ITINERARY

Day 1

Naples

Meet our assistant and transfer by private coach from airport to hotel in Naples for check-in.
Overnight Hotel Holiday Inn Naples or similar  (hotel check-in is available from 3 PM).

Day 2

Naples

Breakfast at the hotel.

Departure by private coach for a full day guided tour of the cosmopolitan city of Naples. Beautifully spread on the Bay of Naples and overlooked by Mount Vesuvius, Naples is a vibrant city with charismatic narrow and noisy streets, ancient churches, a medieval university, palaces, street markets and hundreds of cafés, bars and restaurants. It is one of Europe’s most densely populated cities and is chaotic, noisy, and always uniquely charming. We will discover the splendid Capodimonte Museum and the gorgeous Royal Palace, the Spaccanapoli Street in the old city centre and the religious devotion to San Gennaro. Don’t forget that Naples is where pizza was invented and chefs in the area are still perfecting the dish to this day enjoy a fantastic Neapolitan pizza.

Late afternoon return to the hotel in Naples and overnight.

Day 3

Naples, Sorrento, Pompei

Breakfast at the hotel. Meet with guide and visit Sorrento by private coach.

A perfect day between art, culture and amazing landscapes: visit in just one day the colorful Sorrento and plunge into history visiting the astonishing Pompeii Ruins! Get aboard a comfortable bus and reach Sorrento in just 1 hour: look towards the seas from the land and enjoy the amazing view of the Amalfi coast and the Mount Vesuvius.  Enjoy the views over Capri and pick up some of the Limoncello. This ‘land of lemon groves’ once inspired literary masters such as Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde, and enchants travellers to this day. Superb lace items, ceramics and marquetry, which are produced by local artisans or just stroll around the historic centre and Piazza Tasso until time for lunch in a panoramic restaurant.

After lunch we head to the world-renowned Pompeii Archeological Area. The volcanic eruption in 79 AD destroyed human life but did hardly any damage to the buildings and the volcanic ash which covered them for almost two thousand years, stopped them being damaged by the weather. Your guide will lead you around this incredible site and help you to visualize how life would have been when Pompeii was a bustling and busy town. Words you’ve heard in history lessons will become real as you actually visit perfectly preserved masterpieces of architecture such as the Basilica, the House of Faun, the macellum and the Gymnasium. As you walk, take some time to stop and look up at the majestic grandeur of Mount Vesuvius – a true force of nature in every sense of the phrase.

Late afternoon return to the hotel in Naples and overnight.

Day 4

Naples, Trani, Locorotond, Alberobello

Breakfast at the hotel

In the morning departure by private bus and guide to Puglia. visit the delightful Trani, an important port during medieval times, of Jewish origin, with lovely Romanesque architecture. Nowadays it is a picturesque fishing port famous for its sweet Moscato wine as well for its exquisite Cattedrale di San Nicola Pellegrino, founded in 1097 to house the relics of a young Greek pilgrim named Nicola. Free lunch. Drive through the Itria valley to Locorotondo, which is a fascinating village with numerous white houses & particularly pointed roofs. Continue to Alberobello famous for its traditional and mysterious trulli dwellings constructed from the local limestone in a dry stone fashion with conical roofs. The first trulli were built in prehistoric times. Many are adorned with large symbols, some religious, some pagan and some celestial: you really are stepping back in time.

Overnight Hotel Astoria Alberobello or similar for 2 nights.

Day 5

Alberobello

Breakfast at the hotel
Meet with your local guide for a full-day walking tour Alberobello.
Visit the Church Sant'Antonio: we will visit the famous church in Trullo from the inside and Monumental Rione Monti offers the opportunity to freely visit the Trulli used as souvenir shops, artisan shops, bars, restaurants. Visit the Belvedere, a panoramic terrace from which you will admire the district of Rione Monti. Finally, you will feel the hospitality of the inhabitants of Alberobello, who will open the doors of their Trulli homes and make you taste the delicious Rosolio, a liqueur typical of the place, which takes its name from the rose petals with which it is produced, tasting of local wine, Fava beans & local cheese. Lunch in a local restaurant

Return to the hotel and overnight Hotel Astoria or similar

Day 6

Alberobello, Matera

Breakfast at the hotel
Today you will move to the Basilicata region by private coach (without guide) to visit Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A remarkable ancient town thought to be one of the first inhabited places in Italy. Originating as a prehistoric troglodyte settlement, astonishingly, even today people live in the same cave houses that their ancestors probably occupied thousands of years ago. An entire town is here, with churches, shops, workshops, all hewn from rock! It has often been used as set for biblical films including Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of Christ’.

Visit the famous Sassi with a local guide: caves and shelters dug into the rock since prehistoric times and used as houses until the '50s. They became an area on the edge of the city until they were rediscovered and revalued. Visit the rock churches of Santa Maria de Idris, in the highest point of the Sassi, and Santa Lucia alle Malve. This is the first female monastic settlement of the Benedictine order and dates back to the 8th century. It has a facade carved into the rock. Free lunch.

Late afternoon return to the hotel in Alberobello and overnight.

Day 7

Alberobello, Naples

Breakfast at the hotel.In the morning departure by private bus to Naples. Then transfer to Naples airport, which is the end of our services.