Southampton: where the Titanic sailed for the last time

The port from which the Titanic sailed in its sole and tragic voyage in 1912, Southampton still preserves stretches of the old city's medieval walls.

The center, from which the Titanic sailed for its final voyage, is comfortably explored on foot.

The SeaCity Museum tells the maritime history of Southampton, from the sinking of the Titanic, which departed from this very port, to the military exploits of the Second World War.

A few steps away, the Bargate, a medieval gate marking the main entrance to the old city, remains one of Southampton's best-preserved historical symbols.

Continuing, one walks along sections of the medieval walls of the city, which once protected the port from attacks by sea.

Toward evening, the modern port, still among the principal cruise ship stops of the United Kingdom, recalls the city's historical role as a departure point for great Atlantic crossings.

Much of the Titanic's crew, over five hundred people, came from Southampton itself: the 1912 tragedy struck the city hard, which lost an enormous number of residents in a single night.

Southampton remains one of Europe's principal cruise ports today, a role it has maintained continuously since the era of the great transatlantic liners of the early twentieth century.