SPECIAL OFFER - SAVE £200 PER PERSON the fabled adriatic A VOYAGE FROM DUBROVNIK TO VALLETTA INCLUDING THE BALKANS, PUGLIA & SICILY ABOARD THE MS MONET 23RD APRIL TO 3RD MAY 2022 Otranto uring this delightful voyage from the magnificent city of Dubrovnik to the grand harbour of Valletta we will explore the beautiful Adriatic with its intense blue sea, picturesque coastlineD and charming villages, towns and cities. We have designed our itinerary to combine CROATIA time in the Balkans, Puglia, the heel of Italy, and Sicily, all of which are easy to visit ITALY MONTENEGRO individually but difficult to combine independently in a ten night trip. The whole coastline Dubrovnik Kotor ALBANIA offers a wealth of historical and natural world wonders and our voyage will be particularly Monopoli Durres Alberobello enjoyable as it includes some daytime sailing, allowing for time to relax on deck as you enjoy Ostuni Lecce Otranto the stunning views, as well as some time at leisure to explore under your own steam. Brindisi Crotone Late spring is the perfect time for our journey as the summer crowds have yet to arrive SICILY but the weather is ideal for touring and sightseeing. Our voyage combines some ‘must Syracuse see’ sites together with little known and rarely visited places that are totally unsuitable for MALTA Valletta vessels larger than ours. We will visit wonderful Medieval towns and explore fascinating ancient sites including Albania’s coastal city of Durres with its Roman amphitheatre and the beautiful Sicilian city of Syracuse with its ancient Doric Temple of Apollo. A highlight for many will be our exploration of Kotor, Montenegro’s 14th century walled fortress town fronted by a sublime bay and surrounded by limestone cliffs. In addition we have three full days to discover the delightful region of Puglia with its prehistoric dwellings, traditional trulli abodes and splendid Baroque architecture. This heady mix of ports is certainly one of our most fascinating itineraries and, with a maximum of just 50 guests, our trips ashore will be a pleasure as we explore with our Guest Speaker and local guides, adding immeasurably to our knowledge of the region. The Itinerary Day 1 London to Dubrovnik, finally Turkey. This morning our World Heritage Site. This really is Day 4 Durres, Albania. Arrive in Croatia. Fly by scheduled flight. local guides will lead us through an extraordinary place full of Albania at the coastal city of Durres Arrive this afternoon and transfer to the bustling old town taking in the marvellous architecture and which was colonised by the Greeks in the MS Monet. Enjoy welcome beautiful civic buildings, the pretty town squares. Our tour will 627 BC and still has the remains of a drinks and dinner as we moor Rector’s Palace, the Romanesque- include the 12th century 15,000 seat amphitheatre, the overnight. Gothic Dominican and Franciscan Cathedral of St Tryphon, the second largest in the Balkans. This Monasteries and the Sponza ancient town gates, the Maritime morning we will head inland to Day 2 Dubrovnik & Kotor, Palace. Return to the ship for an Museum and Romanesque Tirana where we will see the Montenegro. Dubrovnik is a afternoon at sea. Be on deck in churches including St Luke’s. fascinating nuclear bunker built by breathtaking sight and its many the late afternoon as we sail Return to the ship for lunch and the dictator Enver Hoxha in the historic and cultural treasures have through the stunning fjord-like enjoy the afternoon to explore at 1970s and only recently opened to earned it the designation as a scenery into Kotor where we moor your own pace. Those feeling the public. This underground UNESCO World Heritage Site. overnight. active may wish to take the building is packed with original Founded by the Romans in the 7th strenuous climb to the Castle of artefacts from the communist period. century, it eventually came under Day 3 Kotor. On a morning San Giovanni which offers Afterwards continue walking through the influence of the Byzantine walking tour we will explore this wonderful views over the bay the city centre to see the mosque, Empire, then Venice, Hungary and Medieval town and UNESCO and town below. Clock Tower and the “Bloku” area of www.noble-caledonia.co.uk Kotor Medieval gate, Durres Lecce Trulli houses the city. After lunch at a local farm we will enjoy a tasting along with a atmosphere which we will often referred to as ‘The Florence we return to Durres to visit the talk on the wine production. Return experience as we walk through the of the South’ with its amazing Medieval city and the to the ship for lunch and a free meandering, narrow and picturesque collection of Baroque architecture. Archeological Museum before afternoon in Monopoli where you streets of the old town which lead to A guided walk will include a visit to sailing in the late afternoon. can wander through the historic the impressive 15th century the beautifully decorated Santa centre, visit the cathedral or see the cathedral, a beautiful example of Croce Basilica and Piazza Duomo, Day 5 Monopoli & Alberobello, Castello di Carlo V. Apulian Romanesque style. Spend considered one of the finest and Italy. Arriving into Italy we drive the afternoon at leisure in Brindisi, most impressive squares in into the Puglian countryside which Day 6 Brindisi & Ostuni. From our maybe take a stroll along the southern Italy. We return to the ship is scattered with ‘trulli’, limestone berth in Brindisi we head to the waterfront promenade and see the for lunch and the afternoon is free dwellings built with dome or “White City” of Ostuni, so called Roman Arch which marks the end of to explore Otranto independently, conical roofs. We will enjoy a due to the almost blinding sunlight the Roman Road “Via Appia” used maybe walk the winding streets or pleasant walk in Alberobello, a reflecting on the walls of its by pilgrims, soldiers and traders as along the seaside promenade. The fairy-tale trulli village and a whitewashed dwellings. Ostuni has a they travelled to Greece and the highlight is the wonderful cathedral UNESCO World Heritage Site and privileged position as it was built on Holy Land. Alternatively, visit the with its Medieval mosaic floor see the St Anthony Church also three hills and from the top of the 12th century Tempio di San Giovanni created by the monk, Pantaleone, built in trullo style. Afterwards we town you can enjoy a stunning view al Sepolcro or wander the palm-tree between 1163 and 1165. You can visit ‘Cantina Albea’ and its wine of the Adriatic coast from which lined Corso Garibaldi. also see the Chapel of the Dead museum, home to pictures and Ostuni is separated by an ocean of which shows the bones and skulls of old instruments used in the past centuries-old olive trees. The town Day 7 Otranto & Lecce. After 813 martyrs killed by the invading for the production of wine, where has maintained its Medieval breakfast we will drive to Lecce, Turks in 1480. Monopoli harbour Ostuni ‘Ear of Dionysius’ Day 8 Crotone. The Calabrian port Paradise Quarry, now an attractive Valletta of Crotone is on the site of the garden and orange grove, was the ancient Greek City of Kroton. Whilst primary source of that limestone little remains of the Greek city, it and is the site of the curious ‘Ear of was one of the most important Dionysius’, a vast grotto with an settlements of Magna Graecia, amplifying resonance. We will where Pythagoras set up a school in continue to explore Ortigia old 530 BC and whose athletes were town where we will find the Temple very successful at the Olympic of Apollo, considered to be Sicily’s Games. We will take a scenic drive most ancient Doric temple and the inland this morning to Santa Baroque cathedral, erected over the Severina, one of Italy’s prettiest remains of the Temple of Minerva. towns overlooking the Neto River There will be free time this valley. We will explore the majestic afternoon to explore from our Carafa Castle which was built by the central berth before we sail this Normans in 1076 and is surrounded evening. by strong, crenellated walls with a moat on three sides and containing Day 10 Valletta, Malta. Arrive this intricate underground labyrinths morning in the grand harbour of and stables, with the remains of Valletta, the 16th century “Fortress Medieval frescoes. Also see the City” built by the Knights of St cathedral, the beautiful Byzantine John. Our tour will include the baptistery and wander the town’s highlights of Valletta with its tangled streets. On our return to stunning views across the harbour the ship we will stop at one of the from the Barakka Gardens. We will vineyards that produces the famous explore Merchants Street, Calabrian wine, Ciro, for a tasting containing the surviving auberges accompanied by typical Calabrian built by the Knights of St John of PRICES PER PERSON food. Spend the afternoon at sea as Jerusalem, together with the palace Based on double occupancy we sail to Sicily. where Napoleon Bonaparte is SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE £200 PER PERSON believed to have stayed in 1798. FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY Day 9 Syracuse, Sicily. Syracuse Our final stop will be at St John’s was one of the main cities of the Cathedral. After lunch on board the Brochure Special Offer ancient “Magna Graecia” (the afternoon is free to relax or join a Cat Cabin Description Price Price Great Greece) founded by the drive to Mdina. Originally given the D Twin/Double with portholes on Camille/Parisien Deck £3995 £3795 Greeks in 734 BC.