21 Night Cruise sailing from Dubai to Savona aboard Costa neoRomantica.

At the end of January 2012, the Costa Romantica will be completely renovated, just like her name, which will become the "Costa neoRomantica".

The Costa Romantica cruise ship epitomizes Costa's devotion to Italian design. Richly embellished public rooms feature rare woods and Carrara marble, exquisitely detailed by the finest European artisans. Millions of dollars have been invested in original works of art including sculptures, paintings, murals, wall hangings and hand-crafted furnishings. Guests of the Costa Romantica cruise ship can refresh themselves in a fully contained spa which offers beauty treatments, therapies and personalized instruction or they relax in her generously proportioned and luxuriously appointed staterooms. The Costa Romantica is one of the most comfortable and elegant ships in the Costa fleet.

Highlights of this cruise:

Dubai
Dubai is undoubtedly the pearl of the United Arab Emirates. Its name belongs not only to one of the seven emirates but also to the largest city of that emirate (Dubai City). Dubai is the second largest emirate of the country, after Abu Dhabi. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, southwest of Sharjah and northeast of the capital.
Compared with the other emirates, whose enormous wealth comes directly from oil, only 10 per cent of Dubai's gross domestic product is attributable to income from the oil industry. Here the main sources of wealth are the special economic free zone of Jebel Ali and tourism, which has expanded greatly in recent years Today, Dubai City is one of the most intriguing ultramodern metropolises of the 21st century. Its allure is not due to its artistic, archaeological and cultural heritage, so much as to the overall vision it offers: a window of luxury and wealth looking towards the future. Here all that glitters is gold.
The city is divided into two: Deira, to the northeast, and Dubai, to the southeast, separated by an inlet of the Gulf (called Al-Khor). The city centre is actually in Deira. A pleasant and novel way of seeing the city better is to hire an abra (motorised water taxi). However, you can also walk through the port area of Deira and watch the dhows, as they load and unload their goods in the shadow of the skyscrapers before setting off again for the Red Sea or Indian ports. The Creek is a 12-kilometre canal along which you can take a trip back into the past.
Evidence of Dubai's brief history can be seen in the Museum housed in the Al-Fahaidi Fort, built at the beginning of the 19th century. The fort is the oldest building in the city and for many years it was the residence of the heads of state of Dubai and the seat of government. The museum (established in 1971) illustrates the fortunes of the emirate, the life of the local people, Bedouin customs, and the region's flora and fauna. The first written evidence of the city of Dubai dates only to 1799. Previously, during the 18th century, the area had been settled by the Al Abu Falasa family of the Bani Yas clan.
The city remained a dependency of Abu Dhabi until 1833, when the Al Maktoum family, of the Bani Yas clan, left Abu Dhabi and took control of Dubai. Subsequently relations between the two emirates were difficult. In 1892 Dubai became a British protectorate. During the 20th century trade and commerce developed, also with India. Over the years, the city also grew as a financial centre until becoming today's ultramodern metropolis.
Despite its unrestrained luxury, Dubai remains a Muslim city and is obviously home to a number of mosques, including the Jumeirah mosque, a very fine example of modern Islamic architecture. Near the Ruler's Court is the Grand Mosque, renovated in 1998, which boasts the highest minaret in the city (70 m). The residence of Sheikh Saeed, built at the end of the 19th century, overlooks the sea, and is a splendid example of local architecture. However, Dubai City is impressive for its modernity and for the comfort it can offer: from the largest golf course in the Middle East (and the fifth largest in the world in terms of area) to the ultra-luxurious Yacht Club, and from the splendid beaches and amazing hotels and restaurants of every kind to the shopping centres that rival Singapore and Hong Kong.
Grand futuristic projects include the Palm Islands, Dubai International City, Burj Dubai and The Pinnacle, the tallest skyscrapers in the world, the World, a construction of 300 manmade islands reproducing the five continents, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Islands, Hydropolis Hotel, the first underwater hotel, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai Festival City and finally Dubailand and The Mall of the Emirates, which is planning to build a winter holiday resort with artificial snow in the middle of the desert. It is the world of the rich and the super-rich, with their amusements and hobbies, such as horse and camel competitions. These include the traditional and absolutely fascinating Arabian horse championships, where the best pure-bred Arabian horses in the world compete for the title of the most beautiful and most elegant.

Abu Dhabi
The United Arab Emirates is certainly one of the richest countries in the world. Oil has made the fortune of this sovereign state, independent since 1971 and composed of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah. The union is governed by a Supreme Council formed by the seven emirs, each of whom is sovereign in his own territory.
Before 1971 they were known as the Trucial States, referring to a 19th century truce between the British and some Arab sheikhs. The Emirates face the Persian Gulf to the north, the Gulf of Oman to the northeast and border Qatar to the north, Saudi Arabia to the west and Oman to the south. At the end of the 18th century the region was known as the Pirate Coast. After the British troops left, the emirs decided to create a single federal state and Abu Dhabi was chosen as its capital. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan became the federation's leader and he remained in power until his death in 2004. Since 4 November of that year, Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, the sheikh of Abu Dhabi, has been President of the United Arab Emirates. Up until the last century, the region was still a simple land, with a tribal society based on sheep and goat farming and fishing.
However, the discovery of precious oil deposits in 1959 radically changed the situation, and every aspect of traditional life is disappearing rapidly. Probably the only aspect of tradition left is Islam, the strictly observed state religion. Little more than forty years ago, even Abu Dhabi was just a small fishing and pearling village. The city's history is very recent: Abu Dhabi was founded in 1761 and became the seat of the reigning Al-Nahyan family.
During the 19th century it was a fairly famous centre of the pearling industry, but when this sector declined at the end of the century, Abu Dhabi went through a dark period. Around 1930 the first oil concessions were sold, but a couple of decades passed before the discovery of the large deposits that triggered its dizzy development. Hovels and mud huts were quickly replaced with banks and luxury shops. Now urban settlement occupies the whole of the T-shaped island of Abu Dhabi, located right in the middle of the northern coast.
A few signs of the past still remain, like the Al-Hosn Palace, known as the Old Fort or White Fort. It was built by the first heir to the Al-Nahyan dynasty, but was replaced at the end of the 19th century by the current building, now restored and used as an archive. The courtyard and the tile work above the main entrance are of interest. Near the fort is the large and anonymous Cultural Foundation, a building used mainly as a library and research and reference centre. About 5 km south of Abu Dhabi there is a Women's Craft Centre. In the northeastern section of the city the dhow wharf and fish market are worth a visit. The old souk, on the northern seafront, also offers glimpses of local folklore and houses a small gold market and many shops of all kinds where tourists can enjoy seeking out original souvenirs.
Small markets and shopping centres offer the opportunity for excellent buys, especially as Abu Dhabi is a free port. Between Abu Dhabi and Oman is Al Ain, the main centre of the Buraimi oasis. Its twin city is Buraimi, which is on the other side of the border, but visitors can move freely between the two areas. This oasis is probably the longest inhabited part of the country: the first settlement dates back to 4000 B.C. Here you can visit Al Ain Museum and the Eastern Fort, both in the southeastern part of the city. The museum has displays on local life prior to the unexpected disruption caused by the development of the oil industry and offers various examples of typical crafts, from Bedouin jewellery and weapons to musical instruments and the inside of a traditional Bedouin tent.

Safaga
Safaga is approximately 60 km south of Hurghada. It is a favourite Red Sea resort for sports fans, especially windsurfers since the World Championships were held here in 1993. However, it is mainly known to scuba diving experts and enthusiasts. Like all the other Red Sea resorts, for many years it was just a commercial port, developing only recently thanks to tourism. It is now a fine little town and attracts tourists from all over the world with its wide bay with splendid turquoise waters and long beaches.
The recommended dive sites include the Tobia Arbaa chain of coral reefs (also called "seven pillars" for its seven pinnacles rising from the sandy seafloor), the impressive sheer cliffs of the Panorama diving site (its size enables three different dives to be made along the same reef: the southern plateau and the east and west drop offs) and the towering coral formations of Abu Qifan, famous for sightings of hammerhead sharks in spring and manta rays in winter.
Adventure lovers will be attracted to the dramatic wreck of the Salem Express, in which around about 500 people died in one of the worst marine tragedies in the area. In December 1991 the 100-metre-long ferry was returning to Safaga from the traditional Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca when it hit the coral reef and sank immediately. The crew and passengers did not have time to board the lifeboats and there were no survivors. The wreck, one of the biggest in the Red Sea, is now home to an incredible variety of underwater life, and is the home and favourite refuge of all kinds of fish.
However, your visit to Safaga can also concentrate on relaxation and wellness. The town's distinctive black sandy beaches and its waters, with their high saline content and beneficial properties for skin, make it a famous spot for health treatments. The Karlovy Vary Health Centre at the Menaville Hotel is one of the international centres specialising in climate therapy treatments recommended for a wide range of illnesses from rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis to obesity and stress.
Safaga is also a good starting point for excursions into the desert, such as that to the Mons Claudianus granite quarries. This Roman site is the largest and best preserved in the eastern desert and was once inhabited by around 1000 people, including quarry workers and soldiers. Today you can still see the remains of a fort, some houses, workshops, stables and baths, as well as columns of broken granite and large slabs. One of the columns is most impressive at 16 metres long and 2.4 metres wide, and weighing 209 tons.
From Safaga it is also possible to reach the famous historical sites at Luxor, 200 km away, the site of ancient Thebes and Egypt's capital during the Middle Kingdom. The building of the colossal temple of Luxor began during the reign of Amenhotep III in the 14th century BC. Haremhab and the great Tutankhamon then added columns and statues, but the greatest expansion occurred under Ramses II, about 100 years after work commenced. The Temple of Luxor is peculiar in that it is the only major Egyptian temple complex to have the marks of only two pharaohs on its architectural structures.
In 1989 26 statues from the New Kingdom were discovered beneath the floor of the inner area of the temple, and can now be admired in nearby Luxor Museum. The Valley of the Kings, whose entrance is situated less than 3 km from the west bank of the Nile, is of enormous historical and archaeological importance. The rulers of ancient Egypt were buried here for almost 500 years, from the 18th to the 20th dynasties (1552-1069 BC).

Aqaba
Aqaba is Jordan's main port, 325 km from the capital Amman, and the country's only access to the Red Sea. The Gulf of Aqaba, also known as the Gulf of Eilat, lies between the Sinai Peninsula and the Arabian Peninsula. Four countries have a stretch of coastline on the gulf: Jordan, Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The Gulf of Aqaba is one of two gulfs created where the northern Red Sea is divided by the Sinai Peninsula: the Gulf of Aqaba to the east and the Gulf of Suez to the west. The Gulf of Aqaba is just 24 km across at its widest point and stretches for 160 km, from the straits of Tiran to the northern end of where the coastline is divided between Egypt, Israel and Jordan. Each country has a major town in this area: Taba in Egypt, Eilat in Israel and, of course, Aqaba in Jordan. They are not only strategically important commercial centres and ports for their respective countries, but also popular destinations for tourists from across the world seeking a climate that is warm and pleasant almost all year round.
Aqaba's ancient name was Ayla and was founded in the first millennium BC by King Solomon. Given the strategic importance of its coastal position, Aqaba has always been a landing place for goods, which were subsequently sent on to Petra or Damascus. In 106 BC it was conquered by the Romans and in the 4th century AD passed into the hands of the Byzantines. They were followed in turn by the Arabs and Crusaders who built a fort 7 km from the city during the 12th century. With the arrival of the Osmans, Aqaba was transformed in the following centuries into a peaceful fishing village. Two small towns called Ayla and Fort-Aqaba are historic testimony of the medieval and Islamic city. They were built by the Mameluke sultan Qansawh Al-Ghawri at the beginning of the 16th century. The fort was built in the 14th century by the Arabs, while the museum near the fort displays finds from recent history. Not far away, but in Egyptian territory, is Pharaoh's Island (Jezirat Faraun), a small island outside the port with a crusader castle that was ruled by the Christians from across the Jordan.
Aqaba returned to the limelight during the First World War, when the famous colonel Lawrence of Arabia conquered it with a military raid, riding through the night by camel across the Wadi Rum desert. Today, however, people come to Aqaba to relax and enjoy the beauty of the sea. The waters are ideal even for amateur divers and in the shallows around 140 species of amazing coral can be admired (40 of which exist only in this area), as well as countless exotic fish. Naturally the clear, transparent waters allow you to admire the spectacle without any special equipment, but it is better to have at least a mask, snorkel and flippers.
The entire Gulf of Aqaba area is not only particularly rich in coral, but displays great biodiversity and its waters also contain many wrecks, some sunk as a result of accidents, others deliberately scuttled to provide a habitat for marine life, thereby specifically helping underwater tourism. Geologically, the Gulf of Aqaba forms part of the northern section of the Rift Valley, which extends from the valley containing the Dead Sea southwards down through the Red Sea to the Afar Triangle, on the coast of East Africa. The gulf is very narrow and deep, and the four states bordering it have experienced considerable political problems over the centuries.
Next to Aqaba is the Israeli city of Eilat: the two centres are so close that they may seem almost indistinguishable to tourists arriving for the first time. It is said that even the airports are indistinguishable, so that occasionally planes land on the wrong runway.

Alexandria
Alexandria is one of the most important cities in the history of the Mediterranean. A cradle of civilisations, history and culture, the city has passed through periods of grandeur and magnificence followed by deep crises and social unrest. A true country of the extreme, founded by Alexander the Great in 331 and named after him because of the pride he felt for this beautiful land.
Alexandria's legend tells that at the Nile delta, where the city was founded was where the gods of ancient Egypt hid all their knowledge and that any action performed by men extracted the life nymph from that knowledge. In fact, thanks to an absolutely prevailing commercial position in the Mediterranean Sea, Alexandria was soon able to significantly progress in science, culture, philosophy and spiritual life. Its lighthouse, 120 metres high, is legendary and its light was apparently visible from a distance of 100 miles from the coast. This lighthouse and the library were both destroyed, the former by an earthquake and the latter by a fire.
Alexandria's reign continued under Roman rule and with 500,000 inhabitants it became the second city of the Roman Empire. Under Arab rule, Alexandria knew the first period of conflicts due to religious struggles which resulted in the destruction of a large part of the ancient monuments and also caused the decline of the city.
However, Alexandria is a privileged starting point to study the mysteries of Egyptian art and architecture. Cairo, the busy Egyptian capital, with the multitude of activities and the high population concentration is nearby and offers a typical metropolitan context just close to the desert. The desert route, leading to the internal part of the country, is the path of the Pyramids and of the Sphinx. Giza, Cheops, Chefren, Zoster and Micerino as well as Mereuka Mastaba make for an extraordinary excursion. Besides the Egyptian Museum representing the most significant reference point for collections of objects, ornaments, documents and sarcophagi of the Egyptian time and of the Pharaohs, the ancient capital Memphis is most attractive with the mysterious monument, the Colossus of Ramses II.
Egyptian cuisine is particularly flavoured and spiced, particularly mutton and veal meat or game, which accompany all main traditional dishes. Egyptians have a true cult for "kebab", the gigantic roasted veal cut and eaten "on the hoof" and as a filling for sandwiches by many Europeans.
The ataijef is particularly delicious. A type of cheese salted bread, similar to that produced in Liguria, Italy. Also cossa, a vegetable similar in taste to cucumber filled with mutton meat and flavoured with thinly cut spices. Jewellery is particularly attractive, particularly amber and semi precious stones. Papyrus and traditional Egyptian souvenirs are very much favoured. Local clothes, such as the traditional galabia, are popular with tourist.

Savona
One of the most celebrated former inhabitants of Savona was the navigator Christopher Columbus, who farmed land in the area while chronicling his journeys. 'Columbus's house', a cottage situated in the Savona hills, lay between vegetable crops and fruit trees. It is just one of many residences in Liguria associated with Columbus.
Several cities as well as Savona claim his birth and residency, such as Genoa and Terrarossa di Moconesi. Savona is the most important city on the west coast of Italy, within reach of the seaside resorts of Alassio, Loano and Varazze.
Savona is a city rich in history and enterprise, largely centering on its port. The most important monument in the city in this regard is the Priamar, a castle stronghold near the port and recently restored. This is the site of the city's first developed community, in 205BC, described by Roman historian Titus Livius as 'Savo Oppidum Alpinum' and evidently an ally of Carthage against Rome. The city fell under Roman rule in 200BC and, following the establishment of Vada Sabatia, presently called Vado, its importance rapidly declined. After the fall of the Roman Empire and the invasions of the Barbarians, Savona became an important Byzantine settlement. In 643AD, Savona was destroyed by the Rotarians and the Longobards, while during the 9th and 10th centuries it was the capital of Marca Aleramica. Eventually it became an independent municipality, developing considerable trade with France, Spain and North Africa. After a long period resisting Genoa, it finally relinquished power in 1528 and following the Napoleonic era was annexed by Savoy. Formerly a province of the kingdom of Sardinia, the province of Savona was recognised in 1927.
There are two versions surrounding the origin of the name of Savona's symbolic monument, the Priamar. According to the first, Priamar derives from 'Pietra Sul Mare' (rock on the sea), as the fortress is constructed on a promontory rock facing the Ligurian sea. According to the second version the name derives from 'Petra Mala', a reference to the rock underneath the castle being crumbly. Inside the fortress walls stood a school, two of whose pupils became the popes Julius II and Sixtus IV. It also hosted a ceremony to mark the independence of the municipality, in 1191, after the victory of Ghibelline. In the 19th Century the fortress was used as a prison, where in 1830-1831 Giuseppe Mazzini was jailed. During World War II, the fortress was used as an air-raid shelter and to control Savona's port.