Bellissimo Italy, Greece & Turkey - October 2023 - Hostess Round Up - Sim Seri

It’s a funny thing sitting down to write the hostess report – it seems so long ago since we all met at Tullamarine airport, yet not even 1 month has passed. 25 days on tour, 3 countries, planes, buses, ship & taxis. A group of strangers ready to share life experiences.

We flew into Venice and had our first experience of daily Venetian life on the water as we caught our water taxi along the canals in glorious sunshine. It wasn’t long before we were getting lost in Venice!

Our journey took us to Lake Como, Cernobbio & Brunate, a gorgeous village high above Lake Como. In Milan, we opted to visit the roof of the spectacular Duomo which gave us a really different view of the city. Our itinerary included the famous Cinque Terre, Luca, Pisa, San Gimignano, Vinci & Florence. So many “wow” moments but seeing David in real life had to be a highlight. I think we were all surprised by how big the statue actually is, and of course, the incredible workmanship of its creator.

Then it was time to board our ship, home for the next 11 nights. For many, this was the first time on a cruise so there was a lot of exploring to do. Our first port of call was Crete, followed by Santorini & Mykonos. The colours of the Greek flag are perfection and are reflected in so much of the landscape. We were blessed by fabulous blue skies and warm weather.

Ephesus (Turkey) provided one of the biggest surprises – many had never heard of it, yet it is an incredible ancient city, only 20% of which has been excavated. Onto more ruins in Athens, Pompeii and finally Rome.

We parted in Rome as some of the girls travelled on independently, and a couple flew off to join another Sisterhood tour. This is always something available to you and is especially convenient when staying in the same hemisphere.

I’d like to thank the girls for their indulgence as my 87yo mum came along for a small part of the journey, and Hayley kindly allowed me to stay on in Italy for a once in a lifetime trip with mum & my siblings. We are exploring Puglia and collecting some ideas for the proposed Jewels of Southern Italy tour, which will be stunning!