IS IT a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a ferry. This caped cruise-ader was moored in the Italian port of Civitavecchia when I arrived back in 2018. The Man of Steel made of steel.

It’s the Tirrenia ferry Athara, one of several colourful cartoon-ish cruisers that ply the waters of the Western Mediterranean. Others include Batman and Tweety Pie.

Here’s what she looks like in all her glory. Passengers on the upper deck must surely feel as if they’re going up, up and away…