Treasures of the Amalfi Coast and Puglia

Benvenuto in Italia! Your adventure starts in Rome, the heart of the ancient Roman Empire, the cradle of a rich history and the birthplace of the Italian dolce vita.

Your tour starts at 6:00pm with a Welcome Meeting where you’ll meet your local leader and fellow travellers. (Upon arrival at the hotel you’ll find a note telling you where this welcome meeting will take place). Then you will enjoy a special Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant where you’ll get a taste of Rome’s dolce (sweet) life!

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Hotel Alexandra or similar (3 Stars Boutique Hotel)
• Meal: Welcome dinner

In the morning we will hop on a high-speed train, travelling up to 300km/h to Naples. A quick train change will then take us to Pompeii, a fascinating place risen from the ruins of an ancient and glorious Roman town, destroyed 2000 years ago by a volcanic eruption.
After the check-in and some time at your leisure for lunch, a private tour lead by a licensed Pompeii guide will take us through the ruins of ancient Pompeii, where so many years ago, the Romans lived. You will walk inside an amphitheater older than the Colosseum and see what ancient houses and shops looked like.

The rest of the day will be spent at your leisure. You might choose to enjoy a real Neapolitan style pizza for dinner, or visit a local trattoria where the father and the son still produce their own homemade limoncello.
What’s included?
– Accommodation: Hotel Diana or similar (3 stars)
– Meal: Breakfast
– Private tour lead by a licensed Pompeii guide and Pompeii ruins entrance

How long is the trip today?
1 hour on a high-speed train from Rome to Naples
30 minutes on a regional train from Naples to Pompeii.

This morning a private car with driver will pick us up and drive us to Sorrento. Here we will stop for a stroll in the lively alleyways of this sunny town. Your tour leader will take you for a short “like a local walk”, then you will have some time at your leisure.

After enjoying some free time for lunch, our driver will take us to The Amalfi Coast. Here, you’ll see some of the world’s most stunning scenery, small colorful villages suspended between the mountain and the sea. The rest of the day will be spent at your leisure. Feel free to ask your tour director for suggestions about how to spend this time – he knows the best spots! Ravello village, an emerald grotto, limoncello tasting – there are so many wonderful things to do here.
What’s included?
– Accommodation: Hotel Floridiana (Amalfi) or similar
– Meal: Breakfast
– “Like a local walk” in Sorrento
How long is the trip today?
1 hour on a private car with professional driver from Pompeii to Sorrento

1 hour 20 minutes on a private car with professional driver from Sorrento to The Amalfi Coast.

This morning we’ll head to the Island of Capri, traveling the section of sea where the mythological hero Ulysses heard the mermaids singing. Circling the island to explore some secret caves, we’ll have the opportunity to swim in the sparkling blue Mediterranean sea.

After the island tour, we will dock at Marina Grande and you will have some free time to explore the exclusive Capri Island on foot. You might walk the coloursful alleyways to the heart of the island and the spectacular Natural Arch, or take a cab (a convertible, no less!) to Anacapri, higher up on the island. Our boat we will pick us up in the afternoon and we’ll head back to The Amalfi Coast where we’ll have time to enjoy a final swim in the sea. The rest of the day will be spent at your leisure.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: 3 Stars Superior Boutique Hotel in Amalfi
• Meal: Breakfast
• Full day boat trip to Capri island, including the boat tour around the island.

Important note for Day 4
The boat tour will be aboard a small, comfortable semi-private motor boat that accommodates up to 15 people. Depending on seasonality and on our group size, the boat may be private (just for us) or shared with another small group like ours. In case of bad weather, this activity will be traded with an indoor one of the equal value and fun.

Wake up ready to “meet the Gods”! Today we’ll walk the famous “Sentiero degli Dei” (The Path of Gods), so called because the myth says that the Gods walked this way to reach the stretch of the sea where the mermaids lived.

No words are powerful enough to describe the beauty of this hike. We’ll walk through the local forest, amid lemon trees and along the astonishingly beautiful Amalfi Coast – a path that, in the ancient times, was the only access to this paradise from the villages.

After the hike, which will take us to the little village of Nocelle, we’ll head to Positano – one of the most stunning places on The Amalfi Coast. Here we’ll spend the afternoon swimming in the clear blue water of the Mediterranean sea, sipping freshly-squeezed lemon juice, or losing ourselves in the meandering streets of Positano. The rest of the day will be spent at your leisure (free time).

What’s included?

• Accommodation: 3 Stars Superior Boutique Hotel in Amalfi
• Meal: breakfast
• Path of Gods hike Amalfi bus daily ticket (which allows you to reach each villages on The Amalfi Coast).

Important note for Day 5
The “Path of Gods” is a hike lasting approximately 3-and-a-half hours on a narrow rocky path with some steep sections, and a good part of it will be in direct sun (comfortable shoes with non-slip soles or hiking boots are required for this walk). If you don’t feel comfortable participating in the hike, you will still have a wonderful time exploring The Amalfi Coast by foot, bus or ferry. Your tour director will provide suggestions, explanations and timetables. (This activity is “weather permitting” which means that the trail may not always be accessible. Alternative activities will be planned should we be forced to skip the hike.)

Matera is a secret gem that only few travellers to Italy have the chance to see. During the centuries, churches, dwellings, gardens and terraces were built one on the top of the other, digging into the rock of the local canyon walls and seeming to challenge gravity! Due in part to this, and its incredible beauty, this area – the Sassi of Matera – was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.
Our local guide Francesco will lead us on a private guided journey to discover this magical place, revealing some of its many secrets and showing us where famous directors filmed their famous movies.

At night we’ll sleep in one of the Sassi’s hotels. These hotels are a real wonder! From the windows, it feels like being inside a nativity scene, and – inside – a high-quality and comfortable hotel room right in the town’s historical center.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Ai Terrazzini or similar
• Meal: breakfast
• Private tour of Matera lead by a licensed Matera guide

Today you’ll enjoy a free day for immersing yourself in the beauty of the Sassi of Matera. Wonder through Matera alleyways, explore hidden square and take photos of picturesque spots. You can walk enjoying a quality gelato and then visit the Palombaro Lungo, the biggest underground cistern of Matera built at the end of XIX century and 15 meters deep. Simply impressive. Should you like we can also arrange a guided visit to the ancient and fascinating Cave churches or a fun cooking class. You will have plenty of optionsyou’re your tour leader will assist you organizing your free time.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Ai Terrazzini or similar
• Meal: Breakfast

Today you will discover another Italian wonder: the Trulli of Alberobello. We’ll enter an ancient village with narrow alleyways and the most picturesque buildings – white huts with conical roofs: the Trulli. As we explore – visit some Trullo – we’ll discover the curious story that links an ancient tax matter to these unique constructions.

Then we’ll travel by private vehicle to Lecce, the main town of Salento. Here your tour director will take you for a “Like a Local” walk, showing you the Lecce way of life and seeing the stunning historical center, where Roman ruins meet elegant Baroque churches and buildings. The rest of the day will be spent at your leisure (free time). In the evening, we suggest you enjoy the lively Lecce nightlife!

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Hotel Santa Chiara or similar
• Meal: breakfast
• Visit to Alberobello
• “Like a Local” walk of Lecce

In the morning we’ll hop on a train to travel along the Puglia coast and reach the city of Bari. After checking-in at our centrally-located hotel, you’ll enjoy some free time for lunch before joining your tour director for a “Like a Local” walk of Bari.

We’ll stroll the white alleys of the Bari historical center, spot the old nonna’s preparing orecchiette (the typical local pasta), and discover the old link between Bari and Santa Claus. (Gifts for the good ones only!)

After our walk we’ll get ready for a special farewell dinner at a hand-picked local restaurant where you’ll taste an exquisite culinary tradition not found anywhere else in Italy.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Imago Boutique Hotel or similar (4 Stars Boutique Hotel)
• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner“Like a local” walk of Bari

Our tour has come to an end and, though we’ll be sad to see you go, we trust you’ve had the trip of a lifetime. Arrivederci!

What’s included?

• Meal: Breakfast