I made three Med Cruises during the ‘50s and never saw what you describe anywhere ...
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Congrats on your service and three Med cruises.
I was on CVA-42 (FDR) at age 18-19 on mine. Being a carrier, we were limited regarding what ports we could access, unlike smaller ships.
The three places I mentioned earlier were Palermo, Piareaus and Livorno (Leghorn). .........Had duty when at Tripoli and didn’t go ashore when I had a chance, because of feedback from those who had gone earlier. ....Nice and Cannes France were great and Naples was pretty good, too.
Nice had been a Summer beach spot for well-to-do English since the late 1800s, when Britannia still ruled much of the world. It’s really nice today, though there is a big Muslim quarter that gives me pause.