ITINERARY
DAY 0—THURSDAY
Departure for Rome, Italy.
DAY 1—FRIDAY
MORNING: Arrival at Rome's Fiumicino airport. Group transfer to Rome. Lunch at a local restaurant (included).
AFTERNOON: Guided walking tour of Rome's historic center including Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain (legend has it that a traveler who throws a coin into the fountain is ensured a speedy return to Rome). Welcome dinner at a local restaurant (included).
HOTEL: Overnight in Rome
DAY 2—SATURDAY
MORNING: Guided tour of the Vatican museums and the ornate St. Peter's Basilica. Lunch at a local restaurant (not included).
AFTERNOON: Guided walking tour of the Capitoline Hill, the Colosseum, scene of gladiator battles and pageantry during the Roman Empire, and the Foro Romano, once the center of political, religious and commercial life in ancient Rome. Dinner at a local restaurant (included).
HOTEL: Overnight in Rome
DAY 3 SUNDAY
MORNING/AFTERNOON: Day at leisure to explore Rome's incredible landmarks, monuments, and ruins, shop in high fashion boutiques or discount and specialty shops, or discover an out-of-the-way trattoria. Lunch at a local restaurant (not included). Dinner at a local restaurant (not included).
HOTEL: Overnight in Rome
DAY 4—MONDAY
MORNING: Travel to Tivoli to visit the enchanting water gardens of Villa d'Este as well as Hadrian's Villa, one of the largest and most spectacular villas built during the Roman Empire. Lunch and wine-tasting at a local winery (included).
AFTERNOON: Afternoon at leisure in Rome. Dinner at a local restaurant (not included).
HOTEL: Overnight in Rome
DAY 5—TUESDAY
MORNING: Morning at leisure in Rome. Lunch at a local restaurant (not included).
AFTERNOON: Guided tour of the Via Appia Antica, a superbly preserved and tomb-lined portion of Roman road. See the the ruins of the Circo di Massenzio, where the obelisk now in Piazza Navona once stood, and the circular Tomb of Cecilia Metella, which was made into a fortification in the Middle Ages. Also visit the Catacombs of San Callisto, Rome's first official cemetery. Dinner at a local restaurant (included).
HOTEL: Overnight in Rome
| Buon Appetito |
Rome has been a melting pot for foods from other places since the Roman legions began collecting recipes and provisions—and in some cases cooks—from the far reaches of the empire. La cucina romana includes such dishes as bucatini all'amatriciana, carciofi all giudia, involtini alla romana, and stracciatella.
Mention Napoli and the first food that comes to mind is pizza. Neapolitans are also devoted to pasta: maccheroni, spaghetti, vermicelli, fusilli, perciatelli, and ziti, among others. The large, thick-skinned lemons of Sorrento and the Amalfi coast are renowned as the source of the liqueur called limoncello. The marshy lowlands around Capua and Salerno yield the ultimate in mozzarella di bufala campana. |
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DAY 6—WEDNESDAY
MORNING: Transfer to Sorrento. Guided tour of the royal palace and park at Caserta. The 1200-room Reggia di Caserta is known as "the Versailles of Italy". Lunch at a local trattoria (included).
AFTERNOON: Late afternoon arrival in Sorrento. Dinner at a local restaurant (not included).
HOTEL: Overnight in Sorrento
DAY 7—THURSDAY
MORNING/AFTERNOON: Full day tour of the port city of Naples. Lunch at a typical Neapolitan pizzeria (included). Tour the Duomo, the Palazzo Reale, the Museo and Gallerie di Capodimonte, and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (the museum possesses an extraordinary collection of murals, frescoes and mosaics from Pompeii and Herculaneum). Dinner at a local trattoria (included).
HOTEL: Overnight in Sorrento
DAY 8—FRIDAY
MORNING/AFTERNOON: Travel by boat to the resort island of Capri. Thousands of years ago, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans all took their turn vacationing amidst Capri's splendid seascapes. Visit the Blue Grotto (weather and sea conditions permitting). Lunch at a local restaurant (included). Afternoon tour by minibus and on foot. Dinner at a local restaurant (included).
HOTEL: Overnight in Sorrento
DAY 9—SATURDAY
MORNING: Guided tour of the ruins of Pompeii, destroyed in AD 79 when Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the town in pumice and ash. Lunch at a local restaurant (included).
AFTERNOON: Visit to the Costiera Amalfitana (the Amalfi Coast) to see the hill town of Ravello, including the gardens of Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo, as well as Positano and Amalfi. Farewell dinner at a local restaurant (included).
HOTEL: Overnight in Sorrento
DAY 10—SUNDAY
MORNING: Early morning group transfer to Naples' Capodichino airport and departure. Arrivederci!
