Southern Italy to Rome
Sicily and the Amalfi Coast
Palermo – Erice – Agrigento – Taormina – Sorrento – Capri – Pompeii – Rome

Day 1  We arrange the flight from your gateway to Palermo in the very southern part of Italy.

Day 2  Arrive in Palermo and motor coach transfer to our hotel. This is a splendid city in the grandest of styles. Enjoy a walking tour of Palermo and Monreale (Norman Cathedral) in the warm Italian air this afternoon or evening. Sicilia is beautiful.

Day 3  We step out and see Palazzo dei Normanni, walk in the Capuchin Monastery which contains thousands of mummified bodies, Santa Marai de Gesu and the Martorana. We’ll see the remnants of Greek, Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Angevin, Aragenese, Bourbon and most recently German occupation. This is a popular stopping place in history!

Day 4  Depart for Erice. Stop in Segesta to visit the Temple. In Erice our orientation tour introduces us to the medieval flavor of the town before we stop for lunch. Depart for Agrigento stopping in Selinunte to visit the archeological sight. The Greek ruins here are said to be better preserved than any of the ruins in Greece itself. Surprising but true! O/N Agrigento

Day 5  After delicious breakfast depart for the Valley of the Temples followed by the Piazza Amerina for a visit of the Roman Villa of Casale. We transfer to the immensely pretty resort town of Taormina for overnight.

Day 6  Transfer to Mount Etna, the highest and most active volcano in Europe. Ascend to 1,800 meters with the option of continuing to the 3,000 foot level (small fee payable locally). Enjoy Greek dinner and entertainment this evening.

Day 7  An easy day finds us following the route that American General Patton took a half century ago to both outflank the German occupation troops and infuriate his supreme commander for disobeying orders to wait. Lunch is in Cosenza arriving in Alborello for dinner and overnight.

Day 8  We tour Alborello and learn of "Trulli". Our motor coach delivers us to Matera where we see "Sassi" (houses built of rock). We arrive in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast in the afternoon.

Day 9  Transfer by boat to the Isle of Capri. Cruel Roman Emperor Tiberius, who vacationed here, had slaves thrown from cliff-tops for his entertainment. The beachfront buildings and winding alleyways make for a colorful adventure. Weather permitting, we transfer by small boat to the Blue Grotto to see its eerie blue light. Return to the coastal resort city of Sorrento

Day 10  A day you will never forget, in Pompeii!! Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried in AD79. We see moulds of people and animals caught in the deluge of ash. Walk streets that were paced by the sandals of Roman citizens 2,000 years ago. See an actual Roman fast food restaurant as well as 2,000 year old paintings on the walls on the walls of homes. Walk through a Roman Bath and rich Roman’s courtyards. Continue to Rome.

Day 11 Roma Incredible Roma.  Up early for breakfast and start our walking tour. Rome was founded as an Etruscan city around 750 BC. Citizens of the city overthrew their rulers & established the Roman Republic. An expert guide will take us inside the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. We’ll see an unbelievable example of the genius of Michelangelo. We pass a wall mural. Jesus Christ within the mural actually turns and faces us as we walk past! Absolutely amazing things await us in Sistine Chapel. Step into the immense Coloseum, where Romans watched grizzly entertainment. The Spanish Steps, Palazzo Venezia, Appian Way, Forum, Pantheon all await us. We’ll hear tales of the Pantheon and the rewarded patience of a Roman ruler’s wife seeking revenge on him. There are holes in the columns where something was removed and we’ll learn what and why. O/N Rome.

Day 12  Transfer to Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport for the flight home.

Please call for a customized program and prices.