Our family's summer vacation of June 2000 took place on a cruise in the Mediterranean. The cruise was 12 nights on ship and 8 ports of call between Barcelona and Istanbul. The following layouts will come from the 3 ports in Italy. The Port of Livorno took us to Pisa to see the famous Leaning Tower now inclined 14 feet to one side due to the settling of the subsoil. The best-known buildings in Pisa are around the Field of Miracles, the familiar trio of cathedral, Baptistery and the Campanile (leaning tower).



The next Port along the way was Naples. We were thrilled with our day tour to take a hydrofoil to the most sought after island of Capri. The dramatic cliff bound scenery was truly spectacular .We vowed to return some day when we could afford to stay longer.



We were off to lunch in Sorento and again via hydrofoil we arrived and bused to the most beautiful Italian restaurant that had a view that made me scream in amazement. Truly I did. Another time we vowed to return. These tours provide a glimpse of just how wonderful Italy is to visit.



We arrived in the Port of Venice after being 48hours at sea. We were ready to explore this bewitching city. Our ship was in port for 24 hours so there was more time to shop, eat, ride a gondola or just listen to the music in the squares with a latte of course. Much of the city's unique charm comes from the reduced noise and slower pace of life along the canals The heart of Venice centers around St Mark's Square which is surrounded by galleries, luxury shops and cafés. The gondola is the more traditional means of transportation. Our ride was breathtaking. The evening was beautiful as we glided around a well-planned web of canals and under bridges. The lovely windows, some of which had colored shutters, flowers and iron railings, awed us.