The aura of Croatia and the Italian way of life

Dubrovnik is a city in southern Croatia fronting the Adriatic Sea. It’s known for its distinctive Old Town, encircled with massive stone walls completed in the 16th century. Its well-preserved buildings range from baroque St. Blaise Church to Renaissance Sponza Palace and Gothic Rector’s Palace, now a history museum. Paved with limestone, the pedestrianized Stradun (or Placa) is lined with shops and restaurants.

Korčula is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of 279 km²; 46.8 km long and on average 7.8 km wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast.

Kotor is a fortified town on Montenegro’s Adriatic coast, in a bay near the limestone cliffs of Mt. Lovćen. Characterized by winding streets and squares, its medieval old town has several Romanesque churches, including Kotor Cathedral. It’s also home to the Maritime Museum, which explores local seafaring history. Sveti Đorđe, one of 2 tiny islands off the ancient town of Perast, features a centuries-old church.

Taormina is a hilltop town on the east coast of Sicily. It sits near Mount Etna, an active volcano with trails leading to the summit. The town is known for the Teatro Antico di Taormina, an ancient Greco-­Roman theater still used today. Near the theater, cliffs drop to the sea forming coves with sandy beaches. A narrow stretch of sand connects to Isola Bella, a tiny island and nature reserve.

Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the northern coast of Sicily, southern Italy; it is also the name of the island’s main town and comune, which is administratively part of the Metropolitan City of Messina.

Porto Cervo is an Italian seaside resort in northern Sardinia. It is a frazione of the comune of Arzachena, in the province of Sassari. Created by Prince Karim Aga Khan and various other investors, Porto Cervo is the main centre of Costa Smeralda. It has a resident population of 421 inhabitants.

Capri, an island in Italy’s Bay of Naples, is famed for its rugged landscape, upscale hotels and shopping, from designer fashions to limoncello and handmade leather sandals. One of its best-known natural sites is the Blue Grotto, a dark cavern where the sea glows electric blue, the result of sunlight passing through an underwater cave. In summer, Capri’s dramatic, cove-studded coastline draws many yachts.

Ponza is a comune of the Province of Latina in the Italian region Lazio. It comprises the four islands of the western part of the Pontine archipelago in the Gulf of Gaeta: Ponza itself, Palmarola, Zannone, and Gavi. The economy of Ponza is essentially based on fishing and summer tourism.

Civitavecchia is a coastal town northwest of Rome, in Italy. Built in the 2nd century, the Port of Civitavecchia still retains some of its original features, like the Roman Dock. The port area also includes the 16th-century Michelangelo Fort. Nearby, the National Archaeological Museum displays bronze and ceramic artifacts. Northeast of town are the Terme Taurine, the ruins of a Roman thermal bath complex.