Itinerary
DAY 01: FRIDAY ARRIVAL
Meet your private driver upon your arrival in Rome and transfer to your hotel in the heart of Rome.
Late afternoon meeting with your Tour Leader in the hotel. You will learn more about your tour and familiarize with the travel companions. At the end, walk to the restaurant and enjoy a tasty welcome dinner. Overnight in Rome.
DAY 02: SATURDAY
VATICAN & HEART OF ROME
After breakfast, meet your driver and your guide and reach the Vatican Museum by private van.
Access the Museum easily with your skip the line tickets. Your visit will be memorable: our guides have drawn up a route to include all the major sights as well as some unexpected surprises. See the Belvedere Courtyard with Apollo Belvedere & Laocoön & His Sons, Raphael Rooms, the Galleries of the Candelabra, of the Maps and of the Tapestries, the Sistine Chapel Pinecone Courtyard, St. Peter’s Basilica and at the end, exit on the St. Peter’s Square and enjoy the magnificent view of the imposing Cathedral.
You will return to your hotel to relax after a challenging morning.
Late afternoon meet your tour leader for a walking tour of the Baroque Town with Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Piazza di Spagna, the Italian Parliament and the fascinating narrow streets of ancient Rome.
Return to hotel with your tour leader or enjoy a dinner in the very heart of the eternal city. Overnight in Rome.
DAY 03: SUNDAY
ROME
Today will be free at leisure.
This tour has been designed to offer the best of each city visited combined with some free time to customise your travel experience as well as to take some time to relax. There are many available experiences, if you want continue the exploration of this area. Among these, we like to suggest to explore the Imperial Rome with Colosseum and Fori, to visit one of the most beautiful art collection in Europe at Palazzo Borghese or reach the near Tivoli where you will find the astonishing Villa Hadriana, built by the Emperor Hadrian and Villa d’Este, masterpiece of Italian gardening. Overnight in Rome.
DAY 04: MONDAY
POMPEI & AMALFI
Meet your driver in the morning and transfer to Rome Station to board an high-speed train to Naples*
You will be in town in 1 hour. Here you will meet your driver and continue to Pompeii for a guided visit of the Archeological park. Free time for lunch. At the end, continue to Sorrento. Tonight enjoy a candle light dinner in Sorrento. Overnight in Sorrento Coast.
DAY 05: TUESDAY
AMALFI DRIVE
The beauty of Amalfi Coast is legendary and has inspired artists, writers and musicians over the century, widely considered Italy’s most scenic stretch of coastline, deemed by UNESCO “an outstanding example of a Mediterranean landscape, with exceptional cultural and natural scenic values”. These delicate fishing villages embrace the hillsides or stretch in deep green valleys, along a dramatic coastline, challenging the force of gravity. Your driver guide will lead you first to the town of Amalfi where you will have free time to explore the medieval part of the city with the imposing Dome of St.Andrew and ancient buildings dated from the times when Amalfi was one of the maritime power in the Mediterranean Sea. Later, you will ascend to Ravello, considered the most romantic and beautiful small towns in southern Italy. Perched on arduous, terraced slopes, the French novelist André Gide was used to say Ravello was closer to the sky than the sea. Covered with lush gardens, quiet and sleepy roads, you will find corners providing unforgettable views over the azure coast below. Return to Sorrento late afternoon and overnight.
DAY 06: WEDNESDAY FREE TIME
Free time to explore Amalfi Coast, Capri, Naples or Paestum. Overnight in Sorrento.
DAY 07: THURSDAY MATERA & APULIA
Transfer from Sorrento to Martina Franca in the heart of Apulia.
En route stop in Matera. Free time to explore the city. Matera is an ancient city that seems to have existed forever. It is the third oldest city in the world, after Aleppo and Jericho, with over 10,000 years of history.
From natural cavities carved by wind and rain of the past to the first man-made caves we can discover how easy it was to shape the limestone material of the Sassi rock. Hence real underground dwellings, in the belly of Mother Earth, which will leave you speechless. A woven structure that has intrigued experts has also discovered how it had been possible to live with the absence of running water. There is still a lot to tell about the water systems created to collect water, one of the elements that has helped to give in Matera the title of a World Heritage Site.
You can visit the most beautiful churches, starting from the Duomo on the Civita; walk through the beautiful streets and traffic-free squares, populated with people; you can enjoy the most picturesque alleys, and you will continue your visit in the heart of the two Sassi’s. Overnight in Martina Franca.
DAY 08: FRIDAY OSTUNI & LECCE
Today, visit Ostuni & Lecce with your driver escort.
Ostuni, perched on three hills 218 meters above sea level, is better known as the “White Town”, thanks to the characteristic whitewashed houses of its historic center, a tradition the inhabitants still keep on. The Fifteenth century Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral dominates the town, with a façade sporting a 24-rays rose window of rare beauty. A series of churches and elegant houses embellish the old town, surrounded by Aragonese walls, where there are the two ancient town gates, Porta Nova and Porta San Demetrio.
Called “the Florence of the South,” Lecce has strong Messapian roots, an ancient and mysterious people living in this area before the Romans. Today, it welcomes visitors with its magnificent baroque architecture, which blazes on the portals of its palaces and on the facades of the many churches that line the streets inside the city’s three ancient gates: Porta Rudiae, Porta San Biagio and Porta Napoli. Overnight in Martina Franca.
DAY 09: SATURDAY
COOKING CLASS, ALBEROBELLO AND LOCOROTONDO
In the morning, transfer to the charming village of Gioia del Colle where you will meet a local mama who will introduce you to the secrets of local cuisine. First you will walk along the narrow streets of the village and will mix with locals, buy genuine ingredients and learn about the old stories of the place. Then you will walk till a charming house where you will learn how to prepare the famous pasta “orecchiette” (from Italian orecchia, meaning ‘ear).
At the end, you will enjoy a great authentic “pugliese” lunch.
At the end, motor to Alberobello and Locorotondo for an independent walking.
Alberobello is a fascinating place to visit, above all because of the trulli, the traditional dome shaped buildings made from the local stone. The town is surrounded by the olive groves and vineyards typical of the Puglia region. Trulli is a word that derives from the Greek “tholos” (“dome”), the typical shape of the buildings. Each whitewashed “trullo” is built without an lime or cement, and has a conical roof on the outside, which is dome shaped inside, and consists of a square central compartment that communicates through arcades with the kitchen and other rooms.Locorotondo is very close to Alberobello and is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Locorotondo doesn’t really have any specific tourist attractions; the town itself is the main sight. It’s a pleasant place to spend an hour or two wandering, taking photographs and sitting at cafe tables. If you are touring by car, it makes a nice peaceful stop, and its location on a railway line means that public transport travellers too can easily break a journey here. The historic part of town – the centro storico – is circular and perched on top of a hill. It’s a whitewashed maze of little lanes lined with historic buildings, some humble and faded, others retaining rather grand baroque archways and architectural details. Overnight in Martina Franca.
DAY 10: SUNDAY
DEPARTURE
Independent Transfer to Airport or Railways Station.
INCLUSIONS:
- 3 nights in Rome
- 3 nights in Sorrento Coast
- 3 nights in Martina Franca, Apulia
- Daily Breakfast
- Arrival transfer
- Tour Escort service
- Welcome briefing in Rome
- Welcome dinner in Rome
- Walking along the heart of Rome
- Guided visit of Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel with skip the line reservation
- Transfer from Hotel in Rome to Rome Station
- High speed train from Rome to Naples
- Transfer from Station in Naples to Amalfi Coast with en route stop in Pompei
- Walking tour of Pompeii, ticket included
- Free time in Sorrento
- Driver guided tour of Amalfi & Ravello
- Transfer from Vietri to Apulia with en route stop in Matera
- Free time in Matera
- Excursion to Lecce and Ostuni with driver escort
- Excursion to Alberobello & Locorotondo with driver escort
- Cooking Class and Lunch in Gioia del Colle
NOT INCLUDED:
- City Tax to be paid locally
- Drinks on meals
- Departure Transfer
PREMIUM HOTEL:
Rome: Dei Mellini / Conciliazione
Sorrento: Astoria / Majestic / Carlton / La Residenza
Martina Franca: Villa San Martino
For more information contact : res@rufaro.co.za