Cruise 574
Italy, Croatia, Tunisia, Libya, Greece
11-25 Oct 2024 15 days Fares from �3025

Cruise Itinerary
Wed 11 Oct London - Venice	Fly from London to Venice to join Minerva.
Thu 12 Oct Venice	We spend the morning in Venice visiting St Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace. An early afternoon's sail into the Adriatic will leave an indelible impression.
Fri 13 Oct Dubrovnik	An afternoon is spent in the walled medieval city of Dubrovnik - now happily restored to its former glory.
Sat 14 Oct At Sea	Time to enjoy the facilities of Minerva - the swimming pool, the Library, or the Card Room.
Sun 15 Oct Porto Empedocle	A morning call in Porto Empedocle for a visit to the Greek site of Agrigento, idyllically situated on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Mon 16 Oct Tunis	Explore the Tunisian capital with visits to Carthage, founded by the formidable Queen Dido; and the Bardo Museum with its unsurpassable collection of mosaics.
Tue 17 Oct Sousse	Our excursions today take us to the Roman amphitheatre at El Djem and the holy city of Kairouan.
Wed 18 Oct Djerba	An afternoon is spent on Djerba, island of the "Lotus Eaters".
Thu 19 Oct Tripoli	Our visits today are to Sabratha, with its excellently preserved pink sandstone theatre and the Tripoli Museum containing many fine exhibits from every period of Libyan history. You may be tempted to opt for the supplementary full-day excursion to Leptis Magna - a site to dwarf even Pompeii.
Fri 20 Oct At Sea	A day to relax by the pool and exchange impressions with friends.
Sat 21 Oct Benghazi	Discover the Roman settlement of Tulmaytha, with its impressive system of water cisterns which, in antiquity, was fed by plentiful rainfall from the Green Mountains. There is also the opportunity to visit the British War Cemetery at Benghazi.
Sun 22 Oct Derna	We explore the ancient province of Cyrenaica, visiting Cyrene and the coastal site of Apollonia, with its early Christian basil
Mon 23 Oct Rethymnon	After a morning at sea we visit the Cretan port of Rethymnon where our walking tour will include the Venetian fort.
Tue 24 Oct Piraeus	Afternoon arrival in Piraeus for the captivating city of Athens, with an opportunity to visit either the National Archaeological Museum or the Acropolis.
Wed 25 Oct Athens - London	Return flight from Athens to London.

Peter Clayton A classical archaeologist who will discuss Greek expansion in the western Mediterranean, the Venetian empire and the Roman influences seen throughout this cruise.

Canon John Hester Knowledge of Islamic history and the many religious connections with the Mediterranean provide Canon Hester with a good understanding of the area visited. The age-old 'conflict' between Christianity and Islam is relevant throughout this cruise.

Rowena Loverance Currently working in the British Museum Education Service she specialises in the Byzantine and Islamic collections. Sculpture, icons, mosaics and early Christian architecture will be seen and discussed on this cruise.

Sir John Ure KCMG CMG LVO Former member of HM Diplomatic Service, has written various books on travel, historical biography and diplomacy. His diplomatic experience of European events is considerable and in this region both classical and contemporary politics are of great interest.