A Celebration of Art: The French & Italian Rivieras and Corsica

Cruise overview

This cruise is part of a collection of PONANT themed voyages that are specially tailored for travelers who want to engage with the world. In addition to the usual elements of the PONANT experience, the listed price for these voyages includes transfers to and from the ship, talks and discussions aboard ship by world-class experts, and a shore excursion or activity in each port of call that encourages guests to embrace the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the local environment and culture.

This voyage along the French and Italian Rivieras, including Corsica , is designed for travelers interested in Western Art from the Renaissance onward, with a special focus on modern and contemporary painting and sculpture. From day one, when the choice of activities includes museums dedicated to Renoir and Picasso, to the final day, when the remarkable collection of late-20th-century art in the Maeght Foundation is center stage, painting and sculpture are the focus of nearly all we do. The modern art at either end of the voyage is balanced with two days devoted to the art of the Italian Renaissance as we visit the Fesch Museum on Corsica and the great museums of Rome.

Departing from Nice, beginning in the resort town of Cannes , your gateway to a region of southern France with deep ties to the world of modern and contemporary art. Three choices present themselves: The neighboring village of Mougins , where Picasso spent the last years of his life, is home to the new (2024) Femmes Artistes Musée, showcasing the work of women artists from the late 19th century to the present. In Antibes , just east of Cannes, you will find the Picasso Museum, housed in a castle that was once the artist’s studio, and in Cagnes-sur-Mer you may visit the estate that served as Renoir’s home and workshop from 1907 until his death.

Leaving Cannes, spend two days exploring the French island of Corsica . In Ajaccio, the island’s capital, you might visit Maison Bonaparte , the house where Emperor Napoleon was born in 1769, now a museum, or you may prefer to explore the Fesch Museum , generally recognized as having the finest collection of Italian painting in France outside of the Louvre. Then, in Bonifacio , perched high on cliffs above Corsica’s southern coast, tour the old town’s winding medieval lanes of brightly colored houses  and admire their Gothic architecture before visiting Corsica’s own Biennale of contemporary art .

From Civitavecchia , travel to Rome, the Eternal City, where you have a choice of three museums to explore. In the Vatican Art Museums enjoy a guided tour focused on some of the most famous works in the collection before visiting the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam . Or you may prefer to tour Villa Borghese , displaying, among other treasures, sculptures by Bernini and paintings by Caravaggio, Titian , and Raphael . Or, if a more intimate setting appeals to you, you can visit the Doria Pamphili Gallery , one of the most prestigious private art collections in Rome.

Portoferraio , the main harbor of Elba, was founded by the Medici in the 16th century, but is most famous as the site of Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile in 1814-15. You may choose to learn about the Emperor’s life on the island by visiting one of his residences—either Villa San Martino or Villa dei Mulini, both of which are now museums. Alternatively, visit the small Ottoni Botanical Garden and the charming village of Capoliveri .

Once a small Italian fishing village, Portofino is now a favored haunt of the rich and famous. This beautiful resort town welcomes you for a relaxing day of leisure. A guided walking tour will orient you to the village, after which you can browse it shops and galleries at your own pace and perhaps sample the local cuisine.

For the final day of the journey, you may travel from Nice to the 16th-century village of St.-Paul-de-Vence to visit the stunning Maeght Foundation . Set amid a garden of monumental sculptures, the museum, designed by José Luis Sert , houses one of the world’s finest collections of 20th-century works by artists including Braque , Chagall, Miró , and Picasso. Alternatively, visit the hilltop medieval village of Eze and the splendid gardens of the Villa Ephrussi Rothschild .