Sea Cloud crossed the Adriatic through a calm night before our first stop in Italy. We land in Otranto, on the east side of Apulia. The castle, with so much to tell us about past invasions and defenses, is just at the center of the bay where Sea Cloud docked. We first explored Lecce, the baroque capital of Southern Italy, and Otranto will be our afternoon stop. The weather forecast is hot—but that’s not a problem. We all know that Lecce, in addition to its baroque treasures, is the capital of gelato. Do we need a better excuse to visit such place?
10/3/2024
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Sea Cloud
Amalfi and Napoli, Italy
Anticipating rough weather, we woke early today to attempt a morning visit to the city of Amalfi. Unfortunately, the seas were already too rough to safely disembark, and we were compelled to make other plans. We instead spent a quiet morning at sea, including a presentation by National Geographic-Lindblad Historian Rebecca on shipwreck archaeology, a fitting topic for a ship prudently avoiding rough weather. Today’s lunch on the lido deck featured the famous Sea Cloud pasta wheel, a large wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano in which a delectable pasta is prepared. We managed to dock in Napoli around midday, and interested guests accompanied Expedition Leader John on a walk around some of Napoli’s historic neighborhoods. Our leisurely walk took us past the medieval Castel Nuovo, through the soaring Galleria of Umberto I, and alongside the expansive Royal Palace of Napoli. Back aboard Sea Cloud this evening, we enjoyed the guest slide show during cocktail hour followed by one final, sumptuous dinner in the ship’s elegant dining room.
