Country Roads of Southern Italy and Sicily
Experience Overview
Indulge in Italy’s finest food and views during this 2-week 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 pyroclastic cloud of ash and lava stones in 79 A.D. A restaurant’s founder will share why the family uses only organic ingredients that they grow themselves — 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.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 2 Dinner (D)
- 13 Breakfast (B)
- 5 Dinner with Wine (DW)
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 and learn the history behind this traditional lemon liqueur.
Authentic Dining
- Rome: Savor dinner at a uniquely Roman restaurant, offering a perfect exploration of Lazio's typical flavors.
- Palermo: Experience local customs as you delve into tantalising flavors and rustic dishes served with local wine.
Insight Choice
- Capri: Discover the luxuriant Gardens of Augustus with a Local Expert and admire views of the Faraglioni rocks.
- Capri: Enjoy a tasting of limoncello and learn the history behind this traditional lemon liqueur.
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.
- Rome: Follow in the footsteps of gladiators for a deeper insight into life in ancient Rome when you enter the Colosseum.
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 preserve village life. Your visit advances United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
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.
- Sorrento: Perched upon the cliffs, lookout to see the mighty Mount Vesuvius across the Bay of Naples.
- Capri: Cruise by jetfoil to this famous isle through beautiful blue Mediterranean waters.
- Pompeii: Walk with a Local Expert through the cobbled streets of this ill-fated town, frozen in time since the first century.
- 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 1950s and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Agrigento: Admire magnificent Hellenistic remains in the Valley of the Temples, such as the massive Temple of Concord and clifftop Temple of Juno.
- Palermo: Discover the Sicilian capital with your Local Expert. See Pretoria Square and the 16th century fountain. View the composite architectural styles of the Palermo Cathedral and visit the Palatine Chapel.
Trip Details
Product Code: 19571
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family, 55+, Luxury
Tour Operator:
Insight Vacations (CA)
Supplier Code: 429.1126A
Starts: Rome, Italy
Finishes: Palermo, Italy
Duration: 14 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $5,908 ($422 /day)
Itinerary
2025 marks a Jubilee Year, a momentous Roman Catholic event celebrated every 25 years, turning Rome into a center of celebration between December 24, 2024, and December 31, 2025. As festivities unfold, itineraries may be adjusted to ensure you make the most of your time as you visit the Eternal City. Welcome to Rome, a glorious city filled with classic antiquities, medieval buildings, Renaissance palaces and baroque churches. Settle in before joining your Travel Director for a private visit to the Basilica of Saint Praxedes, welcomed by the Rector of the basilica. End the day getting to know your fellow travelers over Roman specialties during dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodation: Radisson Blu GHR, Rome
Meals: Dinner
Rome is about art, antiquity, piazzas and palaces, and our guided walk with a Local Expert has it in abundance. Sightsee the local way, with a leisurely passeggiata through the backstreets, where a friend in Rome will explain how modern life takes place. Toss a coin into the spectacular Trevi Fountain, see the Pantheon, the best-preserved monument from the Roman period, and enjoy free time to do as the Romans do. Perhaps join a tour to discover the incredibly characteristic Roman quarter of Trastevere. Get off the beaten track and explore Rome’s most untouched and unique districts and most consistently unchanged medieval neighborhoods, Trastevere is dotted with ancient and dimly lit churches, crumbling buildings and streets barely wide enough for a Fiat. With your Local Expert, explore the medieval labyrinth of alleyways and pause from time to time to take in this very atmospheric area. A maze of food shops, art galleries, cafes, apartment buildings and pretty squares, this district was once rather run-down and working-class, but has now become one of the city's liveliest and most popular neighborhoods.
Accommodation: Radisson Blu GHR, Rome
Meals: Breakfast
Meet your Local Expert for a guided visit to one of the icons of the Roman era. Enter the Colosseum and imagine the roar of the spectators as you hear stories of how ancient Romans liked to be entertained. Later, depart for Sorrento.
Accommodation: Isabella, Sorrento
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
The impossibly blue sea welcomes you to the sun-drenched island of Capri as you cruise by jetfoil. On arrival, meet your Local Expert for an orientation walk through the narrow alleyways. Explore Capri with Insight Choice. Choose to visit the immaculate Gardens of Augustus with a Local Expert and admire the views over the Faraglioni Rocks. Alternatively, enjoy a tasting of limoncello, Capri’s famous lemon liqueur.
Accommodation: Isabella, Sorrento
Meals: Breakfast
Start your day in Pompeii, buried in A.D. 79 by the historic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Walk with your Local Expert through the cobbled streets to see a city frozen in time. Venture on to Alberobello.
Accommodation: Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Admire another of Italy's record number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites with a Local Expert. The trulli of Alberobello are circular structures with conical roofs that are domed within. They are built from local limestone and stacked without using mortar. In the evening, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience using home-grown organic and locally sourced, seasonal produce, you sit down to a delicious four-course, Farm-to-Table dinner.
Accommodation: Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
The day is free for you to enjoy. Perhaps choose to visit Lecce – often referred to as ‘the Florence of the south’ - with its dazzling architecture and beautiful Baroque buildings. Later, relax and indulge in the amenities of your remarkable hotel.
Accommodation: Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello
Meals: Breakfast
Visit Matera with a Local Expert for an in-depth exploration of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sassi - a labyrinth of cave dwellings, churches, staircases and arches, hewn out of the solid rock. You may recognise Matera as the biblical backdrop for the film ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ Continue to the small village of Grottole. Once a thriving community, it has lost most of its activity and population. Meet Andrea, a local striving to bring back the area's traditional way of living. On this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience explore the historic old town to learn about the fascinating history of the village and enjoy an aperitif with local snacks helping to preserve the culture.
Accommodation: MH Matera Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
In the morning, travel along the Violet Coast to the very toe of Italy and board your ferry bound for Sicily, across the Strait of Messina. According to Grecian legend, this was home to the mythical sea monsters Scylla, a six-headed rock monster, and Charybdis, a whirlpool, based on either side of the strait. Together, they posed an inescapable threat to passing seafarers as avoiding one meant passing too close to the other. You will soon arrive at your hotel where you will spend three glorious nights on the Taormina Riviera. Join a Local Expert for a visit to the Greek Theater of Taormina, graced with the most spectacular of backdrops. Stroll along the elegant Corso Umberto to the Piazza IX Aprile and admire the panoramic views and hews of blue from the sky to the azure sea. Later, take your pick of specially selected restaurants for your Dine-Around evening.
Accommodation: Hellenia Yachting Hotel & SPA
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
The day is at leisure to relax at your resort's private beach, or perhaps explore the medieval quarter? Don't miss the chance of an optional drive through the national park to Mount Etna, Europe's largest volcano.
Accommodation: Hellenia Yachting Hotel & SPA
Meals: Breakfast
Early risers may experience what D.H. Lawrence christened the ‘dawn coast of Europe.' The day is free to explore Taormina at your leisure, or to embark on an Optional Experience to Syracuse.
Accommodation: Hellenia Yachting Hotel & SPA
Meals: Breakfast
Drive to Agrigento and explore the Valley of the Temples with a Local Expert. See the massive Temple of Concord and clifftop Temple of Juno, overlooking the sea. In the afternoon, continue to the Sicilian capital of Palermo.
Accommodation: NH Palermo
Meals: Breakfast
Join a historian on a guided walk to see the gems of the old city. Visit the amazing Palatine Chapel in the Palace of the Normans. Outside, there are few clues to its astonishing interior, completely covered in glittering 12th century mosaics. Continue to the Palermo Cathedral which has been altered over the years and observe its unique blend of architectural styles. In the afternoon, there is free time to explore or shop in Palermo or continue sightseeing. In the evening, join your fellow guests and Travel Director at a local restaurant for a dinner of delicious local cuisine and wine.
Accommodation: NH Palermo
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Your journey draws to an end. Departure transfers arrive at Palermo Falcone–Borsellino Airport.
Meals: Breakfast
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
Insight Vacations (CA)
Part of The Travel Company (TTC) family of brands, Insight Vacations began operations in 1978 and is based in Cypress, CA. Journeys are featured to destinations, such as the U.S. and Canada, Europe, Latin America, North Africa, Asia, the UK and Ireland. The company offers are a variety of tours under the classifications of Regional Journeys, Country Roads, Discovery Journeys, Easy Pace trips, and Special Interest tours. Insight is the ideal name for the tour operator, as the journeys provided by Insight Vacations allow travelers to gain further insight into whatever destination they wish to explore. For example, Discovery Journeys are the ideal choice for first-time visitors to Europe. Itineraries include Dine-at-Home or Farm-to-Table experiences so travelers can learn more about how locals live and dine. Regional Journeys allow trip-goers to see a specific location in Europe that they have always wanted to see – Poland, Switzerland, Italy, etc. The carefully planned trips enable customers to immerse themselves in one specific region or country and to become acquainted with its culture, traditions, and people. For anyone seeking travel off the beaten track, Insight Vacations offers Country Roads – trips that lead travelers off the well-tread tourist trail to explore hidden gems where visitors can savor the local produce with Farm-to-Table dining. Some trips are offered under the Easy Pace travel style – the ideal trip choice for trip-goers who wish to slow their pace during their vacation. During these tours, vacationers stay at least 3 nights at each destination, giving them some additional time to explore a place and enjoy it. Regardless of the travel style, many of the vacations offered by Insight Vacations begin with Relaxed Starts – giving travelers time to sleep in a little, spend more time at breakfast, or explore an area on their own. The tour company prides itself on providing business class tours that features luxury coaches with 40 seats. While most coach touring operators provide vehicles with 53 seats, Insight Vacations has re-configured its motor coaches to hold up to 40 guests. This gives passengers extra leg room while traveling and offers them more space and privacy.
In Business Since 1978
Reviews
Ellie - Traveled, September 2024
The itinerary was good. If we could have left at 8 am instead of 9am the morning we drove to Bern, we would have been there for the clock turning to 12:00 noon, which would have been much more spectacular than seeing it turn 1:00pm.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/21/2024
Max - Traveled, July 2024
Great tour meant lots of friends. Our tour guide was amazing, Funny, very knowledgeable and nice. Our bus driver was great, have no complaints what so ever. The ages we're all the way from kids to 8 to elder
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/31/2024
Hector - Traveled, July 2024
Our experience was very good. The itinerary, hotels, meals, and our guide were excellent.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/25/2024
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