I cruised Europe's glamour cities on the Riviera, this surprised me
A row of timber fishing boats bobs gently in the harbour, schools of small sardines darting between their hulls. Siblings toss pinches of bread in from the dock, squealing in delight as the fish snap up their offerings with theatrical splashes.
It's a wholesome Mediterranean scene, but here in Cannes, something about it feels a little off. It clicks in an instant; this tiny snippet of local life is almost jarring among the sea of colossal superyachts. Affluence and excessiveness are more the norm at this French Riviera harbour than a duo of excited fish-feeding children.
'Yachtsman's Harbors' is the theme of our seven-day Windstar Cruise through the French and Italian Rivieras from Barcelona to Rome, sailing aboard Wind Surf and stopping in at harboured destinations of varying populations and riches.
Cannes sits somewhere near the top of the scale, with the Promenade de la Croisette's Belle Epoque buildings home to the kind of luxury global fashion brands that so casually hang from the elbows of superyacht-goers.
In the warmth of the spring sunshine, I stroll from one end of the promenade to the other, window shopping and people watching along the way. My own purse remains unopened until I venture a few streets back to Rue d'Antibes. Here, quirky gift stores and local labels sit among the usual high street suspects, and a wine enjoyed in the sun at an al fresco table costs a more respectable €7 per glass.
Rue d'Antibes is known as Cannes' shopping street.
A morning cappuccino at Cafe de Paris sets me back the same amount. But it's the price I'm willing to pay for unrivalled views of Monaco's poster child, Place du Casino. Architecturally, it's spectacular, and it's considered the beating heart of the principality's action. A slow procession of Rolls-Royces, Aston Martins and Bugattis rumbles around the bend, passing Hôtel De Paris and the growing crowd of camera-wielding tourists outside Casino de Monte-Carlo.
It's a spectacle of wealth that, perhaps, only the vessels docked in the harbour can rival. Just a few hundred metres from Wind Surf's berth is a high-speed Lamborghini yacht, impossible to miss with its sprawling, ultra-modern deck, and rumoured to retail at a cool $7 million.
Luxury yachts at Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Like Cannes, Monaco isn't all luxury and big budgets. After wandering Place du Casino, I follow the Formula One street track down through the famous hairpin of Mirabeau corner, past the new Mareterra district – built out into the Mediterranean Sea on reclaimed land – and through the tunnel.
I wind up in Quartier du Port, where local breweries, brasseries, and boutiques are a glimpse into everyday Monégasque life. Steaming ricotta and chard-filled barbagiuan pastries and chickpea flour socca in the open hall of Marché de la Condamine sate my growing appetite, fuelling me for an afternoon perusing classic Fiats and early F1 cars at the Private Cars Collection of HSH Prince of Monaco.
Portofino in the quiet of early morning. Picture: Monique Ceccato
A morning spent on the tree-lined trails of Parco Nazionale di Portofino is a welcome antidote to the dense urbanity of the principality of Monaco. It's day five of the Yachtsman's Harbors of the Rivieras cruise, and we're docked just off the shores of the idyllic coastal town for the day. There's barely a soul to be seen when we set off on our shore excursion at 8am, just a handful of earlybirds sipping their espressos at one of the few open cafes, and some avid sailors prepping their yachts for the afternoon's regatta. Without the midmorning swarms of tourists, the true beauty of the ex-fishing village is revealed.
But nothing outshines the beauty of Portofino and surrounds from above, a view only those willing to climb the steep trails towards Paraggi beach are privy to. It's a clear day, and the blue of the sky matches that of the ocean, the Apennine Mountains acting as a buffer between the two in the distance.
The picturesque port of Portofino.
Our final destination is the bustling commune of Santa Margherita Ligure, a three-and-a-half-hour walk from our starting point in Portofino. We pass olive groves and scrubby bushlands en route, stopping only for the occasional informative chat with our tour leader Giulia and a speedy espresso at a hidden hillside mill-turned-cafe.
But, it's a glass of wine we all reach for at the end of the adventure, served with a healthy side of aperitivo hour snacks and glowing pride at having conquered the hike as a team.
Portoferraio harbour on the island of Elba. Picture: Monique Ceccato
Strolling the cobbled streets of Portoferraio on Elba island the following day – our last port of call before disembarkation in Rome's Civitavecchia – is a gentle warmdown for the legs. We're docked just a few minutes from the town centre, studded with sun-drenched cafes and stores selling locally made products. The harbour here is, in the truest sense, a 'yachtsman's port', with substantially more classic sailboats and cruisers moored along its arching seawall than any of the more built-up towns and cities we've been to. The absence of big-boat energy has a ripple effect throughout the town, with not a high-end storefront or fine dining restaurant to be seen. It's authentic coastal Italy at its finest.
I've been tipped off about one of Portoferraio's culinary specialties, schiaccia briaca, a wine-infused, dried fruit and walnut-topped flatbread 'legacy' from the pirates that pillaged the town in the 13th and 16th centuries. Some pasticcerias still sell the ancient unyeasted pastry, and I find mine at Pasticceria Dolce Vita. The cafe oozes Italy, with locals milling around the counter holding their espressos and spritzes in hand, wild, gesticulating conversation going on between them. I soak up the atmosphere before packaging up my schiaccia briaca and strolling back to Wind Surf.
Monique Ceccato aboard Wind Surf in Monaco.
On the back deck in the warm afternoon sun, I tuck into the dense, bready delicacy. It's sweet and Christmas cake-like, the perfect match for the day's final espresso. We're minutes from departure, and guests are filing upstairs, crowding the railings for their last glimpses of Elba before we're en route to Civitavecchia.
As we pull away from port, Wind Surf's sails unfurl for one last time. It's a poignant moment, the canvas waving back at Portoferraio in the breeze and bidding our Riviera journey farewell.
The author was a guest of Windstar Cruises. Windstar's seven-day Yachtsman's Harbors of the Rivieras cruise starts from $4640 per person for a double occupancy cabin. It runs almost year-round.
Originally published as I cruised Europe's glamour cities on the Riviera, this surprised me
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Courier-Mail
a day ago
- Courier-Mail
I cruised Europe's glamour cities on the Riviera, this surprised me
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. A row of timber fishing boats bobs gently in the harbour, schools of small sardines darting between their hulls. Siblings toss pinches of bread in from the dock, squealing in delight as the fish snap up their offerings with theatrical splashes. It's a wholesome Mediterranean scene, but here in Cannes, something about it feels a little off. It clicks in an instant; this tiny snippet of local life is almost jarring among the sea of colossal superyachts. Affluence and excessiveness are more the norm at this French Riviera harbour than a duo of excited fish-feeding children. 'Yachtsman's Harbors' is the theme of our seven-day Windstar Cruise through the French and Italian Rivieras from Barcelona to Rome, sailing aboard Wind Surf and stopping in at harboured destinations of varying populations and riches. Cannes sits somewhere near the top of the scale, with the Promenade de la Croisette's Belle Epoque buildings home to the kind of luxury global fashion brands that so casually hang from the elbows of superyacht-goers. In the warmth of the spring sunshine, I stroll from one end of the promenade to the other, window shopping and people watching along the way. My own purse remains unopened until I venture a few streets back to Rue d'Antibes. Here, quirky gift stores and local labels sit among the usual high street suspects, and a wine enjoyed in the sun at an al fresco table costs a more respectable €7 per glass. Rue d'Antibes is known as Cannes' shopping street. A morning cappuccino at Cafe de Paris sets me back the same amount. But it's the price I'm willing to pay for unrivalled views of Monaco's poster child, Place du Casino. Architecturally, it's spectacular, and it's considered the beating heart of the principality's action. A slow procession of Rolls-Royces, Aston Martins and Bugattis rumbles around the bend, passing Hôtel De Paris and the growing crowd of camera-wielding tourists outside Casino de Monte-Carlo. It's a spectacle of wealth that, perhaps, only the vessels docked in the harbour can rival. Just a few hundred metres from Wind Surf's berth is a high-speed Lamborghini yacht, impossible to miss with its sprawling, ultra-modern deck, and rumoured to retail at a cool $7 million. Luxury yachts at Monte Carlo, Monaco. Like Cannes, Monaco isn't all luxury and big budgets. After wandering Place du Casino, I follow the Formula One street track down through the famous hairpin of Mirabeau corner, past the new Mareterra district – built out into the Mediterranean Sea on reclaimed land – and through the tunnel. I wind up in Quartier du Port, where local breweries, brasseries, and boutiques are a glimpse into everyday Monégasque life. Steaming ricotta and chard-filled barbagiuan pastries and chickpea flour socca in the open hall of Marché de la Condamine sate my growing appetite, fuelling me for an afternoon perusing classic Fiats and early F1 cars at the Private Cars Collection of HSH Prince of Monaco. Portofino in the quiet of early morning. Picture: Monique Ceccato A morning spent on the tree-lined trails of Parco Nazionale di Portofino is a welcome antidote to the dense urbanity of the principality of Monaco. It's day five of the Yachtsman's Harbors of the Rivieras cruise, and we're docked just off the shores of the idyllic coastal town for the day. There's barely a soul to be seen when we set off on our shore excursion at 8am, just a handful of earlybirds sipping their espressos at one of the few open cafes, and some avid sailors prepping their yachts for the afternoon's regatta. Without the midmorning swarms of tourists, the true beauty of the ex-fishing village is revealed. But nothing outshines the beauty of Portofino and surrounds from above, a view only those willing to climb the steep trails towards Paraggi beach are privy to. It's a clear day, and the blue of the sky matches that of the ocean, the Apennine Mountains acting as a buffer between the two in the distance. The picturesque port of Portofino. Our final destination is the bustling commune of Santa Margherita Ligure, a three-and-a-half-hour walk from our starting point in Portofino. We pass olive groves and scrubby bushlands en route, stopping only for the occasional informative chat with our tour leader Giulia and a speedy espresso at a hidden hillside mill-turned-cafe. But, it's a glass of wine we all reach for at the end of the adventure, served with a healthy side of aperitivo hour snacks and glowing pride at having conquered the hike as a team. Portoferraio harbour on the island of Elba. Picture: Monique Ceccato Strolling the cobbled streets of Portoferraio on Elba island the following day – our last port of call before disembarkation in Rome's Civitavecchia – is a gentle warmdown for the legs. We're docked just a few minutes from the town centre, studded with sun-drenched cafes and stores selling locally made products. The harbour here is, in the truest sense, a 'yachtsman's port', with substantially more classic sailboats and cruisers moored along its arching seawall than any of the more built-up towns and cities we've been to. The absence of big-boat energy has a ripple effect throughout the town, with not a high-end storefront or fine dining restaurant to be seen. It's authentic coastal Italy at its finest. I've been tipped off about one of Portoferraio's culinary specialties, schiaccia briaca, a wine-infused, dried fruit and walnut-topped flatbread 'legacy' from the pirates that pillaged the town in the 13th and 16th centuries. Some pasticcerias still sell the ancient unyeasted pastry, and I find mine at Pasticceria Dolce Vita. The cafe oozes Italy, with locals milling around the counter holding their espressos and spritzes in hand, wild, gesticulating conversation going on between them. I soak up the atmosphere before packaging up my schiaccia briaca and strolling back to Wind Surf. Monique Ceccato aboard Wind Surf in Monaco. On the back deck in the warm afternoon sun, I tuck into the dense, bready delicacy. It's sweet and Christmas cake-like, the perfect match for the day's final espresso. We're minutes from departure, and guests are filing upstairs, crowding the railings for their last glimpses of Elba before we're en route to Civitavecchia. As we pull away from port, Wind Surf's sails unfurl for one last time. It's a poignant moment, the canvas waving back at Portoferraio in the breeze and bidding our Riviera journey farewell. The author was a guest of Windstar Cruises. Windstar's seven-day Yachtsman's Harbors of the Rivieras cruise starts from $4640 per person for a double occupancy cabin. It runs almost year-round. Originally published as I cruised Europe's glamour cities on the Riviera, this surprised me
Herald Sun
a day ago
- Herald Sun
I cruised Europe's glamour cities on the Riviera, this surprised me
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. A row of timber fishing boats bobs gently in the harbour, schools of small sardines darting between their hulls. Siblings toss pinches of bread in from the dock, squealing in delight as the fish snap up their offerings with theatrical splashes. It's a wholesome Mediterranean scene, but here in Cannes, something about it feels a little off. It clicks in an instant; this tiny snippet of local life is almost jarring among the sea of colossal superyachts. Affluence and excessiveness are more the norm at this French Riviera harbour than a duo of excited fish-feeding children. 'Yachtsman's Harbors' is the theme of our seven-day Windstar Cruise through the French and Italian Rivieras from Barcelona to Rome, sailing aboard Wind Surf and stopping in at harboured destinations of varying populations and riches. Cannes sits somewhere near the top of the scale, with the Promenade de la Croisette's Belle Epoque buildings home to the kind of luxury global fashion brands that so casually hang from the elbows of superyacht-goers. In the warmth of the spring sunshine, I stroll from one end of the promenade to the other, window shopping and people watching along the way. My own purse remains unopened until I venture a few streets back to Rue d'Antibes. Here, quirky gift stores and local labels sit among the usual high street suspects, and a wine enjoyed in the sun at an al fresco table costs a more respectable €7 per glass. Rue d'Antibes is known as Cannes' shopping street. A morning cappuccino at Cafe de Paris sets me back the same amount. But it's the price I'm willing to pay for unrivalled views of Monaco's poster child, Place du Casino. Architecturally, it's spectacular, and it's considered the beating heart of the principality's action. A slow procession of Rolls-Royces, Aston Martins and Bugattis rumbles around the bend, passing Hôtel De Paris and the growing crowd of camera-wielding tourists outside Casino de Monte-Carlo. It's a spectacle of wealth that, perhaps, only the vessels docked in the harbour can rival. Just a few hundred metres from Wind Surf's berth is a high-speed Lamborghini yacht, impossible to miss with its sprawling, ultra-modern deck, and rumoured to retail at a cool $7 million. Luxury yachts at Monte Carlo, Monaco. Like Cannes, Monaco isn't all luxury and big budgets. After wandering Place du Casino, I follow the Formula One street track down through the famous hairpin of Mirabeau corner, past the new Mareterra district – built out into the Mediterranean Sea on reclaimed land – and through the tunnel. I wind up in Quartier du Port, where local breweries, brasseries, and boutiques are a glimpse into everyday Monégasque life. Steaming ricotta and chard-filled barbagiuan pastries and chickpea flour socca in the open hall of Marché de la Condamine sate my growing appetite, fuelling me for an afternoon perusing classic Fiats and early F1 cars at the Private Cars Collection of HSH Prince of Monaco. Portofino in the quiet of early morning. Picture: Monique Ceccato A morning spent on the tree-lined trails of Parco Nazionale di Portofino is a welcome antidote to the dense urbanity of the principality of Monaco. It's day five of the Yachtsman's Harbors of the Rivieras cruise, and we're docked just off the shores of the idyllic coastal town for the day. There's barely a soul to be seen when we set off on our shore excursion at 8am, just a handful of earlybirds sipping their espressos at one of the few open cafes, and some avid sailors prepping their yachts for the afternoon's regatta. Without the midmorning swarms of tourists, the true beauty of the ex-fishing village is revealed. But nothing outshines the beauty of Portofino and surrounds from above, a view only those willing to climb the steep trails towards Paraggi beach are privy to. It's a clear day, and the blue of the sky matches that of the ocean, the Apennine Mountains acting as a buffer between the two in the distance. The picturesque port of Portofino. Our final destination is the bustling commune of Santa Margherita Ligure, a three-and-a-half-hour walk from our starting point in Portofino. We pass olive groves and scrubby bushlands en route, stopping only for the occasional informative chat with our tour leader Giulia and a speedy espresso at a hidden hillside mill-turned-cafe. But, it's a glass of wine we all reach for at the end of the adventure, served with a healthy side of aperitivo hour snacks and glowing pride at having conquered the hike as a team. Portoferraio harbour on the island of Elba. Picture: Monique Ceccato Strolling the cobbled streets of Portoferraio on Elba island the following day – our last port of call before disembarkation in Rome's Civitavecchia – is a gentle warmdown for the legs. We're docked just a few minutes from the town centre, studded with sun-drenched cafes and stores selling locally made products. The harbour here is, in the truest sense, a 'yachtsman's port', with substantially more classic sailboats and cruisers moored along its arching seawall than any of the more built-up towns and cities we've been to. The absence of big-boat energy has a ripple effect throughout the town, with not a high-end storefront or fine dining restaurant to be seen. It's authentic coastal Italy at its finest. I've been tipped off about one of Portoferraio's culinary specialties, schiaccia briaca, a wine-infused, dried fruit and walnut-topped flatbread 'legacy' from the pirates that pillaged the town in the 13th and 16th centuries. Some pasticcerias still sell the ancient unyeasted pastry, and I find mine at Pasticceria Dolce Vita. The cafe oozes Italy, with locals milling around the counter holding their espressos and spritzes in hand, wild, gesticulating conversation going on between them. I soak up the atmosphere before packaging up my schiaccia briaca and strolling back to Wind Surf. Monique Ceccato aboard Wind Surf in Monaco. On the back deck in the warm afternoon sun, I tuck into the dense, bready delicacy. It's sweet and Christmas cake-like, the perfect match for the day's final espresso. We're minutes from departure, and guests are filing upstairs, crowding the railings for their last glimpses of Elba before we're en route to Civitavecchia. As we pull away from port, Wind Surf's sails unfurl for one last time. It's a poignant moment, the canvas waving back at Portoferraio in the breeze and bidding our Riviera journey farewell. The author was a guest of Windstar Cruises. Windstar's seven-day Yachtsman's Harbors of the Rivieras cruise starts from $4640 per person for a double occupancy cabin. It runs almost year-round. Originally published as I cruised Europe's glamour cities on the Riviera, this surprised me
Courier-Mail
2 days ago
- Courier-Mail
Rent influencer Troy Candy's ultimate party house for $11k/week
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