Start your sea and land journey on board Scenic Eclipse, gliding from the chic promenades of the Côte d’Azur and Monaco to pastel-washed fishing villages and cliff-hugging towns along Italy’s coastline, with days shaped by small-group excursions and unhurried evenings on board. Continue south, tracing the volcanic silhouettes of Sicily before arriving in Valletta, a UNESCO-listed capital shaped by the Knights of St John, where you will spend four nights discovering Mdina, St Paul’s Catacombs, the Tarxien Temples and the Blue Grotto, with a considered balance of included discoveries and time to explore independently.