Many residents of the City of Fair Oaks Ranch have actively followed the Deleranko Family Viking Cruise Line overseas trips the last several years. Their most recent travels with the exclusive Viking “Explorer Society” included excursions to Italy, Croatia, Sicily, Rome, Florence, Piza, Monaco, France and Spain. As usual, this trip encountered several hazards and unexpected highlights that seemed to occur coincidentally to the delight of the tourists.

This particular trip began in May 2025 flying into Venice and boarding the Viking “Mars” cruise ship. Due to missed flight schedules, they were not able to take the gondola (Ferry) Traghetti, conveying people across the Grand Canal, but were nonetheless grateful to have finally made it on board just in time to sail the Adriatic Sea to anchorage on the Zablace Pier in Croatia. They were then able to use the ship ‘Tenders’ to visit Sibenik – the oldest Croatian city on the Dalmatian Coast. This UNESCO World Heritage site is known for, among other things, being the hometown of famed inventor Nichola Tesla.

The Delerankos were scheduled to port in Crotone, Italy, but due to rough seas on the Adriatic the Port Authority denied them access. They then sailed onto the Ionian Sea to Sicily, (Messina), where they witnessed the eruption of Mount Stromboli. As an interesting side note, Mount Aetna spectacularly erupted just two days after they left port for Rome, Italy. In Naples they were able to tour the Grand Piazza Del Plebiscito as well as the San Francesco di Paola Church. 

In Rome, (Civitavecchia), the Vatican Conclave had just concluded and the Delerankos were fortunate to see the new American Pope, (Leo XIV) in St. Peters Square. The last time Mr. Deleranko was in Rome 55 years ago, he had a private audience with Pope Paul VI, thus making a full personal circle of Roman Vatican Catholicism from the 20th to the 21st centuries. 

From Rome the Delerankos sailed the Tyrrhenian Sea to beautiful Tuscany, known as the cradle of the Renaissance, where they visited Brunelleschi’s famous “Duomo”, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore. Tuscany is often called a “Nation within a Nation”; they were able to also visit Florence/Pisa (Livorno) and view the ‘Leaning Tower’ as it continues to fall. While in Tuscany, they were able to procure conveyance to the Carrera Marble Quarries, high in the Apuan Alps mountains, that have been continuously mined since ancient Roman times. This was a highlight of their trip.

Their Mediterranean travels continued onto the Sea of Ligurian where they ported in Monaco. There they toured the chic city of Monte Carlo, a sparkling gem of the French Riviera, for some of the most exclusive shopping in the old port of the Grimaldi Family. They also visited the Church where Princess Grace Kelly was married and is now interred.

The next stop for the Deleranko family was to France where they visited the oldest city of Marseille. There they toured the “Old Port’, which is a natural harbor that boasts all types and sizes of watercraft, from elegant yachts to old style fishing vessels. Its picturesque ‘Quay’, built on the orders of Louis XII and XIII, is considered one of the world’s most romantic walks. It is lined with cafes and shops, overseen by the neo-Byzantine Notre Dame de la Garde perched high above the city.

Montpellier, (Sète), was the final stop in France and has been the center of learning for centuries. Its namesake University, founded in 1160, is one of the oldest in Europe- predating the Renaissance. The final port call was in Barcelona, which serves as Spain’s Catalonian Capital, where the Delerankos were able to visit the towering La Sagrada Familia Cathedral.

After another exhaustive 15 days trip with the Viking Explorer Society (their fifth), they can confirm the “Over Tourism” reported worldwide. Unfortunately, everywhere they went the crowds were overwhelming. At times they even had to hire additional security to navigate the crowds. The Delerankos highly recommend Viking Cruises and Excursions for complete safety as well as highly organized and knowledgeable tour guides.    

Anyone desiring more information on Viking Cruises can contact Mr. and Mrs. Deleranko personally through the FORHA Directory or simply stop by their home here on the Ranch.