Gran Tour of South Italy

DAY 1 : ROME (OVERNIGHT IN ROME)

Arrive at Rome airport/railway station. Group transfer to the hotel in Rome. Overnight in hotel.

DAY 2 : ROME VATICAN MUSEUM (INCLUDED) (OVERNIGHT IN ROME)

Breakfast in hotel. This day you will explore the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica. Transfer to the meeting place and enjoy a tour with an expert guide skip the line with a fast entry ticket to the Vatican Complex.

Excursion included : VATICAN MUSEUM. After meeting your professional guide at the meeting point, you’ll be given a headset and you’ll reach the Vatican Museum’s entrance. You’ll tour the gallery, visiting all those main spots you’ve heard about like the Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries, the Borgia Apartments. The guide will tell you everything about the Raphael Rooms and their exceptional frescoes, including The School of Athens, and will bring you to the Sistine Chapel, whose ceiling is one of the cornerstone works of High Renaissance art. The tour couldn’t be complete without a visit to St. Peter’s, the Basilica that isn’t only the largest church in the world, but that contains several pieces of fine art: think the canopy designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini or the Pietà by Michelangelo. And to top it off, gaze the majestic St. Peter’s Square, the open space which lies before the Basilica, redesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and being itself an architectural masterpiece of the Baroque age. Afternoon free and optional transfer to the hotel. Overnight.

In the afternoon we suggest you a walking tour starting by admiring the parks of Villa Borghese up to the Pincio belvedere, with a fantastic view of Rome. After a photo stop, continue towards Piazza del Popolo and Via Margutta (made famous by the film 'Roman Holiday' starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn), proceed to Piazza di Spagna until you reach the Trevi Fountain. The Galleria Colonna is worth a visit, as is the inner courtyard of the Galleria Sciarra, the Church of Sant'Ignazio, the Elephant Obelisk in Piazza della Minerva and the Pantheon. Near the Pantheon, the Giolitti family has been making homemade ice cream for three generations, which I suggest you try. Then on to Piazza Navona, famous for Bernini's fountain. Ponte Sant'Angelo, with 10 statues of angels pointing the way to Castel Sant'Angelo. Walk down Via della Conciliazione to the majestic and immense Piazza San Pietro.

DAY 3 : ROME COLOSSEUM (OPTIONAL)

Breakfast in hotel. This day you will have the possibility to explore COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM & PALATINE HILL. Transfer to the meeting place and you will meet the guide, get you earphones, and let you access the Colosseum skipping the long line. You’ll walk inside the Flavian Amphitheater, seeing the places where the Ancient Romans used to watch a variety of events, such as gladiatorial shows or staged animal hunts, and you’ll learn more about the way Romans used to enjoy their leisure time. On around the Palatine Hill, the place where Rome was founded and where Roman emperors used to live: the view is spectacular from here! You’ll also reach the Roman Forum, the pulsating heart of ancient Roman life, to see some very well preserved ruins of that time: End of the excursion.

Optional transfer to the hotel Overnight.

DAY 4 : TRAIN TO NAPLES - POMPEII (INCLUDED) (OVERNIGHT IN SORRENTO AREA)

Breakfast in hotel. Transfer to the train station and departure to Naples by train. Transfer to Sorrento and stop to Pompeii to visit the Archeological site. After the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii lay buried and forgotten for centuries under the lava. The excavations, which already begun in 18th century, still go on today. You can walk through some of the ancient streets, where you can see baths, forums and villas which were built by wealthy Romans in 80 BC. It is nearly unbelievable how good the fabulous frescoes that adorn the walls and floors of the villas have been preserved. Continuation to the hotel.

Overnight in Sorrento area.

DAY 5 : POSITANO & AMALFI (INCLUDED) (OVERNIGHT IN SORRENTO AREA)

Breakfast in the hotel. This day you are free to relax and explore the city on your own or you can opt to spend your day in the Amalfi coast, one of the most spectacular coastlines of Europe. Pick-up in hotel by Mini van and enjoy the Amalfi Coast drive which is arguably the world's most beautiful and thrilling sightseeing road. Your English or German speaking driver, along the journey, will give you general information including how to spend your free time for each of the 3 stops programmed:

Positano is a true paradise, developed vertically within a tangled overlay of streets, alleys and shops that expose the colorful Positano fashions well-known all around the world. In the town center is the Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta that shows up with its large dome, tiled in majolica and sheltering some precious works like polychrome marble altars.

It’s nice to get lost in Positano… To fully embrace the beauty of the town it’s probably better to walk without a precise destination; You will be able to enjoy the streets, the little shops, the restaurants, the monuments, the churches, the beaches.

Amalfi, a picturesque interlacing of alleys and stairways overlooks the sea with all its extraordinary colors reflecting the enchanting landscape of Amalfi, the town whose name blesses the entire coast. Dominated by the majestic Cathedral dedicated to Sant'Andrea (St. Andrew), Amalfi proffers innumerable testimonies of its glorious past as a Maritime Republic.

Ravello, another pearl of the coast, an elegant and refined village, dipped in green and characterized by luxurious villas. Ravello is famous all around the world for its Festival, in the garden of Villa Rufolo, where an evocative setting and the emotion of listening to great music create an experience of extraordinary intensity. The heart of Ravello is represented by Piazza Vescovado, framed by the architecture of Palazzo Rufolo and the Cathedral with its magnificent portal (the first ever made with this innovative mould technique) and 10-feet-high bell tower.

Dinner and Overnight

DAY 6 : CAPRI (OPTIONAL) (OVERNIGHT IN SORRENTO AREA)

Breakfast in the hotel. This day you will enjoy a full day excursion in Capri. No holiday here in Sorrento would be complete without a trip to the
evocative Island of Capri. Sail across the Bay of Naples for the start of an unforgettable day.

Optional excursion: CAPRI BOAT CLASSIC. Pick-up from hotel, transfer to the port and departure to Capri, sailing along the Sorrento Coast. On board of our comfortable boats, we offer you an unforgettable and personalized trip discovering the beautiful island of Capri. Your Englishspeaking Captain, along the journey, will give you general information including how to spend your free time on Capri Island. Along the way you will admire: the ancient fishermen village of “Marina Grande”, the ruins of a roman villa near “Bagni della Regina Giovanna”, her interesting attractions along the coast. Arrival to Capri and tour of the island (If the weather conditions permit) by boat with the possibility to admire the Marvellous Grotto, the White Grotto, the Green Grotto; along the way you will admire the Natural Arch, the Villa Curzio Malaparte, the Faraglioni rocks and the Lighthouse of Punta Carena. Disembark at Marina Grande in Capri with 5/6 hours free time to visit the island.

DAY 7 : DEPARTURE –TRAIN TO TAORMINA AND OVERNIGHT

Breakfast in hotel, group transfer to the train station and departure to Taormina. Transfer to the hotel in Taormina area. Dinner& night

DAY 8 : ETNA (INCLUDED)

Breakfast in the hotel and departure with the tour escort to the Mt. Etna, the highest peak of Sicily and the most active volcano in Europe. The territory surrounding the volcano constitutes the “Park of Etna”, one of the largest protected areas in Italy: You will be astonished about the great variety of vegetation and landscapes that we will meet along the way before arriving at the “Silvestri Craters” (about 1.900 mt). From here on you will have the optional excursion by jeep and cableway (extra cost). After having tasted some local Sicilian speciality come back in hotel.

Dinner (if booked) and overnight.

DAY 9 : SYRACUSE (INCLUDED)

Breakfast in the hotel and departure to Syracuse, one of the most interesting archaeological sites of the island with its Archeological Park, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Greek Theatre, the Ear of Dionysus, the Cave of the Cordari, Island of Ortigia, the most ancient nucleus of the city with its stunning cathedral. Entrance fees are not included. Re-entry in hotel in the late afternoon.

Dinner and overnight.

DAY 10 :  CATANIA AIRPORT AND DEPARTURE

Breakfast in the hotel, optional group transfer to airport and end of our services, or possibility to continue the tour.