Help me start a relationship off right.

October 28, 2005 8:27 AM

New Relationship, Last minute Mediterranean cruise: Non-tourist ideas?

The girl I'm dating decided she would like to offer me a spot originally reserved for (cough, cough) someone else on a cruise through the Mediterranean. I leave November 4th for Spain. This is a new relationship and I would love to impress her with my worldly knowledge.

Cruise stops are:

Barcelona
Provence
Monte Carlo
Florence
Rome
Naples
Messina
Valletta
Athens

Please help me find non-touristy romantic activities in these very decidedly tourist destinations.

Note: I have never been outside North America.

posted by vaportrail to travel & transportation (16 comments total)

ask her what her interests are and adapt accordingly with the Interweb and Gooooogle. don't be a pretentious poseur schmuck to start off a relationship, show her you're interested in her and what she'd like to do.
posted by kcm at 8:46 AM on October 28, 2005

At the very southern tip of the peninsula that athens is on is the Temple of Apollo at Sounio (sometimes Sounion). It is awesome, the drive down there is beutiful and it is only a 90 or so minute drive from the Peireaias.
posted by jmgorman at 8:46 AM on October 28, 2005

In Greece. Sorry.
posted by jmgorman at 8:47 AM on October 28, 2005

Depending on how long you have in Athens, I would forego the trip to the Acropolis. Yes, it's interesting, but it's always thronged with tourists. Instead, take your lady to Mt Lycabettus, where you get a fantastic view of the Acropolis and over the rest of the city. You can get a little funicular cable car to the top, if you don't fancy the walk.

In Rome, a walk through the Trastevere area would be very romantic.

But ... from what I know of European cruises, you often don't get too much time in each port of call to go too far off the beaten track.

When you're cruising at night, you'll get some fantastic starscapes if the sky is clear, with no light pollution in the middle of the Mediterranean. So (gales permitting!), a quiet stroll round the deck would probably set the scene for a romantic night.

Have a great time, vaportrail.
posted by essexjan at 8:48 AM on October 28, 2005

In Greece. Sorry.

It's the off season, Greece itself will be non-touristy. I went to the Acropolis on (Catholic/Western) Christmas and was the only one there. Granted, it was cold as hell, but still...
posted by Pollomacho at 9:22 AM on October 28, 2005

In Rome, visiting the Spanish Steps can be romantic, as there are frequently wedding parties present, as the location is a favorite for wedding photos.

Florence (Firenze in Italian) has more great museums and "must see" art than you can shake a stick at. Some have potential for advancing relationships, depending on the parties involved. But if time is short, and great art is interesting to either of you, head directly for the Uffizi Gallery.

Provence is famous for the Côte d'Azur (or French Riviera). Tons of expensive, touristy stuff to do along the coast in the way of eating and shopping, but if you get a chance to head inland, and the weather is good, do so. If you're renting a car, I'd recommend Aix en Provence as a day trip destination.
posted by paulsc at 9:22 AM on October 28, 2005

FYI, Civitavecchia (the port you will most likely land at) is about an hours train ride away from Rome's Historical center.
posted by romakimmy at 9:39 AM on October 28, 2005

As a general rule, I would say the easiest way to be "non-touristy" would be not to rush from place to place, because even if the destinations themselves are "off the beaten path," the simple act of running through a checklist of "must sees" is what, in my mind, defines the stereotypical tourist.

The romantic traveler, on the other hand, may have an idea of general areas to explore, or even *one* big tourist destination to check out, but he does it with ease and leisure and many breaks for wine or coffee in picturesque piazzas where he can gaze lovingly into his girlfriend's eyes as they soak in the atmosphere.

Really, the most "romantic" walks I had in Venice (none of them with romantic partners, actually) were just getting lost in the back streets and looking at kids playing soccer and women hanging out their laundry to dry and then stopping for a coffee and watching the same things from a different angle. One of the best (in my mind) things about Europe is that you can slooooow dooooown and not be so goal-oriented-North-American about things. Don't overplan.
posted by occhiblu at 9:43 AM on October 28, 2005

To clarify a bit: I didn't mean one touristy destination total, but just that you shouldn't try to "do" Athens in the few hours you'll have there. If you've always wanted to see the Uffizi and the Parthenon and the Colosseum then I think you should feel free to push for that, just don't try to do the Colosseum *and* the Pantheon *and* Villa Borghese *and* the Dali Museum *and* St. Peter's *and* the bone church *and* that other obscure church someone once mentioned and and ... all in an afternoon.

I (snobbishly) find that my friends who "impress me with their worldly knowledge" are the ones who act like they know they'll be back to foreign cities again and so don't try to cram everything in to each visit. Instead, they're just content to *be* there.
posted by occhiblu at 9:52 AM on October 28, 2005

If you have time, I'd recommend a trip from Naples to the island of Capri. Nosh with the jet-set for a bit, then get away from the main plazas for some romance. Visit the Grotta Azzurra, wander some of the ruined villas, then head to the top of Monte Solare for an exquisite view.
posted by Dean King at 10:27 AM on October 28, 2005

I know this is not related to the question you asked, but I feel it is pertinent to mention how tricky it is to share seriously close quarters (assuming you are sharing a cabin) and spend 24/7 with someone you don't know all that well. I'm not trying to be overly pessimistic, but the situation will lead to a crash course in each other's less-than-perfect qualities. If you think this might be a problem, you might want to solicit tips on how to make sure this new relationship will survive the cruise.

Sorry, I really don't mean to derail your post.
posted by necessitas at 11:38 AM on October 28, 2005

Some great information in here. I may have come off as pretentious, I am not. I simply want to show this girl the time of her life and want all my bases covered.

necessitas:

Some good advice there- we have spent enough time to know we're going to be okay. I have zero doubt we'll get along perfectly.

Anyway- Thanks to all and keep the great advice coming!
posted by vaportrail at 1:30 PM on October 28, 2005

(I didn't think you came off as pretentious at all! I really hope you have a great time; the trip sounds amazing!)
posted by occhiblu at 1:40 PM on October 28, 2005

I second all the comments about not focusing on particular events or destinations, but if you've already found yourself at the Colosseum, the Pantheon, or the Vatican, these are good followups off the beaten track.

Colosseum: three "blocks" east of it on via San Giovanni in Laterano is San Clemente, my favorite church in Rome. It's a really old church built on top of another really old church built on top of a Mithraeum. If you were hungry after that you could walk about thirty steps to Isidoro, downstairs at Via San Giovanni in Laterano, 59. It has a great system of "assagini" (tastings) where they bring you different pastas until you ask them to stop -- maybe you can't do that with just two people, I forget, and unless you have about six people it's probably overwhelming. They have a great variety of uncommon sauces for their pasta, anyway, including a chestnut, a walnut-and-blue-cheese, and others. They have this dumb calendar of sex positions that they give out.

Pantheon: behind it, around the corner to the left is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, also build atop a pagan temple, with a cute elephant in front of it; on the walk between there and the Pantheon you can look in the window of a place that sells church vestments. From there you could walk to largo di Torre Argentina (there's a cat sanctuary), then to the Jewish Ghetto (kosher pizza at Zi Fenizia), across the Tiber Island, and into Trastevere. Tiber Island is quiet, car-free, romantic and watery.. Santa Maria in Trastevere has a beautiful piazza and a lot of young hipsters -- though it's fairly overdone at this point, like Union Square in New York. Not far from there is Il Boom which I find quite charming and 100 times more tasteful than its website -- classic mid-century modern decor, nostalgia for 1950s-60s Italy. Backtrack half a block to my home base trattoria in Rome, "Alle Fratte di Trastevere", which is not particularly romantic or distinctive but is friendly and homey to me, and has great food.

Vatican: walk south (via d. Porta S. Sprito), almost get hit by some cars coming through a tunnel (Largo Porta Cavalleggeri), then up this incredibly steep hill (I think Sal. d. S. Onofrio) and onto this walk along the wall on the Gianicolo/Janiculum. It's a beautiful overview of the city. But it's hard to tell you how to get there, and getting lost isn't always romantic. If you're hiking up steep stairs, you're going in the right direction.

It's winter so you will see people selling hot chestnuts on the street: get some. Some of the good gelato places will be closed. Stop in bakeries and get fresh things; stop in small churches and find what renaissance masterpieces they hold.

Athens: If you happen upon an orthodox church service, stop to hear the otherworldly music.
posted by xueexueg at 1:43 PM on October 28, 2005

If you look at that calendar I linked to, it says Isidoro is at via Ostila 23, but since that calendar is from 2000 and I last went to Isidoro in 2002, I'm pretty sure S. Giovanni in Laterano 59 is right.
posted by xueexueg at 2:58 PM on October 28, 2005

In florence a definite must eat place is Trattoria Mario at Via Rosina (corner of Piazza Mercato Centrale). The menu is all in Italian, and the staff speak virtually no english, but the food is amazing. Be sure to get a pasta plate and a second plate.

The street market in florence is also amazing and definitely worth a wander through. And the view form the Dome is amazing, but it's a tough climb and can be a bit touristy but well worth it.

I didn't find Rome all that impressive as far as romanticism goes. The Fountain and the Steps etc are all very touristy. If you have time to make your way out to Villa Borghese park, that would be a great place for a nice walk (Take the metro to Piazza Del Popolo the have a walk around the park then finish up in the huge Piazza)
posted by mule at 12:12 AM on October 29, 2005