Sun-Drenched Riviera – Marseille & Messina

About this cruise

A week or so at sea, a few great ports, and nothing to organise once you're on board. This 7-night sailing from Barcelona on August 9, 2026 visits Marseille, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Messina, Salerno and Civitavecchia (Rome). You finish in Civitavecchia (Rome). Expect a run of consecutive ports, 6 stops total, with the busiest days packed close together. The sea days around them feel earned. Warm plazas, gelato by the harbour, and old things everywhere you look. Civitavecchia (Rome) alone is worth the trip, The Eternal City is just an hour away. Roughly 12 hours ashore per stop. No need to rush. There are 14 restaurants on Norwegian Epic, so you'd need to double up a few evenings to try them all in 7 nights. Barcelona itself is worth spending some time in. Don't just treat it as a departure point. And August means long, warm days. Good for the ports, good for the pool. Worth booking. That's the short version.