ADCTF MEMBERS PRIVATE TOUR OF THE PUGLIA REGION OF SOUTHERN ITALY WITH AN EXTENSION TO THE LAVER CUP IN GENEVA SEPTEMBER 2019 Sunday 08 September 2019 - Australia to Rome Depart your nearest Australian home port today for an overnight flight to Rome with either Emirates or Qantas Airways. Monday 09 September 2019 Rome Met on arrival at Rome Fiumicino International Airport and transferred to the hotel in Rome for a two-night stay. Afternoon at leisure and then Welcome Drinks in the hotel tonight. Tuesday 10 September 2019 Rome (B/D) Members will be provided with a 24-hour Hop-on Hop-off Rome Sightseeing Tour bus pass to reacquaint themselves with Rome s best attractions. The tour includes stops at the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, Pantheon, Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, National Gallery of Ancient Art, Piazza Venezia and Palazzo Barberini. Wednesday 11 September 2019 Rome Sorrento Pompeii Bari (B/L) Travel by private coach from Rome to Sorrento where lunch will be taken in a local restaurant. Experience a guided tour of nearby Pompeii which is a vast archaeological site in southern Italy s Campania region, near the coast of the Bay of Naples. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried under meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The preserved site features excavated ruins of streets and houses that visitors can freely explore. After a guided tour of the ruins, the coach will continue on to Bari.
Bari is a port city on the Adriatic Sea, and the capital of southern Italy s Puglia region. Its mazelike old town, Barivecchia, occupies a headland between two harbours. Surrounded by narrow streets, the 11th-century Basilica di San Nicola, a key pilgrimage site, holds some of St. Nicholas remains. To the south, the Murat quarter has stately 19th-century architecture, a promenade and pedestrianized shopping areas. The tour will stay two nights in Bari. Thursday 12 September 2019 Bari Matera Altamura Bari (B/D) The morning is free to explore the sights of Bari and in the early afternoon, the coach will travel a short distance to the fishing port town of Polignano where lunch can be taken at a popular seafood restaurant (optional) and then on to Matera to see the Sassi houses. The Sassi houses originate from a prehistoric troglodyte settlement and are suspected to be among the first human settlements in Italy. There is evidence that people were living here as early as the year 7000 BC. The Sassi are houses dug into the calcarenitic rock itself and the streets in some parts of the Sassi often run on top of other houses. Late in the afternoon the tour will continue to Altamura to visit a bakery and watch the local breads of Puglia being baked. Friday 13 September 2019 Bari Alberobello Locorotondo Martina Franca Lecce (B/D) Today, travel south to Alberobello to see the UNESCO World Heritage listed Trulli houses which are the traditional Apulian dry stone huts with their unique conical roofs.
Continue on to picturesque Locorotondo and spend an hour or two wandering, taking photographs and sitting in street cafes eating local cuisine. The historic part of town is circular and perched on top of a hill and is notable for another unusual type of building which has pointed gable roofs and are called cummerse. After lunch, visit Martina Franca with its very photogenic baroque buildings and then on to Lecce for two nights. Saturday 14 September 2019 Lecce Otranto Leuca Gallipoli Lecce (B/D) Lecce is a minor Baroque masterpiece; built in the local soft creamy limestone with dazzling architectural surprises around every corner. The day will include a visit to the seaside resort town of Otranto before continuing on to Leuca which is at the crossroads of civilisations and cultures due to its geographic location on the promontory that separates the Adriatic from the Tyrrhennian Sea. Return to Lecce via Gallipoli which means Beautiful city in the Greek language. The old town centre sits on a tiny island connected to the mainland by a 17th century bridge. It is almost completely surrounded by defensive walls, built mainly in the 14th century.. Sunday 15 September 2019 Lecce Brindisi Ostuni Bari (B/D) Depart Lecce and take a short tour of Brindisi on route to Ostuni to see the White City and then on to Bari for one night. Brindisi is a port city on the Adriatic Sea and the redstone Aragonese Castle stands on a small island at the harbor s entrance. Across the harbor, the Swabian Castle of Brindisi dates from the 13th century and at the top of Virgil s Staircase are the Roman Columns built over 2000 years ago to mark the end of the world s first highway the Appian Way which lead from Rome to the Port of Brindisi.
Monday 16 September 2019 Bari Trani Montegridolfo (B/D) Depart Bari and take a short visit to the seaside village of Trani to see the Romanesque Cathedral with its tall bell tower that sits right at the water's edge, making it the city's landmark from both land and sea. Follow the Adriatic Coast north passing many small fishing villages and larger towns to arrive at the medieval town of Montegridolfo which is located in the hills of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy for the night.
Tuesday 17 September 2019 Montegridolfo San Marino Rimini Bologna (B/D) Depart Montegridolfo for a morning tour of the tiny Republic of San Marino. San Marino is a mountainous country and is known for its medieval walled old town and narrow cobblestone streets. Continue on to Bologna via the Italian Riviera visiting Rimini along the way. Stay two nights in Bologna. Wednesday 18 September 2019 Bologna (B/D) Bologna is the lively, historic capital of the Emilia-Romagna region and on a walking tour of the city, you will visit the Piazza Maggiore, a sprawling plaza lined with arched colonnades, cafes and medieval and Renaissance structures such as City Hall, the Fountain of Neptune and the Basilica di San Petronio. Among the city s many medieval towers are the Two Towers, leaning Asinelli and Garisenda which dominate the skyline. The city is famous for its food and the alleys off the piazza are full of vendors selling breads, cheeses and local smallgoods. In the afternoon, the coach will transport you to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca for magnificent views of the surrounding countryside and city and for those who wish to walk the four kilometres back to the hotel, there is a covered portico consisting of 666 arches which is the longest arcade in the world.
Thursday 19 September 2019 Bologna Dubai Australia (B) For those leaving the tour, there will be transport to Bologna Guglielmo Marconi International Airport for a flight to Dubai and then home to Australia. Bologna Milano Geneva (B) For those extending on to Geneva for the Laver Cup, there will be a morning transfer to Bologna Centrale station to board the Frecciarossa high-speed rail service to Milano which will connect with the Eurocity rail service to Geneva via the Simplon Tunnel. Stay four nights in Geneva. Monday 23 September 2019 Geneva Dubai Australia (B) Depart Geneva Cointrin International Airport for a flight to Dubai and then home to Australia. The tour will be escorted by Ian Jane from Bentleigh Travel Centre and the accommodation will be 4-star quality or higher category in central locations in each city. The cost includes a return airfare in economy class with Qantas Airways and Emirates from your nearest capital city in Australia and it is possible to request a variation to this airfare to suit personal needs. The cost includes sightseeing with English-speaking guides, all entrance fees, meals as stated in the itinerary but not beverages and the gratuities required for all personnel providing services to the group on the tour. As the tour will visit many places of historical significance, it is expected that all tour members will have sufficient mobility to participate in walking tours of these areas. Twin-share cost (two persons sharing a room) $6090.00 Single cost (one person in a room with a double bed) $7590.00 Members have expressed an interest in the Laver Cup which will be played in Geneva following on from this tour and an extension is available which will also be escorted by Ian Jane and will include 1 st class rail tickets from Bologna to Geneva via the Swiss Alps and four night s accommodation in Geneva in a 4-star hotel. The package does not include tennis tickets as the price has not been released as yet or any meals other than buffet breakfast daily. It is assumed the tennis will be played in a venue that has good public transport and no coach service has been planned for transport between the hotel and the venue. Laver Cup extension to Geneva Twin-share cost (two persons sharing a room) $1200.00 Single cost (one person in a room with a double bed) $1825.00 Members are kindly requested to advise their interest immediately as the accommodation for the tour including Geneva must be contracted as soon as possible to guarantee adequate rooms for the group which must have a minimum size of 20 persons. Please contact Bentleigh Travel Centre on tel: (03) 9557 5898 or by email on admin@bentleightravel.com.au and record your interest in this unique tour of a seldom visited area of Italy.