10 Days/9 Nights Departs Daily, Mar.-Oct. from Rome Splendors of Southern Italy: Rome, Sorrento, Matera, Lecce & Fasano From the breathtaking Amalfi Coast proudly facing the sea, to the yet untouched lands of Puglia, experience true authenticity on the narrow, winding street of Matera or in the market of Lecce. Your adventure will end on the charming beaches of Savalletri di Fasano, where you can enjoy worldrenowned cuisine and explore the nearby Trulli houses. ACCOMMODATIONS 1 Night Rome 3 Nights Sorrento 1 Night Matera 1 Night Lecce 3 Nights Savalletri di Fasano
INCLUSIONS Private arrival & departure transfers All private transportation throughout Semi-Private Rome Tour Traditional 3-course Dinner in Rome Private Tour of Pompeii Traditional 3-course Dinner in Sorrento Sorrento Countryside Tasting Tour Cooking Class in Lecce Private Tour to Martina Franca, Cisternino & Locorotondo with lunch First-class Rail from Rome to Naples Daily Breakfast ARRIVAL: Collect your luggage, clear customs and meet your driver in the arrivals hall for your private transfer to your hotel. Relax at your hotel, or explore Rome on your own. This evening, enjoy a traditional 3-course dinner at Il Piccolo Mondo Restaurant. (Dinner & Accommodations, Rome) ROME: This morning, enjoy a panoramic drive through Rome during which your English speaking driving guide will show you an overview of the highlights of the Eternal City, including The Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Venezia, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Gianicolo Hill. This tour does not include any admissions to monuments. Duration: 3 hours. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon, you have a private transfer to the Rome Train Station, where you will board the train for your first-class seat to Naples. Upon arrival you have a Private Transfer from the Naples Train Station to Sorrento, with a 2-hour private tour on Pompeii en route. In the evening, enjoy a traditional 3-course dinner at Ristorante L'Antica Trattoria in Sorrento. Overnight in Sorrento. (Breakfast, Rome; Dinner & Accommodations, Sorrento) SORRENTO COUNTRYSIDE: Today you have a 6-hour countryside tour with several stops to explore local products. You begin in Schiazzano, a small village in the hills surrounding Sorrento. Your local host will take you on a ride in a calessino, a small three-wheeled vehicle used on dirt roads that connect farms to the city. After a short drive you reach Il
Turuziello, a cheese farm and factory, where you observe cheese-making and taste the mozzarella and caciottina cheeses produced here, accompanied by salami and a glass of local wine. Another ride in the calassino takes you to Da Francesco Ristorante, where you will observe pizza making and participate in the process! Your pizza will be the main course of today's lunch, accompanied by a homemade dessert and coffee and a small glass of ammazzacaffè, sipped after the coffee to dull its strong caffeine content. After lunch is finished, we move to a lush lemon grove to sip a locally made limoncello liqueur, before returning to your hotel. Afternoon and evening at leisure. (Breakfast, Lunch, & Accommodations, Sorrento) SORRENTO: A day at leisure to explore Sorrento, or perhaps take an optional excursion to the Isle of Capri. (Breakfast & Accommodations, Sorrento) SORRENTO TO MATERA: After breakfast, you'll have a private car transfer as we cross the Italian Peninsula to the interesting cave town of Matera, where you'll spend the night in a unique 4-star superior hotel. You have free time to explore this ancient town, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back to the 10th Millennium BC. The original settlements were caves or caverns, many of which have now been meticulously repurposed into cave hotels, cave cafes and restaurants. (Breakfast, Sorrento; Accommodations, Matera) MATERA TO LECCE: In the morning after breakfast you'll have a private car transfer into the "heel of the boot" of Italy, to the city of Lecce. After checking into your hotel, you have free time to explore the city; wander the narrow streets and enjoy one of its many outdoor cafes. Inhabited since Roman times, Lecce is known for its Baroque buildings
including the cathedral; a medieval castle; a Roman amphitheater and its archaeological museum. (Breakfast, Matera; Accommodations, Lecce) LECCE: Morning Market Tour & Cooking Class This morning is your guided tour of the Lecce food market. Chef Gianna will show you how to choose fresh seasonal ingredients for the menu. On the way back to the cooking school, stop at a local café to taste a local coffee. Once at the school you will prepare four local dishes that will comprise lunch, accompanied by three selected wines from the Salento area. Total time for this excursion: four hours. In the late afternoon, you have a private car transfer to the town of Savelletri di Fasano, a spectacular seafront town with an old fishing port, and sandy beaches. You will stay here for three nights. (Breakfast & Lunch, Lecce; Accommodations, Savalletri di Fasano) SAVELLETRI DI FASANO: Private Full-Day Tour Begin your private car tour with your driving guide by heading to Martina Franca, a lovely town known for its Baroque architecture. After a walking tour of Martina, the tour continues to Cisternino, a charming town with whitewashed houses, narrow streets and tiny courtyards. Originally founded by Greek settlers, it became a Roman settlement until it was destroyed by Hannibal. It was re-established in the 800s by monks, who built a Greek Orthodox monastery here. Cisternino is famous for its "barbecuing butchers;" your guide will take you to a butcher shop where you will choose and grill your own meat, which will become part of your lunch, accompanied by mineral water and wine. After lunch, the tour continues to the village of Locorotondo, famous for its "trulli" whitewashed houses with cone-shaped roofs. Here we visit the Pastini Family Vineyards and Wine Cellar to taste their wines accompanied by local snacks. At the conclusion of this visit, we return to Savelletri. (Breakfast & Accommodations, Savelletri di Fasano; Lunch, Cisternino)
SAVELLETRI DI FASANO: You have a free day to explore the seaside, or perhaps take an optional excursion to other nearby towns in Puglia. (Breakfast & Accommodations, Savelletri di Fasano) DEPARTURE: After checking out of your hotel, you will have a private transfer to the airport at Bari, where you can continue on to your next Avanti destination! (Breakfast, Savelletri di Fasano)