrimage for serious eaters. Day trips to Pisa and Lucca are effortless from here. The season runs April through October.

Rome's ancient maritime gateway since the Emperor Trajan commissioned its harbour in 106 AD, Civitavecchia is the natural prologue to the Eternal City — just seventy minutes southeast by express rail. The port's Renaissance fortress, designed in part by Michelangelo, anchors a working waterfront that has welcomed travellers for millennia. Beyond Rome's unmissable monuments, consider an afternoon in the Civitavecchia thermal baths, drawing on mineral waters prized since antiquity. Spring and autumn offer the ideal balance of mild weather and manageable crowds for exploring the capital's layered history.

Naples — Napoli — is Europe's most operatically alive city, a sun-battered baroque metropolis where Vesuvius broods on the horizon and the streets below pulse with 2,500 years of continuous human drama. The unmissable Museo Archeologico Nazionale houses the world's finest collection of artefacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum, while the Spaccanapoli, the arrow-straight artery that has bisected the city since Greek times, delivers an unfiltered encounter with Neapolitan life. A single slice of pizza Margherita from one of the centro storico's historic pizzerias is a culinary pilgrimage in itself. Visit between April and June or September and October for warmth, manageable crowds, and the city at its golden best.

Taormina is a cliffside Sicilian jewel 200 meters above the Ionian Sea, featuring an ancient Greek theater with Mount Etna as its backdrop, the exquisite Isola Bella bay, and some of Sicily's finest cuisine. Must-dos include a performance at the Teatro Antico, the cable car to Isola Bella, and tasting Etna volcanic wines. April through June and September through October offer ideal temperatures.

Rhodes, Greece's resplendent Dodecanese jewel, merges a UNESCO-listed Medieval Old Town built by the Knights of St. John with sun-soaked Aegean beauty just seven miles from the Turkish coast. Wander the Street of the Knights before tasting *pitaroudia* fritters and local Athiri wine at an Old Town taverna, then take a catamaran to the neoclassical harbor of Symi. The island basks in over 300 days of sunshine annually, with April through June and September through October offering ideal temperatures for exploration without the peak-summer crowds.

Kuşadası owes its place on the world's cruise itineraries to one extraordinary proximity: the ancient city of Ephesus, one of the greatest metropolises of the Greco-Roman world, lies just seventeen kilometres from the port. Ephesus — with its two-kilometre marble colonnade, the Library of Celsus, and the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) — demands at least half a day of unhurried exploration. The House of the Virgin Mary, a pilgrimage site believed to be where Mary spent her final years, adds a profound spiritual dimension. Kuşadası itself is a lively Aegean resort; the season runs April through October, with May and September offering ideal temperatures and smaller crowds.

The port that launched Athenian democracy's naval supremacy at the Battle of Salamis, Piraeus remains Greece's maritime heartbeat — and the most convenient gateway to both the Acropolis and the Aegean island chains. Dine on grilled sea bream at a Mikrolimano harbourside taverna, visit the extraordinary bronze Piraeus Apollo, and set sail for Hydra or Santorini by afternoon. Late April through June and September offer the Aegean at its most golden and uncrowded.