Part Two - Venice to Malta
Leaving Venice, but before boarding our floating home to visit the coastal communities of Eastern Italy, we visit 2 islands , Torcello and Burano, to see where Venetians first settled this area.
Torcello is sparcely-populated with remnants of Roman and Greek occupation and famed for the stunning Byzantine mosaics found in the Cathedral constructed in the seventh century.
Burano, a fishing village, is most famous for its colorful homes, and restaurants featuring local cuisine. On most days, tourists flood the plazas and narrow streets.
Torcello is sparcely-populated with remnants of Roman and Greek occupation and famed for the stunning Byzantine mosaics found in the Cathedral constructed in the seventh century.
Burano, a fishing village, is most famous for its colorful homes, and restaurants featuring local cuisine. On most days, tourists flood the plazas and narrow streets.
Byzantine mosaics
Remnants of the past
Slideshow of Burano scenes ☟⬇︎
We board our 50 passenger ship, the Artemis, and start cruising south on the eastern coast of Italy. Our first port of call is Ravenna, the capitol of the western part of the old Roman Empire, famous for its mosaics and the home of one of Italy’s famed writers, Dante.
1,400 year-old Basilica di San Vitale
Mosaics of gold and marble
Although a mosaic ceiling, it rivals that of the Sistine Chapel.
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 Time on his hand |  Window of biblioteca (library) |
Pesaro, (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable) on Italy's Adriatic coast, is not well-known to foreign travellers, but it's a popular traditional seaside resort, and Italian visitors have been coming here to enjoy the sandy beaches for a hundred years. Like most Italian seaside resorts, the original settlement, dating to the Roman era, is a short distance inland, and so the centro storico - historic centre - is separated from the Mediterranean by more modern and less attractive developments of hotels and seaside dwellings. The birthplace of Rossini, a museum features his life's works and his music resonates in presentations throughout the year.
Pesaro beach
Rossini theater
Pesaro street scenes☝︎
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Holocaust memorial, imbedded in the sidewalk, where Jews were rounded up for internment
"La palla di Pomodoro".The golden sphere seaside monument in Pesaro.
The Republic of San Marino, is the 5th smallest nation in the world and has one of the world's highest-per-capita GDP's, boasting only 30,000 residents. This mountainous microstate surrounded by north-central Italy, with its capitol atop Monte Titano, is a medieval walled town with narrow cobblestone streets. We observed a crossbow demonstration by the local federation, who, since 1537 made up the state's militia but now practice only ceremonially.
Taking the funicular to the top of Monte Titano
Montale - one of the three towers of San Marino
Ceremonial palace guard
Crowded streets
Cava dei Balestrieri San Marino - The Crossbowman's Quarry
Bulls-eye
Monopoli (no board game jokes, please! The locals have heard them all before!) is unknown to mass tourism. Its historical area is still densely inhabited by locals who sustain themselves with local produce markets and purchasing fish directly from fishing boats when they arrive in the small harbor.
Monopoli harbor
Snapshots of Monopoli☟⬇︎
Otranto is a historic seaside town and port on the Adriatic coast of southern Italy. Otranto's leading attraction is the twelfth-century mosaic in the town's Romanesque cathedral. Here the beatified remains of 800 martyrs who were beheaded by a Turk invasion in 1480, are displayed.
A memorial to commemorate the Tragedy of Otranto took place on 28 March 1997 when the Albanian ship Kateri i Radës sank in a collision with the Italian naval vessel
Castle entrance
The 800 Skulls and Bones of the Martyrs of Otranto
 Never to sail again |  Catch of the day |
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Our ship "Artemis' in Otranto harbor
Leaving Italy, we cruise into The Grand Harbor of Malta and its' capital Valletta, Europe's smallest capital city. Although it earned the infamous title of being the most bombed place on earth during the Second World War, due to the decimation of its buildings, it has now been rebuilt to its former beauty. Easy access to the city itself is via the Upper Barrakka lift opened in December 2012, linking the Grand Harbour to the Upper Barrakka Gardens and Valletta city centre. Congestion is everywhere due to the popularity and proximity to most of Europe, North Africa and Middle Eastern countries. The Knights of Malta, Crusaders who founded the city more than 500 years ago, never envisioned how it would evolve.
View as we entered The Grand Harbor
Lower walls to the city converted into a walkway with tourist shops
Upper Barrakka lift to the city
 Crowded streets |  Changing of the guard |
⬇︎Casa Rocca Piccola is a 16th-century palace in Malta, and home of the noble de Piro family. It is still inhabited by the descendants and the furnishings are original.
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Faces of Valletta
Cannon protecting The Grand Harbor
Unfortunately due to a mishap of my wife Judy, the balance of our trip had to be aborted and so the sun set as we returned to our home.
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