All aboard for Italian luxury! From September 8 to 18, 2027, a Ponant Explorations cruise celebrating Italian luxury will bring together travellers, artisans, and several Italian houses from Livorno to Venice. The voyage will take place aboard Le Boréal, calling at Florence, the island of Elba, Taormina, Sorrento, and the Venetian lagoon.

Built around artisanal craftsmanship, the cruise will be based on a collaboration between Ponant Explorations (part of Artémis, owned by the Pinault family) and five Kering group houses: Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Pomellato, and Ginori 1735. Participants will discover their heritage treasures through workshop visits, demonstrations and conversations with professionals, with prices starting at €11,930 per person.

Stopovers in Florence and Venice

In Florence, Kering’s flagship label Gucci will open its archives, as well as Palazzo Gucci, to travellers. There, they will discover pieces tracing the house’s history and its relationship with travel. On board, an exhibition will extend this immersion in the brand’s world, presenting various objects and documents.

Along Venice’s canals, Bottega Veneta will offer guests the chance to observe the crafting of leather goods and its Intrecciato weave. Visitors will follow an itinerary linking several locations tied to the house’s history, and take part in a discussion in a Venetian palazzo, where the essential steps in designing an accessory will be explained.

Garment construction and gemstone selection

Brioni will showcase the work of the master tailor by demonstrating the construction of a garment, from fabric selection through to assembling the pieces. The aim of this session is to reveal the rationale behind each movement and the various decisions involved in creating a garment.

Pomellato will focus on gemstone selection. The jeweller will guide participants through the evaluation criteria and the interplay between colours, volumes and settings. Travellers will be able to follow how a piece is defined before it is made.

Discover Italy as few know it

Ginori 1735 will open the doors of its Florentine manufactory, where visitors can watch porcelain being crafted, from shaping to decoration. A demonstration will show the painting techniques used by the house’s artisans, followed by an introductory workshop. A pop-up café devoted to the house’s universe will round out the experience.

Stopovers in northern and southern Italy will offer visits to cities, historic sites, and wine estates. Travellers can explore the island of Elba, Otranto, or Taormina, discover museums, or stroll through historic centres. The aim is to link these places to the themes of the voyage: craftsmanship, place, traditions, and creativity.

As with any cruise, food matters: the cuisine on board will be inspired by the regions on the itinerary and will accompany the stages of the journey without any pursuit of spectacle. Optional pre- or post-cruise programmes will also offer discoveries around Florence, Chianti or Verona, to suit individual interests.

And the Pinault family’s aim is clearly to generate a potential new dynamic among its various assets.