FROM MALTA TO NAPLES
ITINERARY 2025
Steve & Jackie Green with INSPIRE
Steve & Jackie Green
Sail again with INSPIRE
June 23 - July 2, 2025
From Malta to Naples
Aboard the Legendary
SEA CLOUD SPIRIT
Eleven Day Core Itinerary
Monday, June 23, 2025
Depart United States
Depart the United States for overnight transatlantic flights to Malta International Airport (MLA).
Tuesday, June 24
Arrive in Valletta, Malta
Valletta, Malta
Hop in a taxi and arrive at your hotel: Valletta’s grand dame, The Phoenicia, or the brand new Hyatt Regency in the heart of St. Julian’s Bay. Both properties are fresh and welcoming. Be sure to arrive early enough to join the group for a Welcome Dinner with your fellow sailors at The Phoenicia this evening.
Wednesday, June 25
Valletta, Malta & Embarkation
Every ship at sea has an official port of registry, as indicated by the lettering on the vessel stern and the national flag onboard. Since its inception, SEA CLOUD SPIRIT has flown the red-and-white flag which depicts the eight-pointed Maltese Cross. The port of Valletta is emblazoned across her stern. Today she is delighted to invite us to her birthplace, beckoning us to explore the bright island nation of Malta she calls home.
Dubbed “the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen,” Valletta was founded in 1566 by the fabled Knights of St. John as part of their campaign against the Ottoman Empire. Appropriately, we will start our touring at St. John’s Co-Cathedral, an excellent example of high Baroque artistry combined with subtle engineering. It has fulfilled dual roles as a military installation and religious center. The carvings and paintings that fill St. John’s from floor to ceiling detail the life of this beloved saint. And his death!
A must-see is Caravaggio’s monumental painting, The Beheading of John the Baptist. We have also arranged an exclusive tour of the Grand Master’s Palace, historically the residence of the head of the Order of the Knights of Saint John, but now home to Malta’s Parliament.
After our exploration, there awaiting us is our home-away-from-home, SEA CLOUD SPIRIT, our beloved sailing yacht, faithfully prepared with her gilded masthead and gleaming white hull, this three-masted sailing ship representing a bygone era will be the star attraction in port. Once everyone has been welcomed aboard with a refreshing beverage, the lines are loosed and SEA CLOUD SPIRIT slips out into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Maltese coastline begins to fade on the port-side horizon. Another maritime adventure has begun.
St. John's Co-Cathedral
Thursday, June 26
Siracusa, Sicily
Ortigia Island
Ear of Dionysius
Perhaps you have read from Acts 28 where we find the story of the Apostle Paul sailing to Syracuse and staying there for three days on his way to trial in Rome? Home to Archimedes, the Father of Mathematics, and deemed the epicenter of Magna Graecia, (Latin for “Great Greece”) during Roman rule, the colorful history of Siracusa goes back to the 8th century BC when it was a Greek trading colony.
Sitting at one of the crossroads of the ancient Mediterranean world, the port city became a melting pot over the centuries— Phoenicians first, then the Greeks, followed by Roman, Spanish, Arabic, Norman, and French influences. And let’s not forget General Patton’s U.S. Seventh Army, blazing through Sicily in July, 1943 on their way to the European continent after finishing off Rommel in North Africa. We will only stop over for a few hours this afternoon.
Two tours are planned today—one focused on the Ancient Greek and Roman theaters and the Paradise Quarry where you can experience the acoustics of the famous Ear of Dionysius. The other affords leisurely wandering-around time in the Old City, Ortigia Island, with its cobblestone roads and palaces of varied architectural styles from past centuries.
Friday, June 27
Strait of Messina
Today we relish our first full day at sea. With no port calls today, sleep in if you wish. Join the chefs for a mid-morning Seamen’s Brunch up on the Lido Deck. You will have no shortage of Sicilian coastal views, port-side, the live Mt. Etna rising mightily in the distance.
As our captain navigates the SEA CLOUD SPIRIT skillfully through the Strait of Messina, the once-fearsome Mediterranean channel separating Sicily and Italy, we recall the mythological characters of Scylla and Charybdis which beset Greek hero Odysseus on his voyage.
Officers on the open bridge are always delighted to explain the operations of our historic vessel, slicing through the strong currents of the Strait. Guided visits can also be arranged if you would like to inspect the engine room.
Strait of Messina
Saturday, June 28
Palermo, Sicily
Monreale Cathedral Cloister
Today we venture into Palermo, Sicily’s northwestern capital city elegantly framed by fertile plains of citrus groves and peaks of the Madonie mountain range. Our must-visit sites include the Norman Palace, initially constructed as an Arab military fortress at the highest point of elevation in the city, which, following Norman conquest in the early 11th century, was transformed to become the royal palace of the rulers of Sicily, replete with gilded apartments and opulent interiors.
Within the royal complex we will tour the Palatine Chapel, largely regarded to be one of the most stunning chapels in all of Italy for its intricate layers of Arab, Byzantine, and Norman craftsmanship -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site and impressive multi-cultural cooperation for the ages!
We venture just outside the city to the Monreale Cathedral to admire similar mosaic artistry on a much larger scale. This grand cathedral was in fact built to rival the beauty of the Palatine Chapel during King William II’s reign. The Byzantine mosaics here, whose restoration took 10 years of attentive toil, amass one of the largest collections in existence, depicting an Old Testament cycle, the life of Christ, and lives of St. Peter and St. Paul.
We retire to the ship this evening with today’s vivid Biblical imagery animating conversation and impossible to forget.
Sunday, June 29
Lipari & Aeolian Islands
This morning we anchor by the coast of Lipari, the largest and most populated of the Aeolian Islands, named for the mythical god of the winds, Aeolus. Boasting an intriguing and distinguished history as well as charming cobbled streets lined with flower-bedecked window sills, the day is yours to explore this island as you wish. Your adventures might include a visit to the fortified, impressive castello and former Lipari city center, or a leisurely stroll along the seafront, sunbathing with a cool beverage in hand. May we suggest you wander through the town center to pay a Lord’s Day visit to the Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew, long regarded as the center of worship for the entirety of the Aeolian archipelago? As you seek out sustenance, remember that coastal dishes speckled with capers, goat cheese, fresh herbs, eggplant, nuts can be found in abundance.
Depending on those fabled winds and our speed-of-advance under sail, we hope to reach a quiet anchorage just off the volcanic island of Stromboli for tonight’s barbecue on deck. As darkness falls, we hope to see the red-hot glow of molten lava on the uppermost slopes of the volcano. On three previous SEA CLOUD trips, we have seen the fiery spectacle of an eruption every time!
Stromboli
Monday, June 30
Day at Sea
Travelers have a unique pleasure on this voyage, specifically arranged by your trip hosts: A second day of repose at sea. As we sail north towards the Amalfi Coast, take this opportunity to enjoy the inimitable views from and comforts of the SEA CLOUD SPIRIT. Warm on the sundeck with a book from the ship’s library, or set out to learn the name of a crew member and hear one of their stories at sea.
Sea Cloud Spirit, Sun Deck
Tuesday, July 1
Amalfi
Amalfi
As we slept last night, SEA CLOUD SPIRIT crept around the jagged coastline and eased into the Bay of Salerno. We wake this morning to a sailor’s view of the town of Salerno. Legend has it that Hercules loved a girl named Amalfi, whose premature death led him to bury her in the adjacent town of Amalfi—the most beautiful place in the world. Amalfi was once one of Italy’s greatest maritime powers, rivaling neighbors Genoa and Venice during the height of its glory in the 11th century. Its demise came with twin disasters in the 14th century—a sea quake (like tsunamis in the Indian and Pacific Oceans) and a subsequent plague. It wasn’t until the 19th century—when the scenic beauty and wonder of Amalfi’s coastline were rediscovered by European artists and travelers—that the area began enjoying more prosperity and fame.
We come ashore at Amalfi via SEA CLOUD SPIRIT’s tenders, where our local guides escort us through the city’s narrow streets to Duomo di Sant’ Andrea— the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. Saint Andrew’s colorful, brightly decorated façade dominates the adjacent piazza. Tradition holds that the remains of the disciple Andrew are buried in the church’s crypt. After a short tour of the cathedral and its neighboring cloister, we’ll be free to browse the town’s shops and tavernas before returning to SEA CLOUD SPIRIT for our final evening on board.
Wednesday, July 2
Disembarkation, Pompeii & Naples Extension
This morning we dock in the port of Naples at the base of Mount Vesuvius. Disembarkation follows our last breakfast on board and a heartfelt farewell from the SEA CLOUD SPIRIT captain and crew. For those who need to return to the USA, a coach will deliver you to the airport in Naples for your flight (please make your return reservation for after 9:15am). For those who wish to extend the adventure, you are invited to spend the day visiting one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites.
July 2 - 3
Pompeii & Naples Extension
Grand Hotel Parker's
At sunrise, we should be nearing the modern port of Pozzuoli near the city of Naples. In the first century, when the Apostle Paul landed here on his way to Rome (Acts 28:13), this same harbor was called Puteoli. Naples is also the undisputed birthplace of America’s favorite food, pizza pie!
Our morning excursion will take us to the astonishing archaeological site of ancient Pompeii. With the eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii was quickly engulfed in a storm of ash, essentially freeze-framing the city and leaving an archaeological “snapshot” of daily life in a Roman city of the first century. Prepare to be awed by the sophistication of Pompeii’s art and culture, but simultaneously moved by the sense of tragedy—ordinary people and everyday scenes preserved in the suffocating ash spewed by Vesuvius.
After lunch, we will explore the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. Among its treasures are valuable relics from the ruins of Pompeii and neighboring Herculaneum, as well as an impressive display of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts.
Relish a luxurious evening at Grand Hotel Parker’s. In the origin city of many delectable Campanian dishes, holding the most Michelin stars in any province, dinner is with whoever and wherever you choose.
Thursday, July 3
Departure
Return home with hearts full of warm memories of a vibrant summer in Italy. We hope your faith and understanding and love of Scripture grew during your journey.
NAPLES EXTENSION PRICE INCLUSIONS
Accommodation at Grand Hotel Parker’s, Naples on July 2 • Full breakfast and porterage • Lunch on July 2 • Complete tour package with expert local guides, luxury motor coach transport, and entrance fees • All gratuities for services
Sea View Accomodations: $1,490/person
City View Accomodations: $1,090
Single Supplement for City View Room: $390
(prices based on 25 travelers)
Map of Your Journey
