Having only recently joined the AmaWaterways team, I was very fortunate to be included in AmaWaterways recent trip. All of us in the team had a chance to do a leg of the 14 night itinerary between Amsterdam and Budapest. My sector between Nuremberg and Vienna allowed me to visit some of the most picturesque places in Germany and Austria, whilst experiencing life on board one of the newest ships to the company.

Highlights:

Cruising between Nuremberg and Regensburg on our first day (Day 8) covered a stretch of 123km along the main Danube Canal, perfect opportunity to take advantage of the sundeck with the beautiful seating areas. I was mesmerized by the technology of the ship and watching the Captains Bridge lower in preparation for us to pass a low bridge and seeing his head pop out of the roof to see where he was going. Could have watched that for hours!

The bike excursions are incredible. I thought I would be brave and tackle a trip from Regensburg and Walhalla. A low moment was realising how unfit I was when 5km into the 20km bike ride having not been on a bike in years , I found myself lagging behind a very active 71 year old man who was miles ahead – could not keep up with him!

Durnstein. Approaching this town is a camera opportunity not to be missed. It is picture postcard perfect, a place I would love to go back to. Wine tasting in the Durnstein Abbey was a great way to end the tour and where I discovered my passion for the Riesling Smaragd Rossatzer Frauenweingarten 2011!

……the food and the service onboard was truly out of this world. I particularly enjoyed the evening in the Erlebnis Restaurant, we were the last to leave that night! I put on 2lbs in 4 days….I think that speaks volumes

It enjoys an uneasy proximity to the brooding, majestic menace of Mount Etna. Though Etna properly last erupted back in 1928, it continues to simmer, smoulder and ooze trickles of molten lava around its rim. Unlike other volcanos, the beast cannot be called ‘dormant’ in any sense of the word.
You can go there by bus, an experience worth doing for the drive along the lush, verdant shoreline on its own. Once there, an observatory tells the full, tempestuous history of Etna, right up to the present day.

The truly brave could descend into the nightmarish netherworld called the Catacombe dei Capuccini. Over the course of around five hundred years, more than eight thousand mummified bodies were interred here, more than half of them from the Capucin order of monks. Lit with a combination of natural light and electricity, many of the mummies appear to be just lounging casually against the walls. This morbid, magnificent montage is definitely not for the faint hearted.
Fans of the Godfather iii movie will almost certainly recognise the great, canopied façade of the Teatro Massimo, the city’s famous opera house. It was built in just under a quarter of a century, from 1875 onwards, and is today the main venue in Palermo for opera. Tours, operating in English, will cost around five euros per person.
Quite near here is the elegant Piazza Verdi, a large, expansive square thronged with splashing fountains and restaurants, named in honour of the great composer.

For a little more connection with nature, you could do what the locals here do, and take a picnic basket up to the vast, verdant slopes that surround the benign bulk of Monte Pellegrino.
And, for a final fix of history, you might be drawn to Zisa Castle, an amazing brew of Moorish and Baroque styles, and built for the former Norman kings. These days, the preserved castle serves as a museum, providing a window back into Sicily’s past as one of the main touchstones of those ancient civilisations.

Getting there: cruise ships dock on the waterfront in Palermo itself, and most of the city is walking distance from where you will arrive.

What Sorrento is to Italy, so Taormina is to neighbouring Sicily; a fantastic, implausible brew of café thronged, cliff top squares, ancient, weathered churches and amazing, nearby ruins that stand ominously close to the silent slopes of a hopefully long extinct volcano; in this case, Mount Etna.

The old town gained a reputation as a haven for writers, and played host to both F.Scott Fitzgerald and Truman Capote. amongst many others. Rising around seven hundred and fifty feet above sea level, Taormina itself is topped by an ancient Saracen Castle, perched like an eagle on a rocky outcrop, some four hundred and fifty feet further up.
It’s most obvious attraction is the amazingly preserved, Greco-Roman theatre that dates back to the eighth century BC. Set in a spectacular cliff top location, the semi circular seating has amazing views out over the sparkling Mediterranean. Built mainly of brick, many of its original, elegant columns are still preserved to this day. So perfect are the acoustics that it is still used for summertime evening concerts to this day. Flanked by rows of beautiful plane trees, it enjoys a quite remarkable stance, set against a stunning backdrop of sea and sky.
Also well worth a look is the Palazzo Corvaja, a petrified stone palace with an elegant courtyard that dates back as far as the tenth century.

The essence of Taormina can be found in the beguiling string of winding, cobbled streets that snake like the strands of a spider’s web through it’s interiors. Bars, shops and pavement cafes abound here. Lines of clean washing hang between windows, flapping lethargically in a milk warm breeze.
It’s a place where cats curve lazily in the shade of ancient, impossibly ornate fountains to enjoy their afternoon siesta, while tourists throng the conga lines of pavement cafes to indulge in the ancient sport of people watching, just as their Roman ancestors did many centuries ago. it seems that some things never change.

The town itself also boasts a thirteenth century Duomo that is part castle, part cathedral. Just beyond the town is the nature reserve of Isola Bella and, beyond that, the small, pretty seaside resort of Giardini Naxos, with it’s dusky brown beaches and breezy string of waterfront bars and restaurants.

After a hard day exploring the glut of old world wonders that Taormina wears like some sumptuous, ancient crown, some espresso and a little antipasti could be just what the doctor ordered.

Getting there: cruise ships tend to anchor off Giardini Naxos, and tender their passengers ashore. Taormina is around three kilometres away, and is best reached by local bus. These are plentiful and reasonably cheap, too.

Ah, Naples. What images it conjures up. The birthplace of pizza and the backdrop to the looming, silent mass that is Mount Vesuvius. Sidewalk cafes and swarms of motor scooters in sometimes ear splitting proximity. The moody wail of an accordian and some perfectly chilled prosecco. No wonder it has long been a place associated with love and la dolce vita.

Naples is the third largest city in Italy after Rome and Milan and, like most parts of Italy, it boasts a whole raft of eye popping ancient sites, mostly all in close proximity to the modern city.
Pompeii is like nothing you’ve ever seen; a sixty six hectare, silent scream of a city, immolated on that fateful August day in AD79 by a wrathful Vesuvius. Over time, the petrified remains were slowly uncovered. What stands today is a sobering, valedictory monument to human folly.

The tracks made centuries ago by long gone chariot wheels are still engraved into the ground here. The truncated, jagged remants of ornamental columns still point at the sky like accusing fingers. Walls with perfectly preserved mosiacs loom up like so many tombstones. Pompeii is impossible to ignore, and even harder to forget.
On a more carefree note, ferries from Naples will waft you over to Ischia, Capri, and even off to Sorrento if you’re so inclined. Be sure you’re aware of the exact arrival and departure time of these.

If you’re feeling brave, you could even visit the blackened slopes of Mount Vesuvius itself. The brooding old volcano last erupted back in 1944, and a visit to it makes for a strange, quite exhilarating counter point to all the teeming life unfolding down below.

The actual city centre is one of the largest in Europe, and comes complete with a string of magnificent historical gems. Teatro di San Carlo is the oldest opera house in Italy, as well as the largest. For that must have slice of Neapolitan pizza, check out one of the many sun splashed cafes that fringe the edges of the main square of Piazza del Plebescito.

I would also recommend the imposing, thirteenth century Castel Nuovo as a sight well worth seeing. This is pretty much within walking distance of the ship, and it is a prime example of medieval power politics; a vast, brooding colossus that still dominates the area around it. The entire city was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO back in 1995.

Getting there: the city centre is pretty much within walking distance from where your ship docks at the Stazione Maritima. For Pompeii, trains from Naples are frequent, and the journey takes about forty minutes each way. The cost is around 2.50 Euros.
Otherwise, you can take a bus to Pompeii from Naples. These run every half hour and, as with the trains, journey time is around forty minutes, and the cost around 2.50 euros.

Rome. A film set brought to life. From the chariot races of Ben Hur to Audrey Hepburn’s winsome Sabrina, the Italian capital has been portrayed in a hundred different ways. Five thousand years of matchless, incredible history on show for all to see.
And yet nothing prepares you for the real thing.
From the hulking, ruined grandeur of the Coliseum to the cool, ordered grace of the Pantheon, Rome is a living, breathing testament to human ingenuity and cruelty on an epic scale. Gangs of visiting school children eat ice cream in the same seats where people once watched glaidators fight to the death. Unheeding throngs stroll past the balcony from which Mussolini once blustered and threatened the world. As always, the ice cream remains world class.
Trevi Fountain is a pleasant diversion for a few minutes but, truth be told, you won’t need to throw in a coin to want to return. Far more monumental are Bernini’s epic fountains that form the centre piece of Piazza Navona, the people watching epicentre of this teeming city at any hour of the day and night.

The attractions come and go like drum rolls. The vast, imperious dome of Saint Peter’s is best seen from its cool, colonnaded courtyard, lined with hundreds of statues- another Bernini masterpiece. The Vatican is a sublime, overpowering brew of imperial might and papal majesty that draws hordes of awe struck visitors. Michelangelo’s sublime ceiling in the Sistine Chapel is one of the most jaw dropping art works ever accomplished, and worth visiting the city for on it’s own.

A chain of vast, ornate bridges vault nimbly across the swirling sprawl of the ancient River Tiber. The brave of heart can take a spine chilling descent to the famous Roman catacombs.Or you could simply enjoy a languid stroll down the broad,expansive spread of the Spanish Steps.
The stark, silent remains of the Forum still seem to echo with the murderous cries of Caesar’s assassins. The remnants of stunted doric columns still glint eerily in the mid day sun. And the amazing Arch of Constantine is a beautiful, ageless sight; perfectly formed, yet still an apt testament to the raw power of the man who commissioned it.

Rome today is a city of tourists, backpackers, and gangs of motor scooters that buzz through the city like hordes of maddened wasps. A peerless brew of the ancient and the modern, and once a powerhouse of the ambitious and the arcane alike.

Getting there: From the port of Civitavecchia, trains run to Rome ergularly, and take about an hour and twenty minutes in either direction. There are a few stations in Rome; make sure that you get off and on at Roma Termini.
Taxis in Civitavecchia are not exactly plentiful, and taking one to Rome will be expensive.

Getting the best out of all this in a short time is a tall order, but it can be done. You should certainly stroll the sublime expanse of the Ponte Vecchio, to get a real idea of how Renaissance Italians traded and lived from day to day. Part building, part stock exchange and all river spanning bridge, the Ponte Vecchio is, quite possibly, unique. It is certainly a world wide icon.

The world famous Uffizi Gallery dates back to 1560. It is almost awash with masterpieces but, if you do go, I advise getting a ticket in advance. In summer the lines can take up to five hours to move. The cool, marble replica of Michelangelo’s David is still in place to this day.

The Fountain of Neptune is a stunning brew of marble and masterful, ornate carvings. Nearby, the city’s trademark is without doubt the imperious Duomo cathdral, still the largest such brick and mortar building in the world Together with its nearby baptistry and bell tower, it gives the medieval masterpiece a still beating heart that thousands flock to see, year in and out. The entire city was declared a World Heritage Centre in 1982.

I’d also recommend taking in the Palazzo Vecchio, a swaggering bell tower and castle in one building. It has a vast, imposing façade and looming battlements that have witnessed some of the greatest events in European history. The footsteps of Leonardo, Machiavelli and numerous others still echo in the side streets of this tremendous, crowded city of lore and legend to this day.

Also near the centre is the Piazza della Republica, an enormous square flanked by numerous, umbrella shaded pavement cafes. One of the most famous is the Giubbe Rosse, once famed as an artists and writers hang out, and a long time Florentine favourite. It begs your indulgence for a spot of laid back people watching; an ideal distraction after a hectic few hours of admiring the monumental glut of overblown grandeur that Florence flaunts at almost every single turn.

Getting there: From Livorno train station, trains run to Florence once an hour every day, except for Sundays. The journey time is around 90 minutes, and costs around eighteen euros in second class (or twenty-four in first). For the sake of convenience, the latest return train you should consider leaves from Florence at 3.27 each afternoon.

With time at a premium, you’ll want to concentrate on the best sights. St. Mark’s Square was described by Napoleon as ‘the finest drawing room in Europe’ and it’s easy to see why. It’s like a Canaletto brought vividly to life: the vast, imposing edifice of St. Mark’s Basilica and the cool, lofting elegance of the Campanile, or bell tower, stand out like random exclamation marks. Cafes throng the edges, with concerto orchestras filling the air. Swarms of fattened pigeons flood the evening sky at sunset, as the tourists go back to their hotels.
A gondola ride is, of course, a great way to glide along the spider’s web of canals that thread their way through this amazing sea city. Make sure you check the prices first, to be on the safe side.
Just off Saint Mark’s square, you can see the beautiful, magisterial sprawl of the Doge’s Palace, with its vaulting, colonnaded archways right on the water’s edge, and the famous, diminutive Bridge of Sighs, named for the prisoners who crossed it on their way to jail-or worse.

You have to try a Bellini while you’re here; it’s a delicious local confection of prosecco and peach juice. The famous Harry’s Bar is close to San Marco but, for the real thing, linger over a Bellini in the tranquil courtyard of the famous Danieli hotel. It’s like being in part of another world.

Perhaps take a water bus along the Grand Canal to get a bird’s eye view of the looming Italianate shops and restaurants that flank it along both flanks. Or, if time allows, you could even take a ride out to Venice Lido, with it’s gorgeous, honey coloured beach lined with bathing huts, beautiful rows of fragrant plane trees, and pretty pavement cafes washed by a warm breeze.

And don’t even think of leaving without trying the world’s best ice cream. Enjoy gelato as you window shop. Good buys include the local, exquisite Murano glass, as well as leather. Whatever you do in Venice, simply enjoy this sublime, scintillating sea city.

Getting around: Cruise ships dock at the top end of Venice. You can take the people mover (it’s about a ten minute walk from the terminal) into the centre of Piazzale Roma for one euro each way. From there, you can enjoy a leisurely stroll to St. Mark’s Square in around half an hour. You can also take a water bus (vaporetto) directly to the square for around eight euros. A taxi from the terminal will cost upwards of ten euros.

The Cathedral traces it’s genesis back to 1064, and at one time it was the largest of it’s kind in Europe. It was paid for with the booty ransacked from an attacking Arab fleet. An elliptical dome- the first of it’s kind in Europe- was added in 1380. Again, the Romanesque edifice is sheathed in vast amounts of cool, clean marble. It looks incredible in the sparkling Italian summers. At one time, this was the largest cathedral on mainland Europe.
Rounding out the trio is the classical, circular Baptistry. Work began on this in the middle of the twelfth century. The plain, quite stark interior has marvellous acoustics, and makes for a great contrast with the ornate, overly fussed exterior, again clad in trademark marble.

There is also a beautiful, haunting cemetery, enclosed within low , white walls, where many of Pisa’s prominent and wealthy citizens were buried. Heavily damaged during the war, it has now been largely restored.
The cumulative effect of this extraordinary trio of buildings is quite overwhelming, and well worth a few hours of anybody’s life. I definitely recommend a minimum of two hours to really see the sights in depth. The entire complex is a stunning exclamation mark in the history of medieval Europe; one truly worthy of your attention.

Getting there: Trains run hourly from Livorno main station to Pisa. The journey is around fifteen minutes, and costs around two euros. A half hourly bus service takes around forty-five minutes, and costs around three euros.

Your first view of Sorrento is sublime; soaring limestone cliffs that stretch off to infinity, topped by a string of ornate, elegant hotels in shades of ochre, cream and red. They resemble nothing so much as brightly coloured trimmings on top of a cake. And if there is one thing that Sorrento is truly rich in, it is in an amazing, vibrant smorgasbord of colours, sights and smells that stay with you long after you leave it behind.

From atop those same cliffs, your ship will look like a toy boat, frozen on a limpid blue sea like a fly in amber. The heady scent of lemon groves and the whimsical lilt of a violin makes your first glass of limoncello just taste that much sharper. It could truly only be Italy.

The broad main square of Piazza Tasso opens out from the scintillating boardwalk along and near the cliff tops. From it’s indolent cafes, you can gaze across at the silent black mass of Mount Vesuvius, mercifully unheard from since its last eruption in 1944.

Archaeology buffs will enjoy the Museo Correale, and the relatively small fourteenth century cathedral that forms a focal point of this upper level. The main shopping street is the Via San Cesareo, adjacent to the bustle of Piazza Tasso.

But the most spectacular sights lie along the famous Amalfi Drive, with its sinuous hairpin bends that look down on serried tiers of houses, clinging to the cliff faces at seemingly impossible angles. This is not a journey for the faint hearted, but it is truly exhilarating and, for photography lovers, it really is a dream come true.

From the main harbour, you can take a hydrofoil to fabled Capri or even Ischia, if time allows. Be sure to be aware of the return trip times as well.

Down on the waterfront, a series of large, wooden lidos point out into the sparkling Mediterranean like gaunt, spindly fingers. Lined with umbrella shaded deck chairs and private, for hire cabanas, they allow you to indulge in la dolce vita on your own terms. These usually charge an admission fee, but it is not overly extortionate.

Near the tender dock at Marina Piccola are a few pleasant little bars and cafes that look out over the ocean. There are a handful of shops selling souvenirs, and a small, spiky sliver of a beach used by some of the locals.

Getting there: tenders land passengers directly at the Marina Piccola. There are usually local shuttle buses that will take you up to Piazza Tasso for a nominal fee, although many cruise lines also supply their own. You can walk uphill comfortably in around twenty minutes, but the ascent is long, steep and winding, and not ideal for anyone with any mobility impairment.