Rome & Sicily

Baroque-en hearted? Revive your spirits with a walk past Rome's most beautiful and unusual Baroque fountains. At the foot of the Spanish Steps, elegant cafes once favored by visiting Brits and Americans surround the central fountain. The water pressure here was so low that the artist had to sink the fountain into the ground to get any water going through it, so he went ahead and designed the fountain to look like a sinking ship. There's no shortage of water pressure at the nearby Trevi Fountain, a Baroque extravagance designed by master sculptor Bernini. At the Pantheon you'll see the largest concrete dome ever constructed. An oculus, or hole, in the dome lets sunlight into the beautiful temple, dedicated to all the gods.

Gods and gladiators, glory and gore. Ancient Rome lives on in its spectacular monuments, flavoring the frenetic present with tastes of the past. Don a space-age Whisper headset to get the inside scoop on the most spectacular, the Colosseum, a grisly battle arena that seated more than 45,000. An enormous retractable roof awning system kept spectators cool on sunny days. The nearby Forum provides a glimpse into everyday ancient life, with markets, meeting places, and temples all combined into one vast space. Move into Christian Rome at St. Peter’s Basilica, the triumphal Renaissance church flanked by rows of columns radiating outward like welcoming arms. Within the church Michelangelo’s masterpieces are on display, the “Pietà” in the main church and the recently restored ceiling frescoes and “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel. Continue your trek through time at Piazza Venezia, site of the enormous monument to Victor Emmanuel II, Italy’s first king, and of the Palazzo Venezia, where Mussolini set up his headquarters and from whose porch his mother was said to eavesdrop on citizens below. (The Sistine Chapel is closed on most religious holidays and Sundays, except for the last Sunday in each month).

Perched on the rocky cliffs overlooking the Bay of Naples, Sorrento is a beautiful resort town with stunning views of the sea. From here, the island of Capri is less than an hour away by boat. Always a favorite destination of the international jet-set, Capri still offers glittering beaches and old world glamour.

Weather permitting, you will take a boat to the Blue Grotto, where sunlight reflected from beneath the water bathes the cave in a silver-blue light.

Stop to see the city where time stood still, literally. Once an important Roman city with 20,000 residents, Pompeii was frozen in time nearly 2000 years ago, when Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city under 30 feet of mud and volcanic ash. Forgotten for centuries after the eruption, Pompeii was discovered in the 1600s and is now completely excavated. On your tour you will learn how Romans of all classes lived their lives--not only from large public structures, but from details like political graffiti, bars, and street signs.

As unpredictable and exuberant as Vesuvius itself. Boisterous Naples holds Italy's most theatrical population, as the spontaneous public singing, performing, arguing -- and the inhabitants' flair for overly dramatic driving -- will make immediately apparent. Dive into the chaos and grandeur on a guided sightseeing tour of the third largest city in the country. The Maschio Angioino palace (built in 1282 by the Angevin monarchs and therefore called "The Little Angevin Baby") dominates the Piazza Municipio, while temporary art installations (which have included enormous salt pyramids and giant mountains of old furniture) often stand in the Piazza Plebescito, modeled after Bernini's piazza at St. Peter's. The imposing Castel dell'Ovo has a less imposing translation -- "Egg Castle." Neapolitan legend claims that Virgil hid an egg under lock and key in the basement of the castle, and if that egg ever breaks, calamity will befall all of Naples. The egg seems to be holding up well, though; Naples is as beautiful as ever.

Explore the chaotic and vibrant capital of Sicily, where a mix of Italian, Arab, French, and Phoenician influences -- to name only a few -- has created a culture unique in all of Italy. Islamic filigreed windows throw intricate shadows on 17th-century Baroque cupolas; gold and marble mosaics sparkle in churches while leafy palm trees ruffle in ocean breezes outside. With a licensed local guide, start your tour of this energetic city at the Baroque Quattro Canti ("four corners"), Palermo's central intersection. Head to the Norman Palace, once home to the finest and most learned court in Europe. (Notice the halos on the statues -- they were added to the original Moorish statues when the Christian Normans arrived in 1072 and took over the building.) Step inside La Martorana, one of the few buildings remaining from the Middle Ages, for a peek at its glittering gold Byzantine mosaics. And don't miss the rows of pastry shops selling marzipan, a Sicilian specialty; the sweet almond-paste candy is sculpted and dyed to resemble realistic fruits, vegetables -- even shellfish!

Twinkle, sparkle, shine. Watch light glitter and gleam off the golden mosaics covering the ceiling and walls of the Monreale cathedral, commissioned in 1172 by the Norman King William II. Images from the Old and New Testaments stretch along the church’s interior, depicting the stories of Noah’s ark, Adam and Eve, the Creation, Abraham and Isaac, and others. In the apse reigns Christ Pantocrator, an impressive Byzantine image of Christ as the stern ruler of the universe.

Legend claims that Daedalus, the creator of the original labyrinth, founded the ancient Greek city of Agrigento. Today it’s a maze of amazing ruins. The Valley of the Temples holds the remains of the largest Doric temple in the world as well as the impressive Temple of Concord, a picture-book example of a perfect Greek temple. (Its conversion to a Christian church in the sixth century helps explain its preservation; anti-Paganism teamed up with several earthquakes to topple most of the surrounding structures.)

An earthly paradise. From the ancient Greek theater on a Taormina hilltop, your eye wanders over the violet outline of Mount Etna dominating the skyline, through the almond and lemon groves releasing the fragrance of blossoms and marzipan and lemonade, across bright fishing boats bobbing on the ocean's blue waves to the distant misty view of the Italian mainland hovering above the water. With a licensed local guide, explore the views and history that have enchanted so many, from the ancient Greeks to the Romans to the Moors to the Normans to the Spanish to Francis Ford Coppola, who filmed scenes for "The Godfather" nearby.

Named after the Greek god of wind, the Eolian Islands still have a pleasantly breezy, laidback attitude. Cruise among the volcanic islands where traditional fishing villages and summer resorts peacefully co-exist.