Read our second e-postcard:
Postcard#2

Monte Carlo

TUESDAY | October 30, 2007
Messina, Sicily
aboard Regent's Seven Seas Navigator

Buon Giorno!

It's been a lovely journey! We invite you to join us on this Signature Journey by way of these electronic postcards. We'll update you every 4-5 days with the highlights.

Many of us arrived a day or two early, and stayed in Nice, France. One of the reasons we planned our Mediterranean and Trans-Atlantic journey so late in the year, was to enjoy pleasant fall temperatures and relatively uncrowded places. Locals sometimes call this time of year the 'Velvet Season'; the perfect characterization.

We like Nice but its massive surge of summertime visitors puts a damper on its pleasures and its hot summer weather often creates a haze over the area that obstructs the lovely colors of the sea and the colorful homes living the hillsides. But this time, we've never enjoyed the city more. The crowds were more reasonable, the temperatures ideal (about 71 high) and the crystalline autumn skies brought out all the lovely colors.

We actually began our journey in nearby Monte Carlo, where our lovely white ship was berthed amongst the world's most lavish yachts just below the Grand Casino and the famed Hotel de Paris. As much as we enjoyed the two cities, it felt good to board our ship and settle into our spacious suites. (We felt sorry for some of our fellow shipmates who arrived on the day of departure - they looked pretty tired and a beautiful day on the Riviera meant little to them.) We've found the cuisine better than we remembered and the service has been impeccable. It's a treat to come into a port with about 500 guests instead of on board one of today's megaships that disperse 2500-3500 passengers into a city.

Early Sunday morning we sailed into Livorno (Italy), the gateway to Pisa, Florence, Siena and the rest of magical Tuscany. This was our first Signature Journey shore excursion planned for this cruise. Those of you who have traveled in Tuscany before, may remember our favorite Tuscan guide, Antonella Gaeta. She helped us plan a delightful but relaxing day and kept us well informed (and entertained) all day long.

Former patrician homes that line the Arno River in Pisa

Most visitors to Pisa are brought to a parking lot nearly half a mile from Pisa's famed learning tower on its "Miracle Square". Antonella chartered one of Italy's little street-going trains that brought us within a few feet of the famed bell tower - its great to have good contacts. After Antonella's great introduction to the architectural masterpieces (bell tower, baptistery, cathedral and funerary) we were ready for a little snack. Just around the corner a friendly restaurant was waiting for us with a glass of prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) plus delicious crostini, bruschetti, aged parmesan cheese and some tasty sweets.

But that was not all! As we sat down with our snack and drinks, a pretty, and very talented young woman entertained us with beautiful Italian ballads accented with a touch of Frank Sinatra. We have heard her sing before but she was never better than on this occasion. You can only imagine how excited the other diners in the restaurant were with this unexpected treat.

Denise	3 Mezzo sopranos - Denise, Sharon Dunlevy and Antonella

All of this was a prelude to our Tuscan Sunday dinner served by the family that owned a lovely old fattoria (a countryside manor that grows its own fruits, grapes, vegetables and livestock), deep in the idyllic Tuscan hillside near the old walled city of Lucca.

Our Fattoria	Marcia Ellicott

Our dinner began with antipasti platters filled with prosciutto, mortadella, salamis and a delicately cured pale pink ham. Ummm. To accompany our fare, the family served us their own delicious white and red wines. Next came a rich bean-based soup filled with farro, a barley-like grain. Of course, the following course consisted of a sublime pasta (narrow sheets of pasta so light and delicate you virtually had to keep your fork on them to keep them from floating into the air) mixed with a rich meat sauce. The main course, roasted chicken and pork ribs, was accompanied with potatoes roasted in the family's own olive oil and seasoned with their garden grown rosemary.

John Epley	Robert Fitzgerald	Lois Peterson

Dinner concluded with biscotti (locals call them cantuccini) dipped in Vin Santo ('holy wine'), expresso and limoncello, that delightful chilled drink that delivers the pure essence of sweetened lemon that masks the amount of alcohol in the drink.

Clockwise from the left: Jack Dunlevy, Muriel and Walt Sinclair, Christine Niskanen, Sharon Dunlevy enjoy the farro soup

What a feast! Seated next to us was an Italian family with grandfather, two sons, two daughters and a grandchild. They lingered over every course and enjoyed pleasant conversation. The afternoon was so pleasant, so good, that it was no surprise that Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Pavarotti were previous guests. They knew a good thing.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon in one of our favorite Italian cities, Sorrento. Some of us went to Pompeii (delightful without the heat and the crowds), others simply explored Sorrento's narrow little streets first laid out by the Romans a couple of thousand years ago. It was truly the velvet season. The warm air felt soft and comforting and the streets were delightfully left for just the local residents and us.

This morning we spent two-thirds of a day in Messina, Sicily. While some visitors made the trek to the Greco-Roman mountainside village of Taormina, others visited another mountain-top village called Tindari. It, too, boasted the impressive ruins of a Greek theater and Roman baths. While our weather was not ideal - the winds blew away our positive ions - we avoided the rain and enjoyed a very pleasant sail out, as we head for the North African country of Tunisia.

We'll tell you more in a few days. For now, wish you were here!

Paul and Christine Niskanen