Discovering the hidden Mediterranean in true, small-ship luxury

A luxury French small-ship cruise line, Ponant was founded in 1988 by two former French merchant navy officers and now includes 13 ships in their fleet. They navigate waters from Tahiti and French Polynesia to the jaw-dropping Kimberly region of Western Australia, sun-dappled Caribbean islands to Greenland and Antarctica, but also waters closer to their home in the form of the Mediterranean.

This was no typical Med cruise, however, as both our ship Le Bougainville – with just a maximum capacity of 180 passengers feeling more like a large superyacht – and the itinerary revealed a whole new side to a well-travelled region. The 9-night, 1,040 nautical mile ‘Malta, Italian shores and Isle of Beauty’ took in rarely visited islands, by navigating small ports which only a ship the size of Le Bougainville could access.

MAGICAL MALTA

The day before embarking, astonishing but compact Malta welcomed us with cloudless skies, as befits a country with more hours of sunshine per year than anywhere else in Europe.

Our home on terra firma was four honey-coloured townhouses atop St Barbara Bastion which have been beautifully restored and turned into Iniala Harbour House, the Maltese capital’s finest boutique hotel where history seeps through the thick, ancient walls. High-ceilinged rooms feature antiques, contemporary art and every conceivable comfort, while a spa soothed limbs weary from walking the ancient cobblestoned streets.

It‘s also home to Malta’s only two Michelin-starred restaurant, the Ion Harbour from British maestro Simon Rogan. With a three-starred restaurant L’Enclume in northern England and one-starred Roganic in Hong Kong, there’s no finer culinary pedigree and the experience, overlooking a moonlit harbour where ships have docked for thousands of years, was sublime. Malta may not be renowned for its cuisine, at least compared to neighbours like Sicily, but head chef Oli Marlow and team showed exactly what is possible with local produce.

After a smooth and swift onboarding process, we settled into our stateroom, an elegant retreat with all the comforts you would hope for, as well as a balcony which would become our widescreen window on the Med’s dramatically changing sea and landscapes. Given high waves in Malta’s second island of Gozo, however, docking would have been impossible, so the ship’s affable Captain Gilles explained we would stay another night in Malta.

The operations team swiftly laid on a half-day tour, which allowed us to peel back more layers of this remarkable island’s ancient history. Most memorable were the cliffside Hagar Qim temples, astonishingly 1,000 years older than The Pyramids and 2,000 years older than Stonehenge, while walking Valletta reminded how it was a confluence of influences including Greek, Phoenician, Roman, Norman, Spanish and, most recently, British.

A talk back on board by the charismatic Timmy Gambin, professor of Maritime Archaeology at the University of Malta, revealed how his career has uncovered local treasures including a Punic wreck off the coast of Gozo, dating from when Rome fought Carthage in the 3rd century BC.

He explained that it took the team six minutes to descend to 105 metres, gave them just 14 minutes of dive time to explore the 12,000 sq m site – then 2.5 hours to return to the surface. We were able to touch amphorae, which bore fingerprints of the potters who made them and used to hold olive oil, the fish sauce garum and wine – albeit a concentrate which would have been mixed with water. Revealing that no UNESCO world heritage site is underwater, the compelling lecture ended by donning Virtual Reality headsets that let us dive to locations, including eerie second world war wrecks.

ABOUT LE BOUGAINVILLE

Settling into life on board Le Bougainville was easy. Everything was bilingual in English and French, from announcements to menus, reflecting a mix of passenger nationalities. Unlike other cruises, however, ship-wide announcements were mercifully kept to a minimum, while rules for dining and attire were far more relaxed than on other cruise lines. Once in either Le Nautilus or the smaller, more fine dining focused Le Grill, food and wine were immediately impressive and remained a highlight throughout the voyage. From perfect oysters to excellent patisserie, especially butter and beautiful cheeses from Bordier in St Malo, the quality of ingredients was clearly paramount.

SIRACUSA

At every stop, Ponant either run regular shuttles to and from the ship, or it docks, sometimes just a few minutes’ walk from the heart of the action. That was the case in our first stop of Siracusa in southeastern Sicily, named by the Roman poet and statesman Cicero as “The most beautiful Greek city in the world.” It was still clear why.

Two huge ancient venues, just a few minutes’ walk apart, were built for very different reasons. First was a Greek theatre overlooking the Med, built around 500BC in honour of the Greek Goddess Demeter, one that still hosts performances to this day for up to 18,000 spectators, including the International Festival of Greek Theatre.

A far more gruesome space was the Roman amphitheatre, hewn largely out of existing rock in 40BC, for bloody gladiatorial combat and shows put on by local politicians in front of 20,000 spectators. Both sit within the Archaeological Park of Neapolis, also home to vast limestone caves known as the ‘quarry of paradise’ and adjacent gardens where orange trees, lemon groves, jacaranda and prickly pear flourish.

Siracusa’s stunning Duomo cathedral that features architecture from eras including Greek, Norman, Byzantine and Baroque, was also unmissable. Our guide pointed out that Archimedes – the brilliant thinker who discovered Pi and came from Siracusa – would have touched its columns, as would have Cicero, Plato and Saint Paul. Minds duly blown, we wandered the ancient streets where stalls sell delicious arancini and elegant boutiques including Ortiga whose candles and fragrances are sought-after by fans including Madonna.

STROMBOLI

The next day at sea saw us cruise past Stromboli, a brooding and beautiful Aeolian Island formed by Italy’s most active volcano. Known historically as the “lighthouse of the Mediterranean”, it duly put on a display with smoke seeping from fissures atop its perfect cone. The last major eruption was in 1921, but inhabitants of the island have regularly had to evacuate over the years. After circumnavigating it entirely, allowing for incredible views from every balcony, the final flourish came with dolphins racing alongside us, jumping out of the water. Even Captain Gilles looked thrilled.

PORTO ERCOLE AND GIGLIO

On a perfect summer morning, Captain Gilles announced the option of a morning dip in the Med, thanks to a swimming area marshalled by crew members in dinghies. Thereafter a day awaited in Porto Ercole in a coastal part of Tuscany little known to foreign visitors. It made for a charming escape thanks to its elevated 15th century Old Town where the infamous painter Caravaggio once lived, as well as beach clubs, restaurants and boutiques.

Giglio was next, a perfect spot for a day on the beach thanks to natural saltwater pools where already bronzed locals topped up their tans still further. The small town is topped by a fortress, but we stayed down near the water to explore. Friendly wild boars were one highlight, as was La Pinta, a brilliant local restaurant for dinner overlooking the harbour. Perfect plates of anchovy balls with lemon were followed by a spaghetti alla vongole, before we headed back to the ship in the moonlight for nightcaps.

PORTOFINO

Portofino in Liguria is one of Italy’s most iconic destinations, so arriving there at 7am was especially magical. We sat on the stateroom’s balcony with a coffee and watched the town awake, barely 300 yards away.

Since we had 15 hours on land – and having visited Portofino a couple of times before – we decided to take a train down to Cinque Terre. The line hugged the coast and let us explore the vertiginous streets of sub-kissed Manarola, with yachts idling in the turquoise waters below. A top tip was to avoid the over-priced restaurants and hit the brilliant local deli where the owner’s homemade pesto, then pumpkin and ricotta tart, made for the ultimate takeaway. Given that we headed there and back under our own steam, the day demonstrated the versatility of Ponant’s small ships and generous time in ports.

For dinner, after freshening up back on board, we hit the famed Da Vittorio at the exquisite Belmond Splendido Mare hotel, right on Portofino’s picture-perfect harbour. Chef Davide had worked for years in Hong Kong and wowed us with sublime seafood, elegant wine pairings and two legendary pastas. An insanely good trofie al pesto, then their signature Paccheri alla Vittorio. Prepared tableside, a velvety sauce was crafted from three types of tomatoes, garlic, butter and seasoning, mixed in the pasta, topped with Parmigiano Reggiano and scattered with fresh basil. Sensational dining in a seriously romantic spot.

ELBA AND CORSICA

Elba was next, synonymous with Napoleon Bonaparte who was lucky to have been exiled to such a beautiful island. It also wasn’t much of an exile as the island is only six miles from Piombino on the Italian mainland, while he was also allowed to have a personal guard of 400 men.

His former official residence in the quaint capital of Portoferraio, today a museum, is sadly in not the greatest shape, looking and feeling a bit unloved. But there was much to learn about the legendary leader, notably that he actually measured 1.7m – a very normal height for the time – and was only characterised as small in stature by the British media.

Back on board, a beguiling Mediterranean sunset gently framed Elba as we sipped champagne on the balcony of our cabin and headed towards Corsica for our final stop.

Our guide started by introducing herself – “I’m Corsican, not French” – and explaining how this true jewel of an island has only been French for two centuries. The homeland of Napoleon retains a fierce sense of independence, despite being a ‘collectivité territoriale’ of France.

It’s also an island of distinct contrasts. The fourth largest of all Mediterranean islands – and by far its most mountainous, with 117 summits towering over 6,500 feet – it is also the poorest region of France, with the lowest average salaries.

Visitors are blown away by a dazzling variety of landscapes, much of it covered in vegetation known as ‘maquis’ which is filled with wild herbs and vegetables and flowers, myrtle and thyme, saffron and rosemary, heather, briar and chestnuts.

A half-day tour only showed us one corner of far northern Corsica, but left us promising to return. From 16th century Genoese watch towers overlooking the sea and defending against barbarians to no high-rise buildings, the coastline was utterly pristine. Turquoise waters looked like something from The Maldives, while vertiginous cliff-side roads made for thrilling drives.

Docking in Nice at the end of our trip, I was reminded of something Captain Gilles had told me, namely that Ponant is the cruise operator with the greenest fleet in the world in terms of airborne emissions. For that alone, small-ship travel has much to offer discerning travellers.