The Cabot Trail, named for John Cabot, the Italian explorer who discovered the island in 1497, winds around the dramatic coast and offers access to Cape Breton Highlands National Park, a more remote version of Maine's Acadia.

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The vessels include the Phoenix, which has featured in several films, and the Matthew, a replica of John Cabot's ship which charted North America in 1497.

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There they strolled the medieval city, guided by discussion leaders Thomas Govero, a teacher of classics at Rome's John Cabot University, and Sean Forester, a painter and poet living in Florence.

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