Italy Odyssey: Rome, Alberobello, Amalfi & Ulisse Riviera

Welcome to the Eternal City!

On arrival at the airport, meet a Goway representative and transfer to the hotel in a deluxe motor coach.

After hotel check in, in the late afternoon, we’ll enjoy a traditional Italian aperitivo and group orientation on the hotel’s roof-top, overlooking the city and St. Peter’s cupola (weather permitting). After the orientation, delight in a welcome dinner at the hotel. Rest well tonight, the city awaits you tomorrow!

Accommodations: Hotel Orazio Palace

Today, we begin our adventure with a full-day sightseeing tour of Rome!  Our expert tour guide will lead us into the heart of city where we will discover its history, architecture, art, language, political power structures and economics.  The dense city is overwhelmingly rich in history and for 3,000 years’ it has inspired the world.

Our walking tour of begins with “Ancient Rome”. From the Colosseum, the world’s most famous arena of entertainment; the Arch of Constantine, the largest and only still existing triumphal arch in Rome;   Palatine Hill, the location of the Imperial Palace complex and the Imperial Forum, the home of Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus; and Trajan’s Column, which reads like a scroll descending from the sky and depicting the victories of the emperor who commissioned it. We will see the grand facades of each extraordinary site while our tour guide tells of tales and stories of the ancient past. 

Next stop is a visit to “Christian Rome”, including a tour around Castel Sant’Angelo, St. Peter’s Square with Bernini’s arcade. When the ancient empire fell, power transferred from the Roman command to the religious realm and the Vatican emerged.  As seat of the Holy See is located in the extraterritorial city-state embedded in Rome, visitors can easily enter the bite-sized country with a global grip on ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

We will return to the hotel to freshen up, before heading out again just before sunset to discover “Baroque Rome”.  An enchanting evening spent in Rome, with its beauty illuminated is somehow even more magical in the warm lights against the dark sky, creating an everlasting memory for all those who experience it. We will admire the main “musts” in Rome such as the Spanish Steps, the widest stairs in Europe; the Trevi Fountain, where images of the lovely Anita Eckberg seem to dance in its waters, as she did in the film “La Dolce Vita.” Today, swimming there is strictly prohibited, but visitors can still toss coins in, following the lead in another great film, “Three coins in the Fountain”. The film demonstrates that if you throw a coin backwards over your left shoulder into the fountain, you will soon return to Rome. Everyday nearly €2,000 is collected (the money goes to a local charity that supports the homeless) and everyday tourists toss their coins with the hope that they can quickly come back to the “Eternal City.” Continue to the Pantheon and finishes at the beautiful Baroque Piazza Navona. This piazza has it all:  three glorious fountains, Bernini sculptures, a lovely outdoor café scene and the magnificent Sant'Agnese in Agone church. Through the Jewish Ghetto you reach Campo de Fiori, where you will sample some great street foods and Roman staples such as Roman pizza (usually sold by the weight of each slice, which varies based on the toppings chosen), suppli (the Roman version of the arancini rice balls) and cold cuts and cheeses. The walking tour will conclude with gelato, of course! The Eternal city is brimming with impressive sites that are jaw-dropping during the day and breath-taking at night.

After breakfast, our adventure takes us to Alberobello, famous for its unique trulli, which are small, round houses topped with conical roofs made of stone and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.  From Rome, we drive along the Adriatic coast, with a stop at a restaurant in a trabucco restaurant for a typical lunch.  For our meal, we will taste local fish with a glass of wine while enjoying the views of the sea. A trabucco is an old fishing machine, made out of wood and rock that allowed the locals an alternative to fishing boats.  After lunch, we continue towards Alberobello where we spend the next three days.  During our stay, accommodations will be in a unique trulli hotel for a ‘truly’ authentic experience!  These unique little houses provide insight into the farming communities that survived off the land and the people that lived in these tiny villages. 

Accommodations: Tipico Resort Trulli

Today, we explore the hidden gems in Pulgia, including visits to the towns of Trani, Andria and Polignano a Mare. A cheese tasting in a local farm and a hands-on experience with Orecchiette pasta is also on the menu!

As we drive through the fields and pastures of Puglia, we stop at a cheese producer to taste the local favorite, burrata. This fresh cheese has a soft consistency and outer ‘skin’, with a feel similar to mozzarella, usually served at room temperature to bring out its flavor and texture. Following a demonstration of how the creamy twisted cheese is prepared, we have the opportunity to taste it. Then, we drive towards the sea to Polignano a Mare, a town known for its pebbly beaches, clear crystal waters, whitewashed buildings, charming churches and delicious ice cream.  It also became famous by the song ‘Volare’, sung by Italian singer, Domenico Modugno, over 60 years ago.  We will return to our trulli to freshen up before a hands-on cooking class in a traditional Masseria. Led by a local chef, we learn how to make one of the best-loved pasta dishes in Puglia, orecchiette. The pasta gets its name for its shape of ‘little ears’.  We’ll have the chance to eat our pasta with a glass of wine.   

The journey continues to the Salento Peninsula, the heel of the boot! Here, we discover the historical towns of Lecce and Otranto, visit a Masseria and taste local delicacies including extra virgin olive oil, the gold of Puglia!

Our first stop is the beautiful city of Lecce where we will enjoy a privately guided tour.  See some of the most important monuments such as the Piazza Oronzo and the Roman amphitheatre.  We discover why Lecce earned its nickname of ‘The Florence of the South’, due to its style of architecture, known as Barocco Leccese or ‘Lecce Baroque’.  Revel in jaw-dropping fine works scattered throughout the historical center.  After the walking tour, we taste one of the best desserts in Italy, the ‘pasticciotto leccese’, a famous tart traditionally made with a combination of custard cream and cherry.

For a change in scenery, we will walk along the sea of Otranto, a fascinating town located on the Adriatic Sea, connecting to the Ionian Sea separating Italy from Albania. Its strategic position meant that the area endured many attacks throughout time, from the Greeks and Romans to the Ottomans and up to World War II. The fortified city’s castle stands at the entrance to the old city, a lively area with many charming shops and cafes. Ascending back to Alberobello, we will stop in a charming Masseria for an extra virgin olive oil tasting.  The high quality golden coloured oil is harvested from the twisted, centuries-old trees and makes Puglia, the largest producer of olive oil in Italy. 

Say good-bye to the white trulli as we drive towards the Amalfi Coast.  Today’s adventure takes us from Puglia to Basilicata and the city of Matera, known for its unique ‘sassi’ caves.

Matera was declared a ‘must see’ European Capital of Culture for 2019.  On arrival in Matera, we will enjoy a privately guided tour.  Our expert tour guide guides us through the 7,000 year-old town, the third-longest continuously inhabited human settlement in the world.  We discover the ‘sassi’ caves, the unique cave dwellings carved out of limestone producing layers of astonishing houses, underground churches with hand-sculpted arches, pillars and domes. The area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The extraordinary site of ‘sassi’ is one of the world’s most unique landscapes, so incredible that it became the setting for films like ‘The Passion of Christ’ and ‘Ben Hur’, portraying ancient biblical times.  With our guide, we will enter two churches and a farmhouse to get a glimpse of how these fascinating structures were made. At the end of the guided tour, let’s enjoy some free time to take a last stroll before driving to the Amalfi Coast. Overnight in Agerola for the next three nights.

Accommodations: Hotel Le Rocce

After breakfast, we visit the famous areas in the Amalfi Coast including Sorrento, Capri and visit a lemon garden to try its famous liquor.

From our hotel, we drive to Castellammare di Stabia, located on the Bay of Naples and take a short boat ride to the idyllic rocky island of Capri. At the Marina Grande harbour, a minibus shuttle will take us up to the famous ‘piazzetta’ or Piazza Umberto I, an elegant public square in the heart of Capri where many people come to sit, sip and enjoy a little relaxation at the bright cafes. Take some time to enjoy the scenery or head to the many designer, luxury shops in the square.  Later in the day, we return to Sorrento to visit a lemon garden and enjoy a tasting of the lemon flavored liqueur limoncello, made from the rinds of the locally produced citrus fruit.  

Today we enjoy a full day exploration of the Amalfi Coast with visits to Positano, Amalfi, then a sunset experience in Ravello.

After breakfast, we drive along the breathtaking and winding coastal road towards Amalfi.  Then, board the boat to Positano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its picturesque beauty. We arrive at the cliff side town where we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the unique atmosphere of this historic fishing village that Steinbeck described as leaving a deep impression. Don't miss the opportunity to admire the famous terraced gardens adorned with orange, lemon, and olive groves that add to the town's allure. In Amalfi, for some leisure time and lunch before returning back to our hotel to freshen up for the evening.  At sunset, we reach the popular town of Ravello and visit the enchanting gardens of Villa Cimbrone. Stroll through these beautifully manicured gardens and savour the magnificent views and sunset from the ‘Terrazza dell’Infinito’ or Terrance of Infinity. Upon returning to Agerola, your tour will conclude, leaving you with memories of the stunning Amalfi Coast and its captivating towns.

The final day in the Amalfi Coast ends as we depart to Riviera d’Ulisse with stops in Pompeii, Vesuvius and Naples.

Our first stop in Pompeii, we meet our guide for a 2-hour private tour of the ancient city.  Our guide will lead us through the ruins and explain its layers of history, including how it differed from the destruction of Herculaneum. Leaving the archeological site, we have the opportunity to visit a unique cellar at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, which is the only active volcano on mainland Europe. The fertile volcanic soil on its slopes offers unique wine, including the traditional ‘Lacryma Christi’ wine. Let’s taste this unique variety of wine before our last stop in Naples, the capital of the region of Campania. Naples has quite simply a unique charm and character that casts a spell on its visitors. Beyond the craziness of city life, we experience the simple but delicious cuisine with the backdrop of Vesuvius across the bay. After a short walk, we head to a local pizzeria to eat the traditional Neapolitan Pizza. The long day will end at your final destination on the Riviera d’Ulisse.

Accommodations:  San Francesco Charming

This morning, take the time to linger on the thoughts and memories from the last few days.  After lunch, we will take a boat tour to the island of Ponza, a lesser-known island, filled with charming, colorful houses, and a lively Harbor.  During the boat tour, we also learn about the secrets of this moon island!  We will spend the remainder of the day here, including a farewell dinner before returning to our hotel.

Transfer to Rome Airport for your onward flight home.