By
Alex Smith |
Costa Firenze, Costa Cruises’ newest ship, has left the port of Savona in Italy for her first cruise.
The ship will sail a one-week itinerary around Italy throughout the summer, with destinations including Savona, Civitavecchia, Naples, Catania, Palermo and Cagliari. Port calls will last over 10 hours, with dedicated excursions available for guests. From the end of July to the end of August, the ship will also make an additional stop in Valletta, Malta. From 12 September, the itinerary will be expanded to France and Spain, sailing to Savona, Civitavecchia, Naples, Ibiza, Barcelona and Marseille.
"Costa Firenze is the perfect ambassador of Italian style, which we have combined with a series of product innovations designed especially for families and couples," said Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Cruises. "This is the fourth Costa ship to resume service this summer, confirming the gradual return to normality of our company and the cruise industry, which is of great economic and employment importance for our country."
The ship was built by Fincantieri at its Marghera shipyard in Italy. Her design was inspired by the city of Florence and the Florentine Renaissance. The common areas onboard the ship, such as the Piazza della Signoria atrium, are designed to evoke the streets and squares of Florence. Meanwhile, the colours, patterns and shapes of the interior design in spaces such as the Palazzo Vecchio Restaurant and Ristorante de Medici recall the architecture of the Florentine Renaissance.
Onboard entertainment options include La Laguna Water Park, which features three water slides of different heights, and the Rope Garden Adventure Park, where guests can walk over the sea between Tibetan bridges, platforms and cable ways. An indoor area with a video arcade and PlayStation and an outdoor area with table tennis, Twister and foot billiards is available for teenagers. Meanwhile, the Squok Club offers NEOS digital games and an open-air space for younger children.
A total of 13 restaurants are available onboard Costa Firenze, the largest offering of themed restaurants in the fleet. Dining venues serve a range of Italian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine will be among those on offer, while the menus of Palazzo Vecchio and Ristorante de Medici will include a dish linked to the destinations visited by the ship each evening, created by Italian chef Bruno Barbieri. Guests can also choose from a selection of 8 different bars around the ship.
Costa Firenze will reposition to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for winter 2021-2022, where she will sail week-long cruises to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Doha, Qatar; and Muscat, Oman. Itineraries will also include a multi-day stopover in Dubai, with specific packages for visits to the rearranged Expo Dubai 2020.
Costa’s cruises follow the procedures set out in the Costa Safety Protocol, the protocol developed by the company together with scientists and the Italian authorities. The measures include reducing the number of guests, swab testing for all guests before embarkation and at mid-cruise and daily temperature checks, among others.