Diary of a Cruise Rome, Capri, Santorini, Mykonos, Athens & Ephesus, Turkey

Rome, Italy

I left NYC and landed in Rome at 9:30 a.m. and was met by a sleek, black Mercedes car with a knowledgeable driver from the Hotel Gregoriana. Forty minutes later we arrived at my charming hotel―literally 40 paces from the Spanish Steps.

Hotel Gregoriana, Rome

This intimate four-story hotel housed in a 17th-century former convent has been run by the same family since 1971. Its location is superb, next to the famous Spanish Steps, and within easy walking distance to many of Rome’s other historic treasures, including the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Villa Borghese. A delightful 30-minute walk through the ancient, cobbled streets will bring you to the Vatican and Castel Sant’Angelo. Hotel Gregoriana’s prime location is in the very center of Rome, but tucked away on a quiet, charming street so you’re not faced with hordes of tourists outside your door.

Suite Number 3

I was thrilled by the ultra-glamorous suite, simply called No. 3, that I was shown to. An inviting sitting room with Art Deco décor opened to an enormous and well-appointed living room with comfortable furniture in shades of light green. The suite included two bedrooms, one spacious with dark wood original Art Deco furniture (that I wanted to take home); one smaller bedroom with a single bed perfect for a nanny or a secretary. But the piéce de résistance was the ginormous terrace overlooking the city, with lush plantings of lavender and lemon trees bearing fruit. Because of the heat, I didn’t spend much time on the divine terrace, which is large enough to easily accommodate a cocktail party for 75 people.

Thankfully, the air conditioner at the hotel was powerful enough to keep the suite as close to frigid as you could want. I immediately took a refreshing nap and woke up in time to meet my family, who were staying just down the block at the Hotel Hassler, for drinks before heading out to dinner. hotelgregoriana.it
Hotel Hassler

One look at my family’s rooms and I knew I’d made a wise decision, as my accommodations were truly grand―and that’s saying something as the Hassler is no slouch and was one of Travel & Leisure’s top five hotels in Rome last year. As I entered the Hassler, Roberto, the son of the recently deceased owner, greeted me as an old friend. The courtyard with a fountain at the Hassler is a perfect spot for cocktails or its divine breakfast buffet. A green moss wall behind the bar is dotted with ancient statues, making this an ultra-glamorous stop for a glass of Ruinart. We had dinner at a charming spot nearby and, needless to say, the pasta was perfetto, as was the chateaubriand. Hotelhasslerroma.com

Spanish Steps

One of Rome’s most famous attractions, the Spanish Steps, were named for the Piazza di Spagna―Spanish square―at its base, outside the embassy of Spain to the Holy See. A popular gathering place since its completion in 1725, early on the steps became a magnet for artists and, later, photographers, and thereby attracted a noticeably good-looking crowd hoping to be discovered as models. Ever since, the Spanish Steps have been an ideal spot for people-watching. The steps have been a backdrop in countless movies, including The Talented Mr. Ripley, Bertolucci’s Besieged, and, perhaps most notably, 1953’s Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Partway up the Spanish Steps you’ll find the Keats-Shelly House, a museum dedicated to the British Romantic poets who were spellbound by the Eternal City. It’s where the poet John Keats lived and, sadly, died of TB in 1821 at the age of 25.

Haute Spanish Step Spat: Valentino vs. Dior

In July, Italian design house Valentino closed off the Spanish Steps to show its autumn/winter 2022/2023 collection to a celeb-studded audience, including Anne Hathaway, Naomi Campbell, and Andrew Garfield. Afterward, Dior slapped Valentino with a lawsuit demanding $100,000 in damages as the runway show blocked customers from entering its nearby boutique that day. Who else would tell you these things?

Via Condotti: Luxury Shopping

This high-fashion kerfuffle can be chalked up to the fact that Rome’s high-end luxury shops are clustered near the Spanish Steps on Via Condotti. This exclusive street is where you can drop mega-bucks at Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Bulgari, and Armani, or just window shop.

The Vatican Museum

The entire Couri clan is here, so the next day we piled into our Mercedes van with our driver and guide, Nick, who gave us a tour of the city that included Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Tip for the Vatican Museums: Have your conciergerie buy the tickets so you don’t wait in line. Initially they’ll tell you it’s sold out, but the clever concierge goes directly to a broker and presto―you’re in to see the endless treasures of the museums. vaticanstate.va

The Colosseum

Next stop: pizza and pasta for lunch and then on to the Colosseum, which is still under construction and gets better every time you see it. Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for a lot of steps and unbearable heat if you’re there in the summer. One of the marvelous things about Rome’s ancient wonders is that no matter how often you visit, there’s always something new to see. The Colosseum, dating from the year A.D. 80, has been undergoing yearslong restoration projects. In 2021 a 160,000-square-foot section never before accessible to the public opened after a four-year restoration underwritten by the fashion house Tod’s.

The next phase is rebuilding the wooden, retractable floor (remember, this place was built 2,000 years ago) expected to be completed in 2023. The floor had been removed by archeologists in the 1800s, exposing the underground network of tunnels where gladiators and lions waited before the Roman blood sports began.
Once the floor is rebuilt, the government expects to hold cultural events like concerts and exhibitions at the Colosseum (no blood sports, with the exception of the occasional fistfight between superfans), so there will be new things to see for eternity at this ancient monument.

The Trevi Fountain

On to the Trevi Fountain, a true architectural masterpiece. Of course, we turned our back and threw our coins in to ensure our return. Completed in 1762 and inaugurated by Pope Clement XIII, the fountain’s name signifies its location at the junction of three roads―tre vie in Italian. One of Rome’s most high-profile sites, the Trevi has been immortalized in movies like Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, in which Anita Ekberg waded into the fountain with Marcello Mastroianni. The ancient practice of tossing coins into a fountain was popularized by the 1954 American movie Three Coins in the Fountain and the Oscar-winning song of the same name.

The Catacombs

Last stop was the Catacombs, where the remains of multiple popes of the roughly 270 who have been the Bishops of Rome lie. This is the perfect end of our tour, as it’s a blessed 55 degrees several stories underground, and the site stretches for 12 miles.

Another fabulous dinner, this time pasta with truffles and porcini mushrooms and eggplant with cheese―wickedly delicious. Really, terrific food is everywhere in Rome; you’re spoiled for choice. Ask your hotel concierge for dining recommendations if you’re overwhelmed.

After a good night’s sleep, we packed and headed for the port, an hour from the hotel, for our cruise to Greece and Turkey

Santorini ― Minoan Ruins

Our first stop was Santorini, the island that is the epitome of the Greek Isles, known for its dazzling sunlit blue-green cliffs speckled with whitewashed villages cascading down to the shoreline. It is a picture postcard come to life. Ride the funicular up and eat at a cliffside restaurant to take in the panoramic views overlooking the Aegean Sea. Tip: Arrange for a van and driver to take you around, as it’s not easy to find a taxi.

Known as Greece’s Pompeii, Akrotiri is an ancient Minoan city on Santorini that was buried in ash from a catastrophic volcanic eruption in the 17th century B.C. Uncovered in 1967, the ruins are remarkably well preserved, making this one of the most significant archaeological sites in Greece. Housed within a cool protective structure, you’ll pass through a city complete with roads and elaborate drainage systems, and peek at wall paintings inside buildings that survived. A guided tour is best. There’s also the Museum of Prehistoric Thera that tells the story of ancient Akrotiri.

Mykonos ― Delos Island

We are on Mykonos; there is a nice breeze to keep us cool, and the island’s glitzy beach club, Nammos, and new-ish (2020) Soho House are the places to see and be seen. Known for its decadent nightlife, Mykonos is also a longtime magnet for the jet set and their mega-yachts. Chic guests over the years have included Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot, Grace Kelly, Marlon Brando, Princess Soraya (wife of the Shah of Iran), and Jackie O, for whom a beach club is named, and where we took in a drag show during our visit.

Famous folks still flock here in droves―in more recent years Mariah Carey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone, Alessandra Ambrosio, Demi Moore, Gerard Butler, Linda Evangelista, and Ariana Grande have all enjoyed this jewel of the Aegean. Indeed, at Nammos we saw Elon Musk whooping it up at lunch. Of course, Mykonos has plenty to do for every taste―fabulous beaches, even for families, water sports, great shopping from tourist trinkets to Chanel, charming towns to explore, and the famous windmills that are the island’s most-photographed site.

While on Mykonos, take a boat to the sacred island of Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Aphrodite, a Unesco World Heritage site, and one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece. This small island features a well-preserved ancient city containing the remains of a sanctuary to the gods Apollo and Artemis, plus an on-site museum with one of the finest collections of ancient Greek sculpture and artefacts. I’ve been coming to this idyllic island since I was a teenager, and although the crowd has changed dramatically, its charms have not been totally extinguished by the cruise ships and the day trippers, at least not yet.

Ephesus, Turkey

We headed to Ephesus, a harbor city in Turkey packed with history dating from 6000 B.C., once home to Amazon female warriors who would cut off one breast so they’d excel at archery. Nest ce Pas? Of Turkey’s many ancient cities and classical ruins, Ephesus, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is the grandest and best preserved.

Just outside Ephesus, we went to the home of the Virgin Mary, a chapel built atop the foundations of a ruined house where she is said to have lived for several years. It is believed that the Apostle John brought the Virgin Mary to Ephesus near the end of her life. A French priest found the house in 1881 based on the visions of a bedridden German nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2004.

We then went to the ancient city itself, which is clearly laid out with quite a number of buildings more or less intact, with wonderful examples of Doric and Corinthain columns. There is a nearly fully restored amphitheater, The Great Theatre, the city’s most spectacular site. Originally built in the first century A.D., and later reconstructed by the Romans between A.D. 41-117, the theatre is still used today for live musical performances, with a seating capacity of 8,000. Ephesus.us

The Library of Celsus

Another must-see in Ephesus is the façade of an architectural marvel commissioned in 110 A.D. as a funerary monument for Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, who was buried there. One of the world’s largest libraries of its time, it held over 12,000 scrolls. Amidst the scrolls was a secret tunnel that led directly to a brothel, so the oldest joke in Turkey was for a husband to say “Honey, I’m going to the library to study,” but of course, once inside, he slipped into the brothel to study the oldest profession in the world. The interior was destroyed by a fire in 262 A.D., and an earthquake later destroyed the remaining façade. Archeologists rebuilt the façade in the 1970s.

At an authentic local restaurant, we had chicken and lamb kebabs, lamb chops, the famous yogurt dip, tahini, and Turkish pizza made of thin pita bread topped with tomato and herbs. Lunch finished with an enormous bowl of delicious and rare white figs.

Athens

Because we had teenagers with us, we braved the crowds at the Acropolis and the Parthenon, which has been restored quite a bit since I was last there. Restorations to this ancient site have been ongoing since 1975, with the most recent phase completed in 2020 and more in the works.

We rode up and down in the new elevator—yes, if you pay off the right guide, you can not only go to the front of the line, but you can also use the aforementioned elevator that was installed with funding from the Onassis Foundation, founded by Jackie Kennedy’s second and last husband, Aristotle Onassis. This modern innovation greatly improves accessibility to this site.

After our tour we headed to the Plaka, which is opposite the Grand Bretagne Hotel, still the best hotel in town. Marriott.com. We strolled in the shade and picked one of many local and authentic Greek restaurants, where we could order the divine grilled octopus. On your trip, grab a gelato after lunch from one of the spots and then shop and shop and shop. The prices are quite good, and there is a lot to choose from.

The Panathenaic Stadium

We stopped at the Panathenaic Stadium, built in c. 330 B.C. for the Panathenaic Games (a combination of religious, cultural, and athletic events). The marble stadium was the venue for the first modern Olympics held in the 1800s and was an Olympics venue for games in 2004. Nearby, we watched the changing of the guard in front of the Presidential Palace. The guards with black pom poms on their shoes, wearing tights, beige skirts, red hats, and long braids do a truly hilarious march that reminded me of the legendary Lipizzaner Horses in Vienna lifting their legs, prancing and pawing the ground.

Capri, Italy

We moored in Capri, one of my oldest stomping grounds, for lunch at one of the beach clubs and then drinks on the Hotel Quisisana’s iconic terrace—this is still the island’s chicest hotel. Capri’s Grand Dame hotel has hosted Tom Cruise, Sting, Oscar Wilde, Gianni Agnelli, Gerald Ford, and Sartre. Although Capri’s main square has turned into a luxury mall, the views and the sea are the same as when Emperor Augustus discovered it and used it as a health spa. Quisisana.com

We took out the tender for a private tour around the island, taking in the dramatic coastline, the tiny coves, and grottoes surrounded by turquoise waters. This way, we were able to stop and visit a friend on their yacht, which was moored near the Blue Grotto. It’s the only way, really!

Archeology buffs should head to Villa Jovis, ruins of the largest and most sumptuous of 12 villas on Capri commissioned by Roman Emperor Tiberius in the first century A.D. The vast complex and its gardens were famously designed to cater to Tiberius’s debauched tastes, and its cliffside location required feats of engineering to provide water to the estate. The views are breathtaking from Salto di Tiberio—Tiberius’s Leap—a sheer cliff from which Tiberius had out-of-favor subjects and lovers hurled to their death into the sea. It’s the only way, really.