Setting sail from Civitavecchia, the first stop on our week-long Mediterranean voyage is the culinary heavyweight of Naples, where pizza is more than food � it's an art form. Messina, the gateway to Sicily, is next, with its unique blend of Norman, Arab, and Byzantine influences, before we arrive in Malta's historic fortified capital of Valletta. A day at sea brings us to Souda in Greece, jumping-off point for the Cretan city of Chania, where bustling waterfront restaurants line the promenade of a 14th-century harbor. Kusadasi, a lively Turkish coastal resort on the Aegean Sea, is next, before we disembark in Piraeus, from where you can enjoy all that ancient Athens has to offer.