The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Sarah Marshal
Our stroll after dinner took us around Portoferraio harbour – small and sheltered, it was described by Nelson as the safest in the world. Still warm at nearly 10pm in mid-October, there was a lively buzz from quayside drinkers. Soon we reached the spot where our day had started on Elba, Italy’s third-biggest island.
A gaggle of us on this Mediterranean cruise had risen early to go shopping for our supper, and within minutes of stepping down the gangway, Chef Li was negotiating with fishermen selling from their boats.
We then walked to a bakery for schiaccia briaca, a boozy fruit-and-nut cake that gets its rosy colour from lashings of sweet red Elban wine, before heading to a delicatessen for cheeses, pasta and cured meats.
Serving fresh fish and local delicacies along the way is impossible for big ships with thousands to feed, but we were only 100 passengers aboard Emerald Azzurra, the first ocean-going ship from Emerald, an Australian, family-owned line that until now has specialised in river cruises.
And what a ship! Within its pyramid of striking black-and-white decks are 50 large cabins – all but six with balconies – and on this week-long cruise from Civitavecchia, near Rome, to Nice it was hard to believe it was full. There were always tables if you wanted to dine on the terrace, loads of seating and room for performances in the large lounge, and plenty of sun beds on the pool deck.
The yacht has 50 large cabins – all but six with balconies
