Western Mediterranean: Venice - Venice

The floating city of Venice sits on millions of wooden piles and more than 400 bridges cross 150 canals. No other city possesses such an abundance of stunningly beautiful churches, monasteries, palaces, and artistic treasures, and nowhere else has plaster that crumbles so elegantly. Venice is a unique work of art and, with its lagoon, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The gateway to the city is probably the most magical of any in the world. Slowly and majestically you glide past the proud palaces along the Grand Canal and the Basilica di Santa Maria Della Salute, giving you a long look at the fairytale setting of St Mark's Square with the Doge's Palace and Campanile.

Once a lagoon city and substantial naval base, Ravenna is now located around nine kilometers inland from the Adriatic Sea. Its main heyday was between the 5th and 7th centuries when it was the capital of the Western Roman Empire. In this period, the most important early Christian and Byzantine religious buildings were constructed, as well as the delightful mosaics which, like large parts of Ravenna, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Today, the Piazza del Popolo forms the lively heart of the city and creates a magnificent backdrop for colorful modern-day life.

The charming principal town of the small Central Dalmatian island of Hvar is picturesquely situated in a sheltered bay. Today, in the same spot where the Venetian fleet used to spend the winter and the proud republic of the Doges bequeathed its influence, yachts from all over the world bob about and transform this hotspot into the "St Tropez of Croatia". From the sea, you can see the elegant harbor esplanade, the cathedrals with their distinctive bell towers, the old defensive walls and, towering above everything else, the medieval Spanjola fortress. The winding streets of the old town, with its many cafés, bars, and restaurants around the lively main square trodden to shine, have become a picturesque backdrop for today's sophisticated lifestyle.

The Adriatic island of Korcula is one of the greenest in the region. Vineyards and olive groves stretch across rolling hills. The island's main town of the same name is protected by a city wall. It is one of the best-preserved medieval Mediterranean towns. Some buildings evoke the time when the maritime power of Venice ruled. Tintoretto is immortalized in the cathedral, and in one of the narrow streets, you can search for the house where Marco Polo was born.

strong>Split is a city in Central Dalmatia, Croatia. The town was initially built around the Diocletian palace (a palace/fort built for the retired Roman emperor Diocletian) where the locals sought refuge centuries ago. Despite initial appearances, however, the city is not a small tourist town and extends over a large area well beyond the ancient core. With over 300,000 people in the wider bay area, it's the economic hub of the eastern Adriatic shoreline (the unofficial "capital" of Dalmatia). Wandering the historic center of Split you can still clearly see the Roman walls, squares, and temples.

A city on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast is known for the Roman and Venetian ruins of its peninsular Old Town. There are several Venetian gates in the city walls. Surrounding the Roman-era Forum is 11th-century St. Mary’s Convent, with religious art dating to the 8th century. There’s also the grand, 12th-century St. Anastasia’s Cathedral and the round, 9th-century pre-Romanesque church of St. Donatus.

Pula, a seafront city on the tip of Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula, is known for its protected harbor, beach-lined coast and Roman ruins. Settled in the prehistoric era and valued for its strategic location, Pula has been occupied, destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. The Romans, Ostrogoths and Venetians, as well as the Allied Forces in World War II, have each administered the city.

The floating city of Venice sits on millions of wooden piles and more than 400 bridges cross 150 canals. No other city possesses such an abundance of stunningly beautiful churches, monasteries, palaces, and artistic treasures, and nowhere else has plaster that crumbles so elegantly. Venice is a unique work of art and, with its lagoon, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The gateway to the city is probably the most magical of any in the world. Slowly and majestically you glide past the proud palaces along the Grand Canal and the Basilica di Santa Maria Della Salute, giving you a long look at the fairytale setting of St Mark's Square with the Doge's Palace and Campanile.