Getting To Know Vincent Van Gogh

ARLES, France — For most of our lives, the name Vincent Van Gogh was little more than that, a name. We knew he was a painter, perhaps because of jokes connected to his famous last name, perhaps because it had been buried in textbooks we tried hard to ignore. We knew he was a favorite… Continue reading Getting To Know Vincent Van Gogh

Friday file: Cruising On 'Italy’s Finest'

That’s the slogan Costa uses for its new ship, the Diadema, and it gets no argument from the cruising families of Italy. We spent five days on her in the Mediterranean, where the Diadema sails year-round at or close to capacity. Today’s photos demonstrate some of this ship's more interesting features… At two-per-cabin, the Diadema carries 3,710… Continue reading Friday file: Cruising On 'Italy’s Finest'

Britannia To Rule The Waves

  It’s safe to assume that when Queen Elizabeth christened the P&O Oriana in 1995, when she was a mere child of 69, that nobody imagined two decades later she’d be christening another P&O ship, the Britannia. It happens tomorrow. This is the biggest ship ever built for Brits. It weighs 141,000 tons, carries 3,647… Continue reading Britannia To Rule The Waves

Vroom! Grand Prix On The Diadema

  ON THE COSTA DIADEMA — Several years ago, we spent almost three weeks driving around Italy. From Tuscany to Turin and back. From Tuscany to Naples to Venice and back to Rome. About 3,000 kilometers in 19 days. By the time it ended, Bob had turned into Roberto. If you’ve ever driven a car in… Continue reading Vroom! Grand Prix On The Diadema

Costa’s ’Tiara’ Jewel Of The Fleet

ON THE COSTA DIADEMA — The first thing you should know about Costa Cruises, if you don’t already, is that this is not some obscure cruise line that nobody ever heard of before one of its ships — the Concordia — became a graveyard for 32 of its passengers. Costa is big. So big that… Continue reading Costa’s ’Tiara’ Jewel Of The Fleet