LUXE Serendipity magazine

By Donna Richardson

There are journeys that feel borrowed from another lifetime -slow, cinematic, and textured with the romance of old-world travel. Sailing on a tall ship is one of them. When the chance came to board Star Flyer, a four-masted clipper straight out of a 19th-century maritime painting, I jumped at the chance.

The promise: two nights drifting through Puglia’s sun-bleached landscapes, a first-class rail journey across the Italian heartland, and a 7 day voyage through volcanic archipelagos and the Amalfi coastline -all propelled, mostly, by wind. It was to be a journey of self discovery, of adventure and it spoke to my heart – how could I refuse.

Days spent at sea made my soul sing as I gazed out into the blue, Forget seasickness I felt at home on the ocean wave, I often think I was born in the wrong era. For me sailing as they did 200 years ago felt natural and as soon as the sails unfurled I felt peaceful and at one. But before that all began, another adventure unravelled.

Puglia: The Smooth South

The adventure began in Bari, described as Italy’s stiletto heel and we arrived in the dark, the city glimmering below us.

We checked into the chic Bventuno Hotel, dropped our bags, and immediately surrender to the rhythm of the south: small plates of seafood, orecchiette with turnip tops, generous pours of Primitivo.

After a great night’s sleep the morning woke me with excitement in the air. I explored the hotel and ventured out to explore my surroundings, I was drawn to the sea. The Adriatic glints against the longest promenade in Italy and the air smells of sea spray and strong espresso.

Fishermen mended nets on the Lungomare as the Norman-Swabian Castle rises stoically behind them. Bari is a city divided between contemporary bustle and ancient cobbles – where Zara neighbours a church housing the relics of St Nicholas, and old women still hand-shape pasta in the doorways of the old town but there is also a thriving nightlife scene to be found by the waterfront.

Stepping into a Biblical land

Beyond Bari, the landscape folds into a quieter Italy: centuries-old farmland threaded with stone walls and chalky lanes. Matera appears suddenly, perched on a ravine – its prehistoric cave dwellings carved into pale rock that glows gold at sunset. Wandering its labyrinthine alleys feels like stepping through layers of civilisation; one moment you pass a 13th-century frescoed cave church, the next a viewpoint familiar from No Time to Die. Matera may have once been deemed the “shame of Italy”, but today it’s a haunting, beautiful time capsule.

Alberobello, by contrast, feels like a fairy tale rendered in limestone. Its trulli -;whitewashed, conical-roofed dwellings-cluster across the Itria Valley like a village imagined by Tolkien.

Over a glass of homemade red inside one trullo, the town’s president explains how these mortarless structures once allowed inhabitants to dodge taxes. Today, they’re UNESCO-protected, impossibly photogenic, and symbolic of a region that has always danced to its own rhythm.

Slow Travel by Train

After a final Apulian breakfast, we board Italy’s glossy, efficient rail network – first class, naturally-and slip north toward Rome. The four-hour journey becomes a meditative interlude: rolling hills, vineyards, little flashes of terracotta towns, and convivial chatter with fellow travellers. By the time we connect to Civitavecchia, the sea breeze has already begun to change the tempo of the day.

Arrival: A Tall Ship Awaits

Nothing quite prepares you for the first sight of Star Flyer, when you meet her at Citavecchia. She is grace and luxury personified with teak decks, soaring masts, cream sails furled like silk petals. You half expect Kate Winslet in a wide brimmed hat to appear on the gangway. Check-in is swift; welcome drinks are poured; your suitcases mysteriously reappear in your cabin. My room is warm with polished wood, nautical prints, and a bottle of bubbly waiting and ships jostling for space in the harbour beyond the porthole window, and a programme of the days activities pushed under the door.

We are given a warm welcome to the ship by the crew and shown all the fire evacuation and lifeboat points and once all the niceties are out the way we then settle in with happy hour drinks – the way forward.

Sailaway

As the sun drops in the sky, the sails begin to unfurl to the sweeping swell of Vangelis’ Conquest of Paradise. They glow in shifting colours as the ship glides into open sea. It’s impossible not to feel moved; it’s impossible not to feel you’ve stepped into a filmset. The scene from Titanic with Kate and Leo pops into my mind as I stand on the bow my hands ourstretched waiting for Leo to slip behind me – in my dreams.

Life Onboard: Rituals of the Sea

Mornings begin with the most incredible sunrises and smoking volcanoes in the distance. The first day is completely at sea as it takes a full days sail to reach land.

Days slip into an easy rhythm. Breakfast with bottomless Italian coffee. Sunbathing on deck. Long conversations with passengers who feel like characters in a novel. A printed intinerary thrkugh the door. Sunset yoga led by Melanie, a former Pan Am stewardess who now teaches around the world.

And, for the brave, a climb to the crow’s nest – exhilarating, knee-trembling ascent rewarded with a 360° panorama of endless blue.

Star Flyer has the personality of a private yacht, convivial, intimate, refreshingly unpretentious. You dine on red snapper with wild garlic pesto beneath chandeliers, sip cocktails at the Tropical Bar, and listen to the piano as the ship hums softly beneath you.

Into the Volcano Belt

At dawn, the Aeolian Islands rise in silhouettes: dramatic, moody, elemental. I wake early to find Stromboli smouldering against a red sky, the air still and electrified. As I sit on the ship’s netting with a coffee, dolphins appear -flipping, circling, performing for no one but themselves. It’s the kind of moment that suspends time.

Stopping off in exotic ports

Lipari is our first stop, a lively island of pastel houses and Sicilian charm. I wander across the sea front and then uphill past incredible stores full of shells, pottery and art and get lost down alleyways. The Sicilian influence is really evident.

Stepping into the Underworld – mythology uncovered

Then we take a boat to Vulcano which really takes my breath away. Once thought to be the entrance to the underworld, it remains a living, steaming creature – fumaroles sighing, sulphur hanging in the air, black-sand beaches shimmering with heat. A scenic boat ride reveals sea caves, lava cliffs and the iconic stack formations of the archipelago, even to the place Aphrodite is said to have bathed.

On land, ut’s possible to hike the crater rim, where the earth blushes yellow with sulphur, but even simply wandering the shoreline -volcanic bubbles rising beneath your feet and it feels like standing at the edge of mythology. Afterward, we cool off with granita served in frosted glasses and a limoncello spritz.

Sicily: Wine, Lava and the Glamour of Taormina

Messina offers a choice once you disembark, you can explore its historic streets or be whisked off through Godfather country as you climb toward Taormina where you can see the place White Lotus was filmed and browse the shops as well as spend time in the ampitheatre and browse the shops for trinkets which tell a tale of the history of the land.

Later in the afternoon it is off to Mount Etna’s vineyards. The decision is easy. Within an hour, we are tasting crisp whites and mineral-rich reds at Gambino on the slopse of Etna while staring at lava trails streaking through fertile black soil. Etna smokes quietly in the distance. Our sommelier pairs each wine with regional cheeses, meats and stories -reminding us that volcanic soil produces some of Italy’s most expressive vintages.

Back onboard, White Night awaits: a champagne-laced evening culminating in a slow, moonlit sail around Stromboli as it spits fountains of ember into the darkness. It is both theatrical and primal -nature’s own fireworks. Something that I will remember forever – and we also won the music quiz.

The Amalfi Coast Finale

Our last full day brings a sun-drenched buffet on deck -fruit sculptures, champagne, dancing waiters -before the coastline shifts into the iconic drama of Amalfi. It is just as beautiful as I imagined and I can see why all the Hollywood starlets loved to flock here.

Terraced lemon groves, vertical towns, vertiginous cliffs. Some guests head to Ravello, beloved of D.H. Lawrence and Greta Garbo. Others take the tender onward to Capri or Ponza. I simply stand at the rail, glass in hand, and let the coastline unspool like a reel of classic Italian cinema.

A Farewell in Full Sail

On our final morning, is emotional as we board a tender to photograph the ship from the water. Seeing Star Flyer in her entirety- sails billowed, masts etched against the sky, The crew salute and I wipe a tear. It’s that kind of voyage.

Beyond its aesthetics, this is also travel with a conscience. Star Clippers operates under wind power up to 70% of the time, significantly reducing emissions. The ships hold international certifications for clean air standards and minimise waste onboard. This is slow, sustainable travel at its most elegant.

The Journey’s End

The boat returns to Civitavecchia and then on to Rome, where ancient stones meet the hum of modern life. However, I hop off at Amalfi and take a scenic drive past Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius to Napoli. After 10 nights and more than 1,600 kilometres by rail and sea, the journey feels like a tapestry of southern Italy’s greatest hits: Puglia’s trulli and cave cities, the Aeolians’ volcanic drama, Sicily’s wines and legends, Amalfi’s irresistible glamour.

It is a voyage for dreamers, for lovers of slow travel, for anyone who suspects they might have thrived in another century. And it lingers long after the sails come down.

Star Clippers Royal Clipper is featured on Channel 4 programme World’s Most Luxurious Cruises on Channel 4 on 17 November 2025. Book Star Clippers Sailing Tall Ship Cruises online.