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Cruise Sicily, Malta & Amalfi Coast

Program Overview

Bask in sun-dappled islands at the crossroads of history on this deluxe, seven-night cruise from the
Amalfi Coast to Malta. Visit the UNESCO-inscribed ruins of Pompeii and savor the splendor of the Isle of Capri. Enjoy calls at Palermo, Taormina, ancient Syracuse and Malta’s capital city of Valletta. Join Guest Speaker Dwight David Eisenhower II on a guided tour of a museum devoted to the history of the 1943 Allied landings in Sicily during World War II.

Program Details

June 27 to July 5, 2025 (World Navigator)
From approximately $5,195* plus air View Terms & Conditions
  • Exclusive journey to richly historic, celebrated cities around the Mediterranean, featuring an overnight in Sorrento for additional time to savor the beautiful Amalfi Coast's scenery and ambience.
  • Created in our tradition of innovative programming and educational travel.
  • Access to ports unavailable to larger vessels and included excursions throughout your program.
  • Distinguished guest speaker Dwight David Eisenhower II, noted historian and grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
  • Specially arranged visit with David Eisenhower to a fascinating museum about the 1943 Allied landings in Sicily.
  • Six UNESCO World Heritage sites — Archaeological Area of Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, Syracuse, Arab-Norman Palermo and Cathedral Church of Monreale and Aeolian Islands, Italy, and City of Valletta, Malta.
  • Rome Pre-Tour Extension and Valletta Post‑Tour Extension.

Day 1 - Depart home city

Day 2 - Rome/Civitavecchia/Embark World Navigator

Day 3 - Sorrento/Pompeii/Sorrento

Day 4 - Amalfi Coast/Capri

Day 5 - Palermo

Day 6 - Giadini Naxos/Taormina/Catania/Giadini Naxos

Day 7 - Syracuse

Day 8 - Valletta

Day 9 - Valletta/Disembark ship/Depart home city

World Navigator

This newly constructed small ship, an intimate yacht appointed in retro‑chic elegance, is able to dock in smaller ports inaccessible to larger ships. Each of the 95 suites and staterooms (up to 465 square feet) features a stunning ocean view, and most include a private balcony. All accommodations in your private haven at sea offer a queen-sized bed that can be separated into 2 twin beds, a private bathroom with spa shower, and luxury hotel‑style amenities—including bath products from L’Occitane. Complimentary alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages and Wi-Fi access are available throughout the cruise. All meals aboard ship are included, featuring culinary adventures that rival your discoveries ashore.

View World Navigator Deckplan >

Learn more about The Atlas Ocean Voyages >

Rome Pre-Tour Extension

Begin your Italian journey with a four-day tour of the UNESCO-designated “Eternal City” of Rome. Visit the legendary Colosseum, the ancient Roman Forum and the opulent Vatican Museums. Enjoy deluxe accommodations at an ideally located hotel.

Valletta Post-Tour Extension

Enhance your journey with a two-night immersion in the beautifully preserved, UNESCO‑inscribed town of Valletta, built by the Knights of the Order of St. John in the late 16th century. Visit the UNESCO-inscribed megalithic temple of Hagar Qim to explore the Palace of the Inquisitor and the Tarxien Temples. Accommodations are in the deluxe Grand Hotel Excelsior Malta.

The Optional Extensions are available at additional cost. Details will be provided with your reservation confirmation.

Grandson of General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Professor Dwight David Eisenhower II is a noted historian of World War II and the Cold War. His 1986 bestseller, Eisenhower: At War 1943–1945, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. Eisenhower received a B.A.in history cum laude from Amherst College. Following graduation, he served in the United States Naval Reserve for three years as an officer on the USS Albany; shortly afterward, he earned his J.D. cum laude from The George Washington University Law School. Today, Eisenhower is Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and a Public Policy Fellow at the Annenberg School of Communication and the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches “Communication and the Presidency.”

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Program Itinerary

Day 1 Depart Home City

Depart your home city for Rome, Italy.

Day 2 Rome/Civitavecchia/Embark World Navigator

Arrive at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome.

Those arriving early will transfer to a group hospitality room at a local hotel. After lunch on your own at the hotel or nearby, you will then travel with the group to embark the deluxe World Navigator. Those arriving later will transfer directly to the port for embarkation.

Distinguished Guest Speaker Dwight David Eisenhower II, a noted historian and grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, will also be embarking at this time.

Enjoy dinner on board as we begin our cruise.

Day 3 Sorrento/Pompeii/Sorrento

Savor breakfast on board this morning as the ship arrives in Sorrento, where you will disembark for an excursion to visit Pompeii.

Pompeii. Engulfed by the tephra of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., the ancient city of Pompeii was frozen in time for centuries. Excavated 17 centuries after petrification, the UNESCO World Heritage‑designated ruins intimately reveal Roman daily rituals during Emperor Titus’ reign.

Explore Pompeii on foot to see the wealthy Vetti family estate and the extraordinary amphitheater — the earliest surviving stone amphitheater of the Roman world — and the Temple of Jupiter. You will have the option to return to the ship for lunch or stay in town and find a local café for lunch on your own. Shuttle busses will provide transportation from the port to the Sorrento city center.

Later this afternoon, immerse yourself in Sorrento’s local traditions and curiosities on a walking tour through the historical city center that includes a chance to learn the secrets of limoncello and experience a tasting of the popular Italian liqueur. Those who prefer to continue exploring Sorrento at leisure may opt to do that instead of the tour.

Captain’s Welcome Reception: Join your fellow passengers for the Captain’s Welcome Reception this evening, followed by dinner on board the ship.

Tonight you will be treated to a traditional tarantella performance with traditional Neapolitan songs and dance. Tarantella translates to “dance of the spider.”

Day 4 Amalfi Coast/Capri

This morning you will disembark after breakfast for a morning excursion to the spectacular Amalfi Coast.

Admire the natural splendor of this UNESCO World Heritage‑designated, Mediterranean seascape on a panoramic drive that takes you past its opulent villas and sun‑drenched beaches to the medieval village of Amalfi. Enjoy a short orientation tour and some time on your own to explore the charming local boutiques and cafes. Return to the ship for lunch on board as we sail to Capri.

Disembark this afternoon for a tour of captivating Capri, the island where, legend has it, Homer’s Odysseus resisted the alluring call of the sirens. Visit the Augustus Gardens, a series of serene, flower-filled terraces that afford breathtaking panoramas of the Faraglioni rock formations rising from translucent waters and the craggy peak of Mount Solaro, the highest point on the island. You may also look for the ancient perfumery of the Certosa, Carthusia.

Return to the ship for dinner on board or choose to stay in Capri longer for dinner on your own this evening.

Day 5 Palermo

Enjoy breakfast on board this morning as the ship arrives in the Sicilian capital city of Palermo, which you will disembark for a half-day excursion.

Palermo. Founded by Phoenician traders in the 8th century B.C., Palermo was conquered by the Romans and saw an age of great prosperity after the Arabs claimed it in 831 A.D. The bustling trade center later fell under Norman rule, bringing the various cultures together to create a vibrant ancient metropolis. Today, the city’s wide boulevards, traditional Sicilian Old Quarter and baroque palaces are remnants of its storied past.

Watch Palermo’s history unfold as you explore its Norman section and the Quattro Canti, or Four Corners of the City, walking past the majestic 12th century Duomo of Cefalù cathedral. Step inside the Palatine Chapel, a 12th century masterpiece that reflects Sicily’s diverse origins with European, Sicilian, Byzantine and Arab influences.

Continue to the Capo market, the oldest in Palermo, where you will see and learn about famous Palermo street food such as panelle, arancine, crocchette di patate and pani câ ceusa. Admire colorful stalls featuring an abundance of fruit, vegetables, seafood and meats. Afterward, indulge in a tasting of delicious street food.

Free Time: Enjoy time at leisure to explore Palermo with lunch on your own at one of the cafes or the local market.

This afternoon, travel up the hillside to visit the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Cathedral of Monreale — one of the greatest examples of Norman architecture, known for its magnificent Byzantine mosaics.

Return to the ship for dinner on board this evening.

Day 6 Giardini Naxos/Taormina/Catania/Giardini Naxos

Be on deck for breakfast this morning as we cruise past the Aeolian Island of Stromboli, the “Lighthouse of the Mediterranean” — a volcano mildly active for over two millennia.

The ship will arrive in at the port of Giardini Naxos, where you will travel with the group to Taormina.

Taormina.  Founded by Siculi (an ancient Sicilian tribe) in the 4th century B.C., this ancient village on the top of a cliff above the Ionian Sea and snow-capped Mount Etna was inhabited by the Greeks from nearby Naxos. The Romans conquered it in 215 B.C. and continued to flourish until it was destroyed by the Arabs in 902 A.D. It was later rebuilt in 1079 A.D., conquered by Ruggero d’Altavilla (founder of the monarchy of Sicily and the first Count of Sicily) and his Normans, and evolved into a commercial and cultural center. It was the center of Sicilian culture and commerce during the medieval era and today offers stunning views of the Calabria coastline.

A guided walking tour takes you along the Corso Umberto — Taormina’s vibrant, cobblestone main street — to the archeological site of the Roman Odeon, the “small theater” built in 21 B.C. Visit the remarkably preserved, ancient Greco-Roman Theatre, the most dramatically sited Greek theater in the world that’s still in use today. You will also explore the 14th century Gothic‑Catalan‑style Corvaia Palace.

Return to the ship for lunch on board, followed by an excursion with Guest Speaker Dwight David Eisenhower II to visit a World War II museum in nearby Catania that chronicles the legendary Allied landings in Sicily from July 10 to September 8, 1943.

Return to the ship for dinner on board this evening. Alternately, you may choose to remain in Taormina and make your own plans for dinner. There will be time to explore the town on your own this evening, if you wish.

Day 7 Syracuse

The ship arrives in Syracuse this morning as you enjoy breakfast on board.

Syracuse. Extolled for its grandeur since classical antiquity, enchanting Syracuse reached its zenith of influence as an intellectual milieu under Dionysius the Elder 350 years after Greek colonists first settled here in 734 B.C. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage site is an open‑air museum of well‑preserved monuments.

Discover the city’s ancient past on a visit to the Neapolis Archeological Park, containing some of Syracuse’s most important ruins. See the Altar of Hieron II, a monument dedicated to Zeus and used for public sacrifices, and the Ear of Dyonisius, a limestone cave carved out of the Temenites hill. You will also explore the Roman amphitheater and the Greek theater within the park.

Later this afternoon you will travel to the small island of Oritigia — Syracuse’s maritime heart also known for its street food and markets— for a guided walking tour. Behold the most ancient Doric temple in Sicily, the 6th century B.C. Temple of Apollo, which stands in the remains of Piazza Pancali. The city’s Baroque cathedral incorporates the ruins of a 5th century B.C. temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, where you can admire the unique baptismal font on an inside visit. The landmark Piazza Archimede showcases the dazzling, Baroque‑style Fountain of Diana, adorned with rearing horses, charging tritons and maternal sea nymphs.

Enjoy a wine tasting on a visit to one of the most noble palaces in the area, situated opposite the cathedral. Baron Beneveto, a leading wine producer, will host this special reception.

Return to the ship for dinner on board this evening as we cruise to Malta.

Day 8 Valletta

This morning the ship arrives in Valletta, Malta, for a day of discovery. After breakfast on board the ship, you will disembark to begin your tour.

Valletta. Founded in 1566 by the Knights of St. John, this UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the world’s earliest planned cities. Malta has held a strong connection to Italy and Sicily since 60 A.D., when a shipwrecked Saint Paul the Apostle brought Christianity to the tiny archipelago. Today, it showcases incredible high Baroque, Neoclassical and modern architecture.

Explore the 16th‑century Barrakka Gardens and enjoy vistas of Valletta’s Grand Harbor. Step inside the Grandmaster’s Palace, the former residence of the Order of the Knights of St. John and the seat of Malta’s parliament until 2015, before continuing on a special tour of the 430-year‑old Casa Rocca Piccola. This petite palazzo is home of the Marquis De Piro family and one of the last private unconverted Valletta palaces that still serves as living quarters.

From there you will visit St. John’s Co‑Cathedral, built between 1573 and 1578, exemplifying Baroque architecture with two large bell towers. Admire its lavishly ornamented interior and see Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s only signed work, the dramatic “Beheading of John the Baptist.”

Return to the ship for lunch on board, followed by an afternoon at leisure.

Captain’s Farewell Reception: Join your fellow passengers for the Captain’s Farewell Reception this evening, followed by dinner on board the ship.

Day 9 Valletta/Disembark ship/Return to home city

Following breakfast, disembark and transfer to Valletta International Airport for your return flight home.