12D9N DISCOVER MALTA, SICILY & SOUTHERN ITALY Sales period: May 2017 - Dec 2017 Travel period: Jun 2017 - Dec 2017 fr. SGD 4588 HIGHLIGHTS TOUR CODE : HMT12S MALTA Mdina Cathedral Mosta Craft Village Valletta City Tour with Grandmaster's Palace Blue Grotto Hagar Qim Temple Complex Gozo Island Ggantija Temple Complex Victoria Cittadella SICILY
Valley of the Temples Museo Archeologico Regionale Agrigento Palermo City Tour with Palatine Chapel Toarmina Teatro Greco Piazza IX Aprile ITALY Cosenza City Tour Almafi Coast Drive Pompeii Naples City Tour Valmontone Outlet Shopping Rome City DAY 1 SINGAPORE MALTA Meals on Board Assemble at Singapore Changi Airport for your flight to Malta. DAY 2 MALTA ST JULIAN S Dinner Upon arrival at Malta, be greeted by our local representative and embark on a city tour. Visit the Mdina Cathedral or St. Paul's Cathedral originally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God but, having fallen into ruin during the Muslim period, it was rebuilt following the Norman conquest and re-dedicated to St Paul. The old church was modified and enlarged several times. The current building designed by the architect Lorenzo Gafa, was built between 1697 and 1702 to replace a ruined Norman cathedral destroyed by the 1693 earthquake on Malta. Photo stops at Mosta a town in the Northern Region of Malta. From a distance the most outstanding feature is the main attraction of Mosta is the Rotunda - a huge round church with the third largest unsupported dome in the world dedicated to the Assumption. Visit the crafts village in Ta Qali located in the former RAF wartime air-field and is a very popular tourist attraction in Malta. Here, you can shop for different kinds of crafts and beautiful artefacts created by local experts. Be entertained by the craftsmen blowing and forming glass, visit the goldsmiths filigree and beautiful jewellery and have a look at the beautiful sculptures and lace. DAY 3 ST JULIAN S VALLETTA SOUTH MALTA ST JULIAN S
After breakfast visit Valletta the capital of Malta. During the city tour you will visit The Grandmaster's Palace, officially known as The Palace, in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the 16th century as the palace of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John, who ruled Malta. The interior of the palace is the famous Council Chamber, adorned with valuable Gobelins tapestries woven in France. The other rooms and passages of the palace are splendidly furnished with art objects, old coat of arms and armour. Particularly notable are the former Hall of the Supreme Council of the Knights, which hosts fine frescoes and the Hall of the Ambassadors, where portraits of Grand Masters and European rulers hang. On the basement floor is the Armoury, one of the largest collections of its kind in the world. Later head towards the South coast and embark on a boat trip to visit the Blue Grotto a popular destination for tourists on the island of Malta. Every day from sunrise until about 1 pm a unique sight can be observed there. The location of the cave combined with the sunlight lead to the water mirroring showing numerous shades of blue. End your day with a visit to Hagar Qim in Maltese meaning "Standing/Worshipping Stones" is a megalithic temple complex found on the island, dating around 3600-3200 BC. The Megalithic Temples are among the most ancient religious sites on Earth, described by the World Heritage Sites committee. DAY 4 JULIAN S GOZO ISLAND ST JULIAN S In the morning we will visit the Gozo Island the second largest Island of Malta to visit the Ggantija Temples or in Maltese "Giants' Tower" is a Neolithic, megalithic temple complex. The temples are the earliest of a series of megalithic temples in Malta and thought to be older than the pyramids of Egypt. Their makers erected the two temples during the Neolithic Age around 3600 2500 BC, which makes these temples more than 5500 years old and the world's second oldest manmade religious structures, after Gobekli Tepe in Turkey. Together with other similar structures, these have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temples were possibly the site of a Fertility cult due to archaeologists believe that the numerous figurines and statues found on site are connected with that cult. Other sight included during your visit at Gozo Island are Calypso s Cave alleged to be the cave referred to by Homer in The Odyssey where the beautiful nymph Calypso keeps Odysseus as a "prisoner of love" for seven years. The Azure Window is a limestone natural arch which was formed after two limestone sea caves collapsed. View Fungus Rock, a small islet in the form of a 60 metres high massive lump of limestone. The name of the rock come from what is popularly known as the Malta Fungus, growing on the rock's flat top. Next head to Victoria, also known as Rabat or by its title Citta Victoria, is the capital city of Gozo. In the heart of Victoria lies the Cittadella (Citadel), formerly known as il Castello. For centuries, the Citadel served as a sanctuary from attack by Barbary corsairs and Saracens. The massive defensive stone walls of the fortifications rise above the town and were built by the Knights to protect the village communities from foraging corsairs attempting to take slaves and threatened invasion of Moslem forces fighting Christendom. Within its walls lies a fine 17th century baroque Cathedral on the site where a Roman temple dedicated to Juno once stood. It is most famous for the remarkable trompe l'oeil painting on its ceiling, which depicts the interior of a dome that was never built. DAY 5 JULIAN S VALLETTA POZZALLO AGRIGENTO
After breakfast, transfer to the pier for your ferry to Valetta then by ferry again to Pozzallo. From Pozallo continue to Agrigento a hilltop city on Sicily's southwest shore. It's known for the Valley of the Temples, a vast archaeological site with well-preserved Greek temples and the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas. Visit the famous Valle dei Templi or "Valley of the Temples", a misnomer, as it is a ridge, rather than a valley. This comprises a large sacred area on the south side of the ancient city where seven monumental Greek temples in the Doric style were constructed during the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Now excavated and partially restored, they constitute some of the largest and best-preserved ancient Greek buildings outside of Greece itself and are listed as a World Heritage Site. On the modern city's outskirts is the Museo Archeologico Regionale Agrigento, with artifacts and a telamon (huge male statue). DAY 6 AGRIGENTO PALERMO From Agrigento enjoy a scenic drive to Palermo, Sicily's cultural, economic and touristic capital. Upon arrival enjoy a city tour which includes visit to the Palatine Chapel or Cappella Palatina, the royal chapel of the Norman kings of Sicily. Also referred to as a Palace church or Palace chapel, it was commissioned by Roger II of Sicily in 1132 to be built upon an older chapel (now the crypt) constructed around 1080. View the Duomo or The Cathedral of Syracuse which used to be the Greek Temple of Athena is a monument of singular charm, and its extraordinary characteristics are virtually unequalled in Italy. The building was, in fact, made by closing the spaces between the columns of a Doric Greek temple of the 5th century BC, which in this way has survived virtually intact. Other sights included are the Palazzo dei Normanni or Royal Palace of Palermo. DAY 7 PALERMO TAORMINA Continue your journey to Taormina, a small town on the east coast. During your city tour take in sights such as the Teatro Greco the most remarkable monument remaining at Taormina, which is one of the most celebrated ruins in Sicily, on account both of its remarkable preservation and its beautiful location. Isola Bella a small island also known as The Pearl of the Ionian Sea, it is located within a small bay on the Ionian Sea. There is a narrow path that often connects the island to the mainland beach. The island has a small and rather rocky beach which is a popular destination for sunbathers. The charming centre of a delightful Sicilian town, Piazza IX Aprile, with its characteristic black and white paving, affords a breathtaking view of the azure Ionian Sea and of the Mount Etna. On the other side of the square stands the former Gothic St. Augustine's Church and the 17 th Century Church of St. Joseph overlooks the piazza from the top of a flight of steps. The square also leads to the oldest part of Taormina through the Porta Di Mezzo upon which stands the Clock Tower. DAY 8 TAORMINA MESSINA VILLA SAN GIOVANNI COSENZA NAPLES
Bid farewell to Sicily as you board the ferry to Villa San Giovanni Italy. Continue to Cosenza for brief city tour. Embark on a walking tour of Naples through the small streets of the city center and Spaccanapoli district. Visit the church of San Gregorio Armeno, fame for its Nativity display during winter time. Continue to Piazza San Domenico to view Cappella San Severo and the Church of Santa Chiara. DAY 9 NAPLES CAPRI ALMAFI POMPEII NAPLES Transfer to the pier for your ferry ride to Capri and enjoy a guided tour of the island. The tour includes a cable car ascend to Anacapri, the famous "piazzetta", the gardens of Augustus with a beautiful view on the "Faraglioni" and Marina Piccola (small Harbour). Later back from the island to Sorrento to a scenic drive along The Amalfi coast an area of great physical beauty and natural diversity. It has been intensively settled by human communities since the early Middle Ages. The rural areas show the versatility of the inhabitants in adapting their use of the land to the diverse nature of the terrain, which ranges from terraced vineyards and orchards on the lower slopes to wide upland pastures. DAY 10 NAPLES POMPEII ROME Continue to Pompeii a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was partially destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 m of ash and pumice during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1749. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site and unravel that fateful day when Mt Vesuvius erupted. After lunch, continue to Rome. Embark on a guided tour of ancient Rome which includes stop at the Colosseum, Roman Forum, The Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. DAY 11 ROME SINGAPORE Breakfast After breakfast, free at leisure till you transfer to the airport for your flight home. DAY 12 ARRIVE IN SINGAPORE
REMARKS 1. If a place of visit is closed to visitor, it will be replaced with alternative. 2. Sequence of itinerary is subject to change without prior notice. 3. During fairs and major events accommodation may not be in the city stated.