How a cruise through the Med fulfilled a lifelong dream

Sailing the Med onboard Princess cruises’ newest ship offers a breadth of experience and an invitation to return.

If it is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all, surely it is better to have been than to not have been at all. This question is a constant when cruising the Mediterranean.

The harsh reality is that we will never be able to spend as much time as we would like in most of the places of the world, so all travel decisions are invariably a choice between depth and breadth.

Visiting two small slices of Italy onboard Princess Cruises’ newest ship, Sun Princess, I finally came to peace with this balancing act and appreciated the range that cruising gives travellers.

Exploring Taormina: A dream three decades in the making

From the age of 18, I have been on a quest to visit Taormina, Sicily. Like all life pursuits, it is my mum’s fault. Before I flew the nest on a gap year in 1991, she took some time to share a few of her favourite places in Europe and declared “Taormina is the most beautiful town in Sicily, if not Italy.” She painted a seductive picture of a town wrapped in Phoenician, Roman and Arabic history set against the steep cliffs of the island’s east coast.

To see Taormina, for me, was to live up to the rich life she had lived, and to which I aspired, plus share a bond in appreciating this small piece of Italy. I didn’t make it in 1991. Nor did I get that far south when I lived in London from 2001 to 2003. But now, more than 30 years later, I can fulfil my familial quest.

Corso Umberto in Taormina. (Image: Getty/DaLiu)

Sun Princess docks at Messina at 8am and, by 10am, the coach has traversed the scenic coastal highway and steep switchbacks to arrive at Taormina. Connecting the Porta Catania (the original gates to the old city) to the Teatro Antico (ancient theatre), the Corso Umberto is ‘medieval Europe’ from central casting. Iron balconies jut out over a cobbled lane where the stones have been polished to a sheen by thousands of years of foot traffic.

Explore the Teatro Antico. (Image: Getty/Christopher Moswitzer)

The balconies themselves are alternatively adorned with neat and orderly gardens and all-conquering rebellious flora. A third of the way along the Corso, Piazza IX Aprile offers breathtaking views of the coast. Just past the piazza, it is hard to spot Vicolo Stretto, the smallest laneway in Italy, just 50 centimetres wide.

The shopfronts along Corso Umberto are like Taormina itself: well-maintained. High-end fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton and Dior rub shoulders with more approachable, local designers as well as restaurants and the ubiquitous gelaterias.

The highlight of my four-hour wander is the ancient theatre. The seating has accommodated the behinds of Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans and even Saracens. And now mine. Reboarding Sun Princess, it is impossible for me not to plan to return to Taormina one day for an extended period. But whether I make it or not, at least I have been once.

Soak up the sun on Sicily’s east coast. (Image: Getty/unknown1861)

From Naples to Ischia: Italy’s next big thing

Cruise to Naples, Italy.

I disembark in Naples the following day and jump on a fast ferry to a destination many are picking as the next big thing – Ischia. Less known and developed than her most famous neighbour Capri, Ischia – the largest of the islands in the Bay of Naples – is close to bursting out of the shadows. Expect to see your Instagram flooded with Ischia posts in the coming 24 months.

Ischia is an island to watch. (Image: Getty/todamo)

The Giardini Poseidon Terme (Poseidon’s Garden Spa) is a scenic 30-minute drive from the ferry. Lighthouses punctuate the cliff faces as we weave around headlands and sandy beaches.

Floating between 20 different pools, I spend a slow day taking to the water like a European and chatting to a couple from Geelong, who are enthralled by the entire cruise experience. Their first grand tour of Europe has been the perfect Euro sampler. Many of the destinations on the itinerary are, like Taormina for me, earmarked for a return and extended visit.

The ship’s Wake View Terrace.

Sun Princess highlights onboard and beyond

The Sun Princess cruise is a love affair with Italy. My favourite moments onboard are almost all Italian. The most outstanding meal is at Sabatini’s, the specialty Italian restaurant: the lobster tortellini is not to be missed. Sabatini’s is also the venue for another favourite moment, the Tapas Tuscan Wine Tasting.

Sure, tapas and Tuscan wine sound like a crime against wine-matching, however I would argue it is acceptable when the wines involved are the convention-busting Super Tuscans. Super Tuscans are a controversial and rebellious style of wine, mixing the traditional Tuscan sangiovese grapes with French varietals such as cabernet sauvignon, syrah and merlot. My love affair with Italy is to be continued.

Swoon over the beauty of Sicilian ceramics. (Image: Quentin Long)

For more on Sun Princess, check out my comprehensive review here.