The Best of Southern Italy (11 Days) 

     Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

     Time to rest or start exploring the Eternal City. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions, and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)

     Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the The Vatican Museums and The Sistine Chapel, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental St. Peter's Square and
Basilica. Cross the Tiber and visit the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, where Roman Legions marched in triumph. Time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (BB)

     South on the Highway of the Sun to lively and colorful Naples before embarking for your included trip to the Isle of Capri, an ancient retreat for Roman emperors and renowned ever since that time for its beauty. Sightseeing with a Local Guide includes a visit to Villa San Michele in Anacapri. Later, cross the bay again to the charming resort of Sorrento. Time to check out the local shops and discover its lively center. (BB,D)

     A scenic drive to the toe of the Italian boot in Calabria, where you will board a ferry to cross the Strait of Messina to Sicily, the largest of the Mediterranean islands. Tonight you are in Taormina, a beautiful resort overlooking the sea and facing Mount Etna. (BB,D)

     All day to explore at your own pace. Why not sign up for an optional excursion to Mount Etna in the morning? Afterwards, shop for hand embroidery and local goods, live it up in one of Europe’s most popular beach resorts, or simply relax. (BB)

     Syracuse, birthplace of the mathematician Archimedes and once a powerful Greek port whose fleet was feared throughout the Mediterranean, attracted visitors such as the philosopher Plato and later the Apostle Paul, who converted its citizens to Christianity. A Local Guide will take you into the archaeological site. Visit the 5th-century B.C. sparkling white Greek Theater that could seat up to 16,000 people, the Garden of Paradise, the Ear of Dionysus with its extraordinary acoustics, the Altar of Hieron II, the Roman Amphitheater, and the Cordmaker’s Cave. (BB,D)

     A day devoted to the scenic beauty and ancient Greek treasures of southwest Sicily. This morning focus on the 4th-century Roman Villa of Casale near Piazza Armerina. Its colorful and perfectly preserved mosaics depict mythological themes and hunting scenes. Enjoy the ever-changing landscapes of the interior as you drive to Agrigento, where a Local Guide will walk with you through the breathtaking Valley of Temples. Even travelers who have visited Athens and Delphi are awed by the gigantic yet graceful Greek structures that miraculously survived 24 centuries of tormented history. (BB,D)

     This morning visit the impressive Dorian Temples and Acropolis in Selinunte. Built on a natural balcony overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean, these accomplishments of an ancient civilization may prompt you to think about the quality of human progress since those days of Greek splendor. On to Palermo for your two-night stay. (BB)

     Sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the ornate Piazza Bellini, the Cathedral, and the Arab-Norman Palatine Chapel in the Royal Palace. Then drive up to Monreale for a panoramic view of the Conca d’Oro and a visit to the 12th-century Norman Cathedral, famous for its 50,000 square feet of precious Byzantine mosaics. This evening an included farewell dinner celebrates the success of your Sicilian vacation. (BB,D)

     Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)