St. Peter's, with its breathtaking Sistine Chapel, newly restored to its former glory; the Spanish Steps, where all Rome passes by; the Colosseum, where gladiators fought to the death, and the Pantheon, considered to be the most perfect architectural statement of the ages.

Embark on Star Clipper and set sail this evening. 

From his villa in Portoferraio, Napoleon, the exiled Emperor of France, looked out over the waiting ships in the harbour and dreamed of returning to glory. Enjoy a local vineyard tour, and near Portoferraio, discover the remains of an ancient Etruscan civilisation.

It was in the Villa Magni near Lerici that Percy Bysshe Shelley spent his last happy days before sailing his small boat on its stormy fatal voyage on July 8, 1822. Lord Byron, another Lerici literary resident, once swam across what is now called the “Golfo dei Poeti.” The small fishing villages of San Terenzo, Tellaro and Fiascherino and Montemarcello are similar to the more famous Cinque Terre.

Portofino is a fishing village on the Italian Riveria coastline. It's pastel-coloured houses, luxury boutiques and seafood restaurants surround its Piazzetta, a small cobbled square overlooking the harbor, which is lined with super-yachts. A short walk takes you up to the Church of St. George, a church with a cool, plain interior, dramatically situated on the narrow neck of the Portofino headland. As a lookout point, and probably as a site of religious significance, the spot goes back thousands of years.

Monaco is the fabled domain of princes and movie stars. The magnificent Palais du Prince and opulent casinos remind you of an elegant, pre-war era. With more wealth concentrated in one small area than almost any place on earth, this tiny principality retains its gilt edged allure.

Glittering Cannes is the archetypal Mediterranean resort city discovered by wealthy English nobles who came to the sunny south of France to escape their drafty old castles during the dreary British winters. Cannes’ high flying lifestyle has attracted notables and the notorious ever since. Every year, the stars flock to celebrate the Cannes Film Festival at the colossal Palais des Festivals.