Brinley Hineman
Viva Cruises will launch a ship on the Po River in Italy in 2027, a relatively untapped market for river cruises.
Though few operators sail there, travel advisors told me they believe the move will introduce travelers to lesser known Italian cities, though they shared a word of caution about water levels for the country’s longest river.
Viva will use the Viva Unique, part of its Viva Boutique collection. The Viva Unique will operate four itineraries: Two will sail roundtrip from Venice while the other two will operate between Venice and Cremona.
The itineraries feature a way to explore a part of the country that few operators do; other lines in the area include Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, CroisiEurope and European Waterways, which operates a barge cruise.
With few competitors, this could entice other lines to consider the option, said Andrea Grisdale, the CEO and founder of IC Bellagio in Italy, a DMC that primarily works with travel advisors.
“I think this is going to grow in the future and is a huge opportunity, and not just for these folks but other lines as well,” Grisdale told me.
It’s the lack of operators in the region that drew Viva to it, CEO Andrea Kruse told me.
The river cruise line is also considering pre- and post-cruise land stays and is exploring possibilities in Verona, Milan and Florence, which Kruse said would combine “the charm of river cruising with the cultural richness of Italy’s most celebrated destinations.”
However, the Po has its challenges, such as water levels. The waterway is receding, fueled by climate change, according to the Fagaras Research Institute in Romania.
“The reason the Po isn’t a ‘hot’ river-cruise destination is simple: the classic river rhythm isn’t guaranteed,” said Lisa Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Travel, a river cruise specialist.
But despite water level concerns, Fitzgerald still called Viva’s forthcoming debut on the Po “a bold, smart move.”
Kruse said Viva worked closely with local nautical experts to develop the itinerary based on “extensive historical data.”
“This approach has allowed us to minimize potential risks and provide the highest level of reliability and safety for our itineraries,” the CEO said.
Sheila Gallant-Halloran, owner of Lush Life Travel and a river cruise specialist, said Uniworld now focuses primarily on the Venetian Lagoon instead to avoid worrying about water levels. She called the river “challenging” but said she looked forward to learning how Viva will approach operations there.
Grisdale applauded Viva’s itinerary, saying that it promotes smaller destinations that give an authentic taste of Italy. For example, Polesella is so relatively unknown that Grisdale’s office of 35 people were unfamiliar with the city prior to spotting it on Viva’s itinerary, she said.
Though the itinerary is enticing, she said she wouldn’t recommend it to someone traveling to Italy for their first or second time. Instead, she thinks the trip would be better suited for someone comfortable with the country looking to get away from the major cities.
“I think it’s fantastic,” she said. “[They’re] really concentrating on secondary destinations. People are getting an authentic taste of Italy. People are going to places where the local people still live and go about their daily lives. It’s not on everybody’s radar for sure.”