Castel del Monte

Day 1 Thursday: ROME – NAPLES – POMPEII – SORRENTO
Early morning departure from Rome for Naples, where a short visit of the town is featured. Then on to Pompeii, the famous Roman city destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt.Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Lunch in a local restaurant, and afterwards, visit of the excavations. Proceed on to Sorrento. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 2 Friday: SORRENTO – CAPRI – SORRENTO
Buffet breakfast. Departure to Capri by steamer. Weather conditions permitting, visit of the Blue Grotto. Return to Marina Grande and then transfer to Anacapri. Lunch in a typical restaurant followed by a visit of Augustus’ Gardens, with a view of the Faraglioni. Return to Sorrento. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3 Saturday: SORRENTO – CASTEL DEL MONTE – ALBEROBELLO – SELVA DI FASANO
Early morning departure for Apulia, on the way, stop to visit Castel del Monte, imposing octagonal castle, with eight
octagonal towers at each side built in 1250 by the emperor Federico II, on a hill of 570 metres that dominates all the valley. Free time for lunch. The journey continues to Alberobello, the town of “trulli” and Unesco Heritage. Trulli are typical houses with a cone roof that were uses as homes and to keep the farmer utensils. In the afternoon, arrival at the hotel, accommodation, dinner and overnight.

Day 4 Sunday: SELVA DI FASANO – LECCE – CASTELLANA CAVES – SELVA DI FASANO
Breakfast and departure to Lecce and its “famous baroque” form of art and architecture that developed between the end of the XVI century and the first half of the XVII century. Very rich and beautiful are the decorations of the church of S.Oronzo , the Basilica of Santa Croce, the Celestini Palace. In the square of S.Oronzo we can admire the roman
amphitheater from the II century BF that can hold 25,000 spectators, and the 29 meters high column with the statue of St. Oronzo on the top. Free time for lunch. Depart from Castellana Grotte, one of the largest underground grottoes in Europe discovered in the 1938. At the end of the visit return to hotel.

Day 5 Monday: SELVA DI FASANO – MATERA – SORRENTO OR ROME
Buffet breakfast. Departure for Matera that has gained international fame for its “Sassi”. The Sassi originated from a prehistoric (troglodyte) settlement, and are suspected to be some of the first settlements in Italy. The Sassi are houses dug into the tuff rock itself, which is characteristic of Basilicata and Puglia. Many of these “houses” are really only caverns, and the streets in some parts of the Sassi often are located on the rooftops of other houses. One of the benefits of this ancient city, is that with there is a great similarity in the look of the Sassi with that of ancient sites in and around Jerusalem. This has caught the eye of film directors and movie studios. Principally due this reason the Sassi were the set of many film, as for example “The Gospel According to St Matthew” (Pasolini,1964), “King David” (Bruce Beresford,1985), “The Passion of the Christ” (Gibson, 2004) and “The Nativity Story” (Hardwicke, 2006). Matera is also a Unesco site heritage. Time for a snack and return to Rome or Sorrento. End of the tour and of our service.

PRICE INCLUDES:
* Accommodation at 4 star Hotels
* Buffet breakfast daily
* Four dinners
* Ground transportation by deluxe motorcoach
* Service charges and taxes included
* A bilingual Assistant during the tour
* Sightseeing tours as indicated in the itinerary
* English French Spanish guides
* Entrance fees

PACKAGE PRICE: €825, per person, based on double occupancy. Single room €1.029; Triple room €759.
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OUR HOTELS:
* In Selva di Fasano Sierra Silvana **** or similar
* In Sorrento Vesuvio**** or similar