Cruises are like cherries, can't stop at your first.
Interview with Italo 'Novecento' Dubbini, C|Club Member
Cruises are like cherries, can’t stop at one.
Interview with Italo 'Novecento' Dubbini, C|Club Member
We talk to an affectionate C|Club member, Italo Dubbini, known to everyone as 'Novecento'. A visceral passion for cruises and an incredible story to tell.
Where does your passion for cruises come from?
I was in Valparaiso, Chile, during the 2015 round-the-world cruise when I fell ill. The assistance, support and dedication that Costa gave me was something that really changed my life... I recovered in a few weeks and resumed the World Tour by embarking from Oakland! That evening they gave me a surprise, taking me to the bridge to celebrate with all the ship officers. There was also a cake with 'Welcome back on board Novecento' written on it.
Why does everyone call you 'Novecento'?
Because like the main character in the film 'The Legend of the Pianist on the Ocean', I would never get off the ship!
Three top destinations on your last World Tour.
The island of St Helena, inaccessible, wild, it welcomed Napoleon. And there you don't study history, you actually breathe it! Then definitely Cape Town! The most beautiful waterfront in the world. A huge, very long promenade with a Ferris wheel, these colourful houses and local handicraft shops... there I bought an incredible souvenir, a three-metre high wooden giraffe! Finally, Cape Horn, which, like Cape Town, is 'the' ideal destination. It's like Everest for a mountaineer! It is just that the mountains change, they erode, the meeting of the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific that we saw is the same as Magellan saw. That is why the experience of the Round the World cruise makes you feel very much like an explorer.
And who knows how amazing the sunsets are in those places?
To melt your heart! Although, in my experience, the most beautiful sunsets are in the Mediterranean. And the Mediterranean cities always have something new to offer, I am thinking of Barcelona, but not only.
For those on their first cruise experience, which itinerary would you recommend?
Northern Europe! I always say, there you really understand the value of the sea perspective. The fjords offer fairytale panoramas, fairytale views and excursions that for geographical reasons cannot be made elsewhere. Only there. I still remember the reverberation of the Seven Sisters Waterfalls in the Geirangerfjord, as I gazed spellbound at that spectacle from the dinghy.
An unmissable excursion among the new ones planned on the next Northern Europe cruise?
The one from Reykjavik takes you into the heart of the Langjökull glacier! And then I want to enjoy the hot springs and discover the waterfalls, I can't wait.
Let's go somewhere else, Dubai. Sea or desert?
Definitely desert! Their sea is the desert. Try a walk in the desert, it is a sea too, a sea of sand. It is their heritage, as the sea is to an Italian.
How important are the friendships that are created on a cruise?
Making friends on board is easier than on land, you have a thousand opportunities to forge sincere bonds. Sometimes all it takes is a buraco card tournament, a dinner party or an excursion together! And I am witness to that. On 6th May I will set sail on the Costa Fascinosa to the Mediterranean for an event that is very close to my heart, but that's another story... I will tell you about it in due course! We will be about 20 friends, we almost all met while traveling. Two friends met on the Brazil crossing, two others met on the last C|Club cruise to Egypt and Israel, yet another person met on the Sanremo cruise... in short: friends everywhere!
This is music to the ears! By the way, the last good gig on board?
It was on the Costa Smeralda, at the piano bar 'Il Cielo in una stanza'. He was an outstanding pianist! But in general the level of musicians on board is very high, forget the usual playback and pre-recorded bases you hear elsewhere...
What do you like to eat on board?
I love the sophistication and variety of the Archipelago tastings, they change according to the itineraries and each time they surprise me. Then I love the Cantonese rice they make at the Teppanyaki restaurant and, at Sushino, I always order salmon, very fresh.
What changes in you, in your attitude, when you are on a cruise compared to when you are on land?
Everything. On the ship I feel like myself, on dry land it is difficult to be myself, you adapt to society, its rhythms, duties... everyone thinks of the world explored by a ship, but no one thinks of the world that goes on on a ship. Once, during a cruise in South America, while booking an excursion, I discovered that I was the only Italian! And that time was beautiful, too. As always.
