SITMAR Line: Mediterranean & Transatlantic Voyages, Immigration, and Luxury Cruising (1937–1988)

Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi S. p. A. or Sitmar Line was an Italian shipping company founded by Alexandre Vlasov (1880-1961). In 1928 Alexandre Vlasov chartered his first vessel, named after his son Boris. The Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi operated from 1937 to 1988 when it was sold to P&O.

Explore the history of SITMAR Line, a key Italian shipping company that shaped transatlantic and Mediterranean travel from 1937 to 1988. Discover passenger contracts, vintage advertisements, fleet records, and firsthand travel accounts—an invaluable resource for genealogists, historians, and maritime enthusiasts.

Quick Links to Topics Covered

• 1. Passage Contract (1956)
• 2. 1926 SITMAR Line Advertisement (SS Esperia)
• 3. The Sitmar Line (First-Hand Account)
• 4. History of the SITMAR Line
• 5. Bibliography
• 6. Recap and Summary of the SITMAR Line Archival Collection

Advertisement: "SITMAR Line" Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi SS Esperia, The Perfect Steamer on the Most Picturesque Line Between Europe and Egype via Genoa, Naples, Sicily, and Alexandria. The Spur, 1 January 1926. GGA Image ID # 21fe2ded2e

While it is true that the Mediterranean as a cruising and touring ground has long been to the fore, it has been left to our Italian friends of the Sitmar Line to show what can be done to open up this fascinating region to the traveler and sightseer.

The value of taking advantage of this line is that you start your sea journey from Genoa and immediately plunge into scenes of incredible beauty and places of historic interest.

But these are Italian boats, you say, which must mean Italian cooking and service! Let me answer that by saying I have yet to meet anyone who has traveled on these vessels who was not loud in their praise of both the cuisine and the service. "No food could be more charmingly presented, and no service could be better or more urbane or delightful," writes Mr. Arnold Bennett.

The steamers are large, finely equipped, remarkably steady, and specially designed as luxurious passenger ships. All the cabins are spacious and very favorably placed, with excellent baths. There is everything in the way of deck accommodation for promenades, games, lounges, dance rooms, and spacious dining saloons, ensuring you a pampered and indulgent journey.

The return first-class fare from Genoa and back, twenty-four days upon the water, is £52; second class, £36. The second-class accommodation can be thoroughly recommended and is much patronized by British travelers.

If to the £36 shipping fare, one adds £9 10s. 0d., the second-class return railway fare from London to Genoa and back, makes £45 1OS. 0d. for the whole tour. This sum, of course, does not include excursions ashore, for these are optional.

However, every provision is made for such diversions at very moderate charges. These excursions include visits to historical sites, cultural experiences, and local attractions, with additional costs.

Steamers leave Genoa every week, and there are two tours. The main difference is that Rhodes and Cyprus are visited alternately. Leaving Genoa, a fascinating port in many ways, one skirts the beautiful Ligurian shore to Naples, where a stop enables one to visit Pompeii and Vesuvius. Then, we went to Catania in Sicily for Taormina and Mount Etna.

Now comes the Piræus for Athens, the home of the Fine Arts. Then, the Gallipoli Peninsula and the Cape Helles Memorial, the Dardanelles and Constantinople, or Stamboul, once Byzantium, are now partly European and partly Asiatic. St. Sophia is there, as are the Venetian castles and the unsurpassed beauty of the Bosporus.

The rugged Anatolian coast is skirted, with stops at Mersin and Alexandretta. The former Tarsus, associated with St. Paul, and the latter ancient Antioch, where the word "Christianity" was first coined, can be visited.

From Beirut, in Syria, one runs up by rail to Damascus, which is said to be the oldest city in the world and certainly one of the most picturesquely situated cities in the East. The famed ruins of Baalbek are within reach by rail or motor car.

At Haifa, in northern Palestine, they are busy building a new port. A stay is made here, thus allowing seeing some of the old Bible sites of the Holy Land, enriching your journey with the historical and cultural significance of these ancient sites.

One of the advantages of tours by the Sitmar Line is the flexibility of the ticketing system. The tickets are available for four months, allowing you to leave the steamer at any particular point and pick up the following boat a week or a fortnight later, as the case may be. Many take advantage of this flexibility to see Palestine and Egypt.

Landing at Haifa, one can journey to Nazareth and thence to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee, a spot of sacred memories. Then, across the Plain of Esdraelon, an open dreary spot in prewar days but now covered with flourishing Jewish colonies, one can reach Nablus, the ancient Shechem and one of the oldest cities in Palestine.

Soon Jerusalem is reached, with its monument, the Dome of the Rock, and that equally fascinating shrine, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, not to mention its ancient walls around which one can now walk, its monuments of a holy past, its Gethsemane and Mount of Olives.

Six miles South of Jerusalem lies Bethlehem, nestled amid olive groves and vineyards in the Hills of Judea and one of the least changed cities in the Holy Land. Now comes the railway journey across the Sinai Desert to Kantara and then to Cairo for the Pyramids, Sphinx, tombs, and relics of the ancient Pharaohs. From Cairo, it is but a few hours' run to Port Said or Alexandria, where we again join the boat.

Beautiful and picturesque Sicily is undoubtedly coming to the fore as a touring ground. A good plan is to travel by the Sitmar Line from Genoa, calling at Naples on the way, a voyage of two or three days, and return from Syracuse to Genoa by the Citra Line, calling at Malta, Tripoli, Tunis, and Sardinia, a trip of seven days.

The cost of this tour by these different routes is £17 13s. first class and £12 4s. second class. Sojourning in Sicily is not expensive, and one can spend from two to six days there, depending on the boats one travels by. For further details of this tour and particulars of the Sitmar tours in the Eastern Mediterranean, application should be made to the Italian Travel Bureau, 16 Waterloo Place, Regent Street, London, S.W.1.

4. History of the SITMAR Line

By Major W. Stormont, Manager, Campagnia Italiana Turismo (Italian State Railways, Official Agency and Steamship Lines)

The "Sitmar" Steamship Company was originally incorporated with the Navigazione Generale Italiana. As an outcome of the deliberations of the Maritime Conventions, the lines of the N.G.I. which served the Mediterranean and Far East were formed into separate companies, which were subsidized by the State, and one of which was the "Sitmar" Company, whose vessels served Egypt, Syria and the Near East in competition with the Austrian and German companies.

In 1912 the "Sitmar" decided to construct new and faster vessels and to provide a more luxurious and comfortable mode of travelling to Egypt than their existing accommodation pro- vided. The construction of two large steamers of 12,500 tons displacement was thereupon undertaken, and the whole of the Company’s services were completely reorganized a short time before the World War broke out.

Upon the outbreak of hostilities the Company’s vessels were commandeered by the State for the transportation of troops in the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. Of the 13 vessels so taken, no fewer than 12, having a total tonnage of 62,000, were sunk by enemy vessels. At the cessation of hostilities it was found necessary to reorganize completely the entire service of the Company, and the reconstruction of vessels was begun on a large scale.

The launching of the well known S.S. “Esperia" took place in 1920. After placing the "Esperia" in the fleet the efforts of the Company were aimed especially at the establishment of a fast, regular service-de-luxe between Italy and Egypt, having weekly sailing from Genoa, at that time taken in turn by the S.S. "Esperia" and the S.S. "Italia."

In May 1926 the construction of a new vessel-de-luxe was commenced, the "Ausonia," to take the place of the S.S. "Italia": this vessel was launched in October 1927, and commenced running in 1928.

In addition to this regular weekly express service to Egypt by the fastest vessels in the Mediterranean, the "Sitmar" links up Italy with the principal ports of the eastern Mediterranean by the two fast "circular" lines, which provide a weekly sailing from Genoa to and from Egypt, Palestine, Athens, Constantinople and other ports.

In addition to these are the mail and commercial services of lesser importance: Fortnightly mail service, Tyrrhenian Sea- Danube; monthly commercial services, Tyrrhenian Sea-Aegean Sea and Tyrrhenian Sea-Black Sea.

The fleet of the "Sitmar" consists of 15 vessels, totalling 116,218 tons.

5. Bibliography

Harold J. Shepstone, F.R.G.S., "The Travel Supplement: The Sitmar Line," in The World Today: An Illustrated Magazine of National Efficiency and Social Progress, London: World's Work (1913) Ltd., Volume LV, No. 4, March 1930. pp. 401-404.

Major W. Stormont, "History of the SITMAR Line," in The Encyclopaedia Britannica, Fourteenth Edition, Volume 20, London-New York: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc, 1929, pp. 722-723

6. Recap and Summary of the SITMAR Line Archival Collection

The SITMAR Line (Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi S.p.A.) was a significant player in transatlantic and Mediterranean passenger shipping, particularly between Europe, Egypt, and the United States. Established by Alexandre Vlasov in 1937, SITMAR operated until 1988, when it was acquired by P&O. The company became well-known for luxurious yet affordable travel, serving both tourists and emigrants, and it played a crucial role in Mediterranean and transatlantic migration.

This archival collection provides a wealth of historical insights, making it a valuable resource for teachers, students, genealogists, and maritime historians interested in ocean travel, European emigration, and early 20th-century cruise experiences.

 

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Most Interesting Highlights & Key Content

1. Passenger Contract: A Glimpse into Post-War Ocean Travel (1956)

The 1956 SITMAR Passage Contract for a voyage aboard the SS Castel Felice from Le Havre to New York offers an authentic primary source for genealogists researching Italian and European emigration.

• The ticket price ($195, equivalent to $1,860 in 2020) provides an interesting economic comparison of mid-20th-century ocean travel costs.
• The contract includes detailed terms of passage, showing how tourist-class travel was structured at the time.

 

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2. Luxury & Leisure: 1926 SITMAR Advertisement for Mediterranean Cruises

An advertisement for the SS Esperia, promoting routes from Europe to Egypt via Genoa, Naples, Sicily, and Alexandria, highlights the rise of leisure cruising in the early 20th century.

• The artistic promotion of “picturesque” voyages reflects the increasing appeal of ocean travel as an experience rather than just transportation.
• This is an excellent resource for educators discussing the evolution of luxury travel and cruise marketing.

 

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3. The SITMAR Line Experience: A Traveler’s Perspective

A first-hand account by Harold J. Shepstone (F.R.G.S.) describes the Mediterranean cruise experience on SITMAR ships, painting a vivid picture of:

• Luxurious cabins, fine Italian cuisine, and high-quality service.
• Unique shore excursions to Pompeii, Athens, Constantinople, Damascus, and Jerusalem, which enriched travelers’ cultural and historical understanding.
• Flexible ticketing options, allowing passengers to disembark at destinations and continue later, making SITMAR cruises one of the most adaptable Mediterranean travel options of its time.

This content is especially relevant for historians studying the rise of European tourism and cruise culture in the early 1900s.

 

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4. SITMAR’s Role in Mediterranean and Transatlantic Travel

Originally part of Navigazione Generale Italiana, SITMAR became a major competitor to German and Austrian lines, particularly for routes to Egypt and the Near East.

By 1920, the SS Esperia was introduced, and by 1926, the luxury liner Ausonia joined the fleet, setting new standards for comfort and efficiency in Mediterranean travel.

During World War I, SITMAR ships were requisitioned for military transport, with 12 of 13 vessels sunk, significantly impacting the company's future.

Post-war reconstruction led to an expanded fleet, with new express services linking Italy to Egypt, Palestine, Greece, and Turkey, demonstrating SITMAR’s adaptability and importance in European maritime history.

 

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5. The Fleet & Growth of SITMAR

By 1930, SITMAR operated 15 vessels totaling 116,218 tons, showing its rapid expansion and significance in global ocean travel.

The routes covered key strategic locations, including:

• Genoa to Egypt and the Near East (Palestine, Syria, Turkey).
• Tyrrhenian Sea connections to the Danube, Aegean, and Black Seas.
• Commercial freight services across Europe and into the Mediterranean.

These routes underscore SITMAR’s role as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, making this collection invaluable for maritime historians and researchers of early 20th-century global trade and migration.

 

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Why This Collection is Valuable

This archival collection serves multiple research and educational purposes:

• Teachers & Students: It provides a case study of early luxury cruising, European migration, and international commerce, ideal for history and social studies courses.
• Genealogists: Passenger contracts and travel records help trace Italian and European immigrants who traveled via SITMAR to the U.S. and other destinations.
• Historians: The detailed fleet history, wartime disruptions, and post-war expansion of SITMAR illustrate key changes in global maritime travel and tourism.
• Maritime Enthusiasts: The luxury ship descriptions, passenger experiences, and route details offer a rich perspective on early 20th-century ocean travel.