Day 1:
Arrive in Rome, Italy. Time to rest or start exploring the “Eternal City.” At 5 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)

Day 2:
Rome. Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. Then, time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (B)

Day 3:
Rome–Naples–Excursion to Capri–Sorrento. This morning, arrive in Naples and speed across the bay by JETFOIL to the Isle of Capri. Ride the FUNICULAR to Capri village for a guided visit of this pretty town. Free time to explore the little shops on the Piazzetta before arriving in the charming resort of Sorrento. (B)

Day 4:
Sorrento. Excursion to Caserta and Naples. Visit splendid REGGIA OF CASERTA, an impressive residence of 1,200 rooms with elegant GARDENS stretching two miles, reminiscent of the French Palace of Versailles. Next, enter lively and colorful Naples. A Local Guide takes you first to the NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, housing some of the world’s greatest Greco-Roman treasures; focus on the well-preserved objects found in Pompeii. Then, on to the city center to admire the remarkable Triumphal Arch of the New Castle, St. Charles Theater, the Royal Palace, Galleria Umberto, and the semicircular Piazza Plebiscito. Drive up to Posillipo Hill for a sweeping view of the Bay of Naples. Return to Sorrento. (B)

Day 5:
Sorrento–Pompeii–Matera. A short drive brings you to POMPEII, the Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Your Local Guide will walk you past patrician homes, public baths, and commercial districts strikingly recalling day-to-day life when Rome was at the apex of her power. Next, drive to Matera for a guided walking tour featuring a visit to one of the picturesque SASSI HOUSES. (B,D)

Day 6:
At Leisure in Matera. Enjoy a full day at leisure. You may want to visit the picturesque town of Alberobello, famous for its unique trulli, whitewashed dry stone circular houses with pinnacled, conical roofs. (B)

Day 7:
Matera–Reggio Calabria. A spectacular drive south along the Gulf of Taranto before heading inland to Reggio Calabria. Visit the MUSEUM that houses the world-famous bronze warrior sculptures, Bronzi di Riace, with a Local Guide. (B,D)

Day 8:
Reggio Calabria–Taormina Area. This morning, cross the Strait of Messina by FERRY and arrive in Sicily, the great melting pot of the Mediterranean world: Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Saracens, Normans, French, and Spanish have left their marks and contributed to its rich heritage. Before arriving at your hotel in the Taormina area, enjoy lunch and visit the GREEK AMPHITHEATER. You may want to sign up for an exciting optional excursion. (B,L)

Day 9:
At Leisure in Taormina Area. Today you may wish to just relax or join an optional excursion to Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. (B)

Day 10:
At Leisure in Taormina Area. Why not sign up for a fascinating excursion to the archaeological site of Syracuse, birthplace of the mathematician Archimedes and once a powerful Greek port whose fleet was feared throughout the Mediterranean. It attracted visitors such as the philosopher Plato and, later, the Apostle Paul, who converted its citizens to Christianity. (B,D)

Day 11:
Taormina Area–Agrigento–Palermo. A day devoted to the scenic beauty and ancient Greek treasures of southwest Sicily. Head south to Agrigento and enjoy a walk with your Local Guide through the breathtaking VALLEY OF TEMPLES. Even travelers who have visited Athens and Delphi are awed by the gigantic yet graceful Greek structures that miraculously survived 24 centuries of tormented history. Arrive at your hotel in Palermo. (B)

Day 12:
Palermo. Start sightseeing with a Local Guide. Visit the ornate Piazza Bellini, the CATHEDRAL, and the Arab-Norman PALATINE CHAPEL in the Royal Palace. Later, drive up to Monreale for a panoramic view of the Conca d’Oro and a visit to the 12th-century NORMAN CATHEDRAL, famous for its 50,000 square feet of precious byzantine mosaics. End with a visit to the typical and picturesque village of Mondello. Back to Palermo. Tonight, you may wish to enjoy local specialties on an optional dinner outing. (B)

Day 13:
Palermo. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)