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Nothing could have prepared me for the two last ports of
call on this unique Clipper cruise. Although very different in many respects,
Panarea and Ventotene both exude that ultimate "island feeling". Early on
Thursday,
Royal Clipper
anchors off the town of Lipari to get clearance from the
local authorities before setting a course amongst the Aeolian Islands towards
Panarea. Some guide books state that there is
nothing much to see and do here. With only 300 inhabitants you should not expect
a thriving tourist industry here and yes, the only beach on the island is
smallish and black. Still, the village of San Pietro enters high in my
personal top five of cruise ports. Serene, utterly beautiful and unspoilt,
Panarea comes close to my idea of heaven on earth. |
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Located to the northeast of Sicily,
the Aeolian Islands are a group of volcanic islands that are truly unique.
Largest island is Lipari; smallest is Panarea. In summer, the islands are jam
packed
with tourist that come to the islands to dive in the crystal clear waters, to
climb active volcanoes, immerge in natural mud baths, walk and sail. On Panarea,
most visitors come to wind down as there is not much to do, apart from the archeological remains of a
Neolithic village and the lures of the warm sea. There
is a regular ferry service that docks at the jetty in San Pietro, one of only
three villages on the island. As we arrive by tender from Royal Clipper, we see
a truck parked on the jetty, unloading timber. We soon find out that this small
jetty is the only place to park cars and trucks, as the roads on the island are
not wide enough to allow cars. |
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The village of San Pietro is all you
would imagine of a storybook Italian hideaway. The feeling of "La Dolce Vita"
hovers over the whitewashed town, looking picture perfect with its blue and pink
shutters, blossoming bougainvillea and oleander. It is all too obvious that the
rich & famous have already discovered Panarea and we are in awe at some of the
immaculately kept houses that we discover on our walking tour of San Pietro. It
is quiet here, except for the sound of the remarkable three-wheeled scooters
that we see carrying everything from refrigerators to people. It is also very
hot and after climbing up the hill and getting lost in the maze of alleyways we
are happy to find a tiny supermarket laden with ice cream. After some serious
souvenir shopping in a local boutique we make our way back to the tiny port,
where Royal Clipper's tender is waiting for us and where we see the empty timber
truck maneuvering on the jetty to be ready to be shipped back to the mainland.
Ecstatic about all we have seen today we rejoin our clipper, knowing the evening
will be unforgettable too. |
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After we set sail at 6:00 pm, Royal
Clipper leisurely drifts northward and while we are enjoying another excellent
shipboard dinner in the Clipper Restaurant with newfound friends, the island of Stromboli comes into view. For more than twenty centuries travelers have written
about the active crater on this island, and rightfully so. When we get out on
deck, we are literally speechless by the sight of the full moon shining over the
inhospitable, barren island. There, flowing from the mountain top towards the
glass-like waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea is an orange path of lava. In the warm
evening, Royal Clipper's passengers gaze at this natural phenomena. Can anything
top this?
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Well, Ventotene comes close! The
island is part of the Ponte Archipelago, roughly located to the northwest of
Naples. With its 750 inhabitants and a regular car ferry service to the
mainland, Ventotene is a little larger and far busier than Panarea, although both island
share a steady influx of divers that discover the clear waters. From the tender
dock at Porto Romano we immediately stumble into the hustle and bustle of the
main town, perched
on a limestone cliff, with dive shops and small restaurants lining the marina.
This the place to "Think Pink", as most houses are painted either yellow or ...
bright pink. The result is a photographer's dream; we wander through the pretty town square with its tall
palm trees, through narrow cobblestone streets surrounded by rambling buildings. On the black sandy beach in town, "La Dolce Vita" comes to life under colorful
umbrellas, while up on the cliffs people sip another cappuccino on a shady
terrace. How Italian!
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That evening, all sails are hoisted as
Royal Clipper sets course for her summer home base of Civitavecchia. When the sounds
of Vangelis die down, the Cruise Director proudly announces that the engines are
shut down and we are actually sailing, making a speed of 9 knots. Seeing the sun
slowly set over distant lands with the sound of the wind in the sails I stand at
the railing and make a solemn promise to return to one of the Star Clippers
soon. This company must be one of the best kept secrets in the cruise industry! So if
you are looking for an utterly relaxing week in casual comfort, visiting uncrowded ports of call on a magnificent sailing ship, I can only very highly
recommend to go "Clippering", too!
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