| A seven day private tour in the Amalfi coast area
For the whole week the clients will stay in a nice hotel in Positano, and they will enjoy daily excursions, by car and driver/guide, to the villages and towns of this splendid region of Italy. Visits: Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Praiano, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento, Naples, Capri, Salerno, Paestum, Ischia, Caserta and Vesuvius volcano. |
|
Full Itinerary Day 1 from Positano to Amalfi, Ravello and Praiano: after a spectacular driving along the Amalfi coast, where the mountain spurs run down to the sea below, we'll reach the town of Amalfi, which gives its name to the whole coast on which it lies, it is one of the most popular seaside resorts on the Campanian coast, thanks to its mild and agreeable climate, its beautiful situation, and its crystal-clear sea (visit to the town and the main cathedral); we'll then leave the coast road and diverge along a road which climbs over a rock outcrop dominating a valley, a short drive will bring us to one of the most enchanting and picturesque spots on this coast: the village of Ravello (lunch in a typical restaurant, and visit to Palazzo Rufolo); on the way back to Positano we'll stop in the village of Praiano for an ice-cream. Car and driver/guide at your disposal for dinner. Driving times: from Positano to Amalfi 45 minutes, to Ravello 25 minutes, to Praiano 50 minutes, back to Positano 20 minutes. Day 2 from Positano to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Sorrento: after a spectacular driving along the Sorrentina coast, from which you can enjoy a unique view on Capri Island and on the bay of Naples, we'll reach Pompeii, the Roman town known throughout the world for its tragic destruction, in AD 79 by the eruption of the Vesuvio volcano, and for its miraculous discovery in the 18th century (2-hour private-tour with a local guide); we'll then drive to Herculaneum, the other Roman town which was totally destroyed by the same eruption of the Vesuvius (2-hour private-tour with a local guide); after a lunch in a typical restaurant we'll continue with a visit to Sorrento, magnificently situated on top of a tufa rock plateau which drops sheer to the sea below, is the most important town in the peninsula named after it. Car and driver/guide at your disposal for dinner. Driving times: from Positano to Pompeii 1 hour, to Herculaneum 25 minutes, to Sorrento 45 minutes, back to Positano 25 minutes. Day 3 from Positano to Naples: the third day will be dedicated to the discovery of the wonderful town of Naples, the third-largest city in Italy and the largest in southern Italy. In one of the loveliest natural settings in all of Europe, celebrated throughout history for the variety of panoramic views, the mild weather, the luminuos sea, and the gentle breezes, Naples is endowed with a superb heritage of monuments and artistic collections, at the center of an archaeological zone that extends from Cumae to Pompeii, and is an attraction that draws visitors from all over the world. Among the many monuments are: The Castel Nuovo, one of the most beautiful castles in Italy; Palazzo Reale, built by D.Fontana (1600-1602); Teatro S.Carlo, a celebrated "temple of the Opera"that dates from 1737; Museo Arheologico Nazionale, one of the world's leading archaeological museums; Museo and Gallerie Capodimonte, one of the most versatile and significant collections in Italy; as well as numerous spectacular churches (6-hour private-tour with a local guide). Car and driver/guide at your disposal for dinner. Driving times: from Positano to Naples 1 hour, back to Positano 1 hour. Day 4 from Positano to the island of Capri: we'll drive to the pier of Sorrento to take the ferry to Capri, one of the most precious gems of the Tyrrhenian Sea, a celebrated and much-frequented tourist resort, it already had the reputation of a holyday retreat in antiquity, as is testified by the remains of imperial villas (Villa Jovis built by Emperor Tiberius). The island is a miniature paradise, it is full of enchanting spots and an inexhaustible source of fascination, whether from the luxuriance of its vegetation, the beauty of its shore-line, with its everchanging waters, or the inimitable appeal of its strange rock formations and caves so magically illuminated by the reflections of water and light. Capri is also the name of the main town on the island, which also comprise the smaller town of Anacapri and other villages (5-hour car and walking tour). Car and driver/guide at your disposal for dinner. Driving times: from Positano to Sorrento 25 minutes, to Capri 40 minutes (by ferry). Day 5 from Positano to Salerno and Paestum: after a nice driving along the Amalfi coast we'll reach Salerno, the town lies on the bay named after it, is one of the five provincial capitals of Campania and a busy industrial and commercial center, it has very ancient origins (it was successively Greek, Etruscan and Roman), and a wonderful Cathedral, erected by Robert Guiscard in the Second half of the 11th century, that is one of the most notable monuments in southern Italy (visit to the Cathedral and its museum); we'll then drive to the archaeological site of Paestum, once called Poseidonia, it was founded in the 6th century BC by a group of Greek colonists, and soon became a prosperous commercial center that exerted political and cultural domination over the surrounding area; the Doric columns of the three temples, the pentagonal walls that mark the perimeter of the vanished city, the axcavations, the Museo with the metops from the Santuario di Hera Argiva, and painted Greek and Lucanian slabs make of this place one of the most important Italian archaeological sites (2-hour tour with a local guide). Car and driver/guide at your disposal for dinner. Driving times: from Positano to Salerno 1 hour, to Paestum 25 minutes, back to Positano 1 hour and 20 minutes. Day 6 from Positano to the island of Ischia: we'll drive to the pier of Sorrento to take the ferry to Ischia, the largest of the islands situated in the Gulf of Naples, its fame and beauty have long rivaled those of Capri and even in antiquity Roman emperors chose it as a resort. The island is in fact one on which nature has lavished its finest gifts: a genial climate, picturesque spots, luxurious vegetation, enchanting panoramas, charming villages, and cost-line notable for the transparency and brilliance of its sea. The island of Ischia, which is volcanic in origin, is also endowed with mineral waters and thermal springs, that have been known since antiquity, organized by the construction of thermal establishment for therapeutic purposes. The island of Ischia comprises six small towns: Ischia itself (most important center), Barano, Casamicciola, Forio, Lacco Ameno and Serrara Fontana (5-hour car and walking tour with a local guide). Car and driver/guide at your disposal for dinner. Driving times: from Positano to Sorrento 25 minutes, to Ischia 1 hour and 15 minutes (by ferry). Day 7 from Positano to the Royal Palace of Caserta and Vesuvius volcano: after a pleasant driving we'll reach Caserta where we'll visit the town's most illustrious monument Palazzo Reale: a royal palace built by the architect Luigi Vanvitelli in 1752-74, for Charles of Bourbon, a remarkable architecture (1200 rooms) with Neoclassical decorations, museums, and a splendid park with fountains and waterfalls (3-hour tour with a local guide); after lunch in a typical restaurant we'll reach the top of the Vesuvius volcano, that provides a fascinating experience, from which we'll admire magnificent panoramic views of the Gulf of Naples and the plain of Campania below. Car and driver/guide at your disposal for dinner. Driving times: from Positano to Caserta 1 hour and 15 minutes, to Vesuvius volcano 1 hour, back to Positano 1 hour. The tour is per a party of max 3 people, or party of max 7 people. In the price are included : private car transfers; fluent speaking English driver/guide; driver's meals and hotels; private local guides in Pompeii, Herculaneum, Naples, Capri, Paestum, Ischia and Caserta. ITALYPRIVATETOURS is not a travel agency and the tour above do not include hotels, restaurants or airfares; your travel agent can make these reservations for you and we are always available to assist you in making the best selection for your needs, or to refer you to a local agent or tour operator. |
|
© 2004-2005 Tuscan Way
Isabel Innocenti
Tuscan Way - La Via dei Sensi
2829 Bird Avenue, Suite 5, PMB 242
Coconut Grove, Florida 33133 USA
Tel: 800-766-2390 or 305-598-8368
Fax: 800-767-9699 or 305-598-8369
Email:
inquire@tuscanway.com