We’ve built this blog around one very simple belief: food and wine aren’t a side note to travel, they’re the reason to go. Whether we’re peeling off from a cruise ship dock to chase down a family-run trattoria, learning to spot Ripasso from Amarone in a Veronese wine cellar, or working through a tasting menu in York, every post here traces back to something we ate, drank, or learned along the way. You’ll find real-time dispatches from ports of call across the Mediterranean, the Baltic, Norway’s fjords, the British Isles, and closer to home along the Pacific coast — plus the land days, precruise stopovers, and full city stays that bookend them. Read on for shore excursion reviews, food tours, wine country deep dives, and the occasional honest admission that not every “must-try” lived up to the hype.
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Naples: A Drive Down the Amalfi Coast to Positano and Amalfi
Our first port of call in Naples — a private Amalfi Coast drive with Simply Amalfi through Sorrento, Positano, and the town of Amalfi.
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Four Days in Rome: A Pre-Cruise Recap
Our four-day Rome pre-cruise recap — the Trevi Fountain, the Capuchin Crypts, the Colosseum, Frascati wine, the Vatican, and Odescalchi Castle.
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Rome Day Four: Odescalchi Castle, the Village of Ceri, and Boarding the Royal Princess
Our last day before boarding — Rome’s famous keyhole view, Odescalchi Castle on Lake Bracciano, lunch in the hilltop village of Ceri, and embarkation.
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Rome Day Three: An Early Vatican Tour and a Trastevere Food Tour
Our third day in Rome — an early entry Vatican tour, lunch at Trattoria Da Luigi, and an evening food tour through Trastevere.
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Rome Day Two: The Colosseum and a Vineyard Tasting in Frascati
Our second day in Rome — a CityWonders Colosseum tour, a Frascati vineyard tour and tasting at Principe Pallavicini, and a return to the Jewish Ghetto.
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Arrival Day in Rome: Trevi Fountain, the Capuchin Crypts, and a Jewish Ghetto Food Tour
Our Rome arrival day — a Sunday morning at the Trevi Fountain, the Capuchin Monks’ Bone Crypts, and an evening food tour with The Food Tours of Rome.






