Country Roads Of Southern Italy & Sicily - Small Group
Indulge in Italy’s finest food and views during this 15-day guided tour. When in Rome, you will toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain during a walking tour with a Local Expert. In Sorrento, settle into a luxurious resort and take in the views of Mount Vesuvius, which buried Pompeii in a sea of lava in 79 A.D. A restaurant’s founder will share why he uses only organic ingredients that he grows himself - and you will indulge in those freshly picked vegetables during a farm-to-table dinner featuring fresh orecchiette pasta. In Palermo, a historian will take you through the old city, showing you its cathedral and the Palatine Chapel in the Palace of the Normans, where glittering 12th century mosaics will surely take your breath away.


Dining Summary

• 6 Dinner with Wine (DW)
• 14 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Lunch with Wine (LW)
• 1 Dinner (D)

Choice Highlights

• Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Capri: Discover the luxuriant Gardens of Augustus with a Local Expert and admire views of the Faraglioni rocks.
• Capri: Enjoy a tasting of limoncello, Capri's traditional lemon liqueur.
• Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Palermo: Visit the spectacular 12th Century Palatine Chapel. Its sombre exterior gives away few clues to the riches inside. Step into a world where the walls glitter with 12th century mosaics, the best of their kind in the world.
• Palermo: Learn about the civil anti-mafia movement and discover the lesser known history of Palermo.

Additional Included Highlights

• : Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
• : Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
• : We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
• : From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
• : Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
• : If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.

Authentic Dining

• Rome: Enjoy a Welcome Dinner with your fellow travelers at a uniquely Roman local restaurant.
• Capri: Enjoy a tasting of limoncello, Capri's traditional lemon liqueur.
• Palermo: Sample a variety of cuisine on your Dine-Around evening.

Insight Experiences

• Rome: Enjoy exclusive access to the Basilica of Saint Praxedes during an after-hours visit. This 9th-century basilica’s simple facade guards the world's best-preserved Byzantine mosaics. The history of the church springs to life as you admire the interior’s treasured collection, including Bernini's first sculpture and the renowned mosaics, illuminated for your visit. This once-in-a-lifetime experience is a rare and unforgettable insight into Rome and its religious history.

Make Travel Matter

• Alberobello: Dine at Trattoria Terra Madre, where owner Alessandro and his nonna have built a restaurant that focuses on sustainability and creating jobs for locals. Everything is grown organically and harvested on site, and excess produce is donated to their community. The restaurant sources their produce locally, implements a strategy to reduce their food waste and promotes sustainable agricultural practices. Trattoria Terra Madre, advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption & Production.
• Grottole: Participate in the fascinating Wonder Grottole project. This regeneration initiative works to rehabilitate the abandoned historic center and preserves traditional village life.
• Palermo: Learn about the civil anti-mafia movement and discover the lesser known history of Palermo.

Top Rated Highlights

• Rome: Sightsee the local way, with a leisurely passeggiata through the backstreets, where a friend in Rome will explain how modern life takes place, around ancient treasures like the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.
• Capri: Discover the luxuriant Gardens of Augustus with a Local Expert and admire views of the Faraglioni rocks.
• Capri: Cruise by jetfoil to this famous isle through beautiful blue Mediterranean waters to meet your Local Expert.
• Alberobello: Led by a Local Expert, explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site showcasing the Trulli of Alberobello. Circular structures with conical roofs that are domed within, built from local limestone and stacked without using mortar.
• Matera: With your Local Expert, visit the famous Sassi or cave dwellings, which were home to approximately 20,000 people until 1950 and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Palermo: Visit the spectacular 12th Century Palatine Chapel. Its sombre exterior gives away few clues to the riches inside. Step into a world where the walls glitter with 12th century mosaics, the best of their kind in the world.
• Pompeii: Walk with a Local Expert through the cobbled streets of this ill-fated town, frozen in time since the 1st century.
• Messina: Cross the Straights of Messina to Sicily by ferry.
• Taormina: Should you awake early, you may see why this is known as 'The Dawn Coast of Europe.'
• Taormina: Visit the ancient Greek Ampitheatre with your Local Expert. Set on a cliff, open to the sky, take your seats and enjoy the view through the crumbling arches to Mount Etna.
• Taormina: During your orientation with your Travel Director, visit the courtyard of Palazzo Corvaja, seat of the first Sicilian parliament, and stroll along Corso Umberto to Piazza IX Aprile.
• Cefalu: Your Travel Director will show you the cathedral, built to fulfil a vow. Walk to the medieval stone fountain in the old fishermen's quarter, find the Gothic arch of the Porta Marina and see the harbor.
• Agrigento: A Local Expert will lead you through the magnificent remains of the Greek colony in the Valley in the Temples. See the massive Temple of Concord and clifftop Temple of Juno.
• Syracuse: Walk through the gardens of Paradise Quarry, listen to the acoustics in the mysterious Ear of Dionysius and visit the Greek theater.
• Catania: During an exploration with your Travel Director see the Duomo, Piazza and the noble buildings of Palazzo Senatorio.

Well-being

• : Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
• : Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.