A cruise that takes in wonderful coastline of Italy yields such treasures as dormant volcano of Mt Vesuvius, ancient Pompeii and stunning city of Rome. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia hold many delights too on a Western Mediterranean cruise.

In Eastern Mediterranean, cruise passengers can discover spectacular Croatian coastline and its beautiful city - Dubrovnik, before diving southeastwards to sample classical Greece and its sultry islands. The island of Crete is always worth a visit, if only for historic Palace of Knossos.

A visit to holy city of Jerusalem is a worthwhile excursion from both Israeli ports - Haifa and Ashdod - on a Mediterranean cruise of Middle East. Egypt's Port Said is well worth a visit too. Port Said provides access to world famous Suez Canal, which takes vessels into Red Sea and onwards in to Arabian Sea.

The Mediterranean region has seen many a civilization rise and fall. It is a crucible of human evolution and is rich in relics left over by more than 6,000 years of occupation. If you've ever wanted to discover what it felt like to be an Egyptian pharaoh, Roman warrior or a Greek philosopher, a Mediterranean cruise can give you just that opportunity..

John Metcalfe http://www.azcruises.com

What makes Noia worthy of note is not just its location, but its history and appearance. Noia has existed for well over a thousand years and was, for 700 years, seat of Archbishop. It has two churches dating back to eleventh and twelfth centuries and many other ancient buildings in its original mediaeval quarter. An unfortunate feature of Noia, but one typical of this region, is constant presence of decrepit old buildings adjacent to well maintained ones. This is result of land registration laws, or lack of them, in Galicia. If you can ignore this failing, Noia is an attractive town with many tapas bars, plenty of shops and feel and atmosphere of a genuine Spanish town. Noia still has a thriving market and locals speak their own language, Gallego. Visit www.galiciaguide.com for further information about Noia and region of Galicia.