Step inside the Lemon Groves and Experience Fresh

Taste Southern Italy Cooking Holiday Amalfi Coast

Experience the Magnificent Lemon Groves of the Amalfi Coast

Cooking on the Amalfi Coast Organic Farm

PRIVATE NAPLES

Taste of Southern Italy and Rome: A Gourmet Experience for Food and Wine Lovers including the Amalfi Coast, Naples, Island of Capri and Rome

Tour Code TUR-01652

Duration 10 days

Group Type Private

Departs From Naples

Meeting Point Hotel in Naples

Customize This Journey View Full Itinerary

Overview

The flavours of southern Italy and Roman cuisine are unique and savoured the world over. On this unique experience through Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Cilento and the Roman Castles we enjoy not only the beauty of these incredible geographic areas, but the finest foods, wines and local traditions. Getting our hands into the pizza dough in Naples and using the freshest of fresh local ingredients in our cooking experiences, we enjoy with all of our senses the very best of southern Italy and Rome.

This is a great experience for those who want to cook, enjoy the historical sites and get to know the local traditions of these incredible areas in Italy. For the full itinerary read on....

Itinerary

Arrival in Naples - Orientation and Welcome Dinner in Naples

Where We Visit: Naples | Meeting Location: Hotel in Naples

Arriving in the warmth of Naples, you will be met at the airport by one of our drivers, waiting to accompany you to your hotel on the seafront.

At 5pm, you will meet your fellow travelers and your escort in the lobby of the hotel to learn more about the week and all the food and wine you will be enjoying. This will be followed by a short walking tour of the city center to learn more about this fascinating city which is home to some of Italy's best-loved foods, ending with a delicious seafood welcome dinner by the marina and a short stroll back to the hotel.

Overnight in Naples.

Naples Underground City and Pizza Making in the Birthplace of Pizza

Where We Visit: Naples

This morning will being with a buffet breakfast at the hotel, particularly enjoyable for anyone with a sweet-tooth as the Neapolitans are known for their cakes and pastries, including the wonderful ricotta-filled sfogliatelle!

You will then have a chance to see more of Naples and to walk off breakfast, as you wander down Via Toledo, passed Galleria Umberto, until you reach Via dei Tribuanli, a street full of some of the best food outlets in the city, including the famous Pizzeria Sorbillo and supposedly the best babà in town! But save some room for lunch and instead descend below the city streets into the underground cisterns and tunnels of the city's ancient aqueduct system. Built by the ancient Greeks settlers, the system has not only provided centuries of fresh drinking water for Naples, but in more recent times has also become a place of refuge.

Following the tour, you'll have some free time to wander Via dei Tribunali and decide what to have for lunch - there's plenty of pizza to choose from, or less healthy street-food and cream-filled, alcohol-soaked cakes!

And the food doesn't end here. When you meet back up in the afternoon, it will be to head to pizza school! Pizza making in Naples is an art form which they take very seriously and has even been added to the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage! Accepting you can't learn all there is to know about pizza in an afternoon, you'll still have a great time making your dough, learning how it differs from other pizzas, notably the so-called 'Roman pizza' and the exact toppings required to make a pizza truly Neapolitan! Then, you get to eat your first pizza napolitana!

Return to the hotel.

Overnight in Naples.

The Wineries of Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum

Where We Visit: Heraculaneum Pompeii Maiori

This morning after breakfast at the hotel in Naples, the group will depart for the ancient town of Herculaneum. Once a wealthy town, much of Herculaneum is still buried beneath the modern Ercolano, but what has been excavated gives a fascinating glimpse into the homes of the rich.

For lunch you will stop at one of the most famous wineries at the base of Mt. Vesuvius, where you will enjoy lunch and taste various different wines, discovering how volcanic soils influence and enhance wine production.

After lunch, you will visit the most famous of the towns destroyed by Vesuvius: Pompeii. In the company of a local guide, you will visit some of the most notable locations of the town (forum, Greek theaters, amphitheater, baths and temples) and learn about what the townsfolk were doing on the day Vesuvius erupted.

In the late afternoon, you will arrive at your hotel in the town of Maiori on the Amalfi Coast. One of the few towns with a beach, Maiori is also the flattest of the coastal towns, making it easy for you to take a stroll before dinner together this evening in a local trattoria.

Overnight in Maiori

Cooking in Paradise among the Lemon Groves

Where We Visit: Ravello

This morning after a light breakfast at the hotel we will venture up to the mountain top town of Ravello by minivan, unless you feel inclined to climb the 1500 steps that connect the two towns!

The first stop of the day will be Villa Cimbrone, where there will be time to walk in the gardens and get some wonderful photos - please note that there is no road access to the villa and there are a number of steps on the road to reach the villa. If you don't feel like making the walk, you can relax in a bar on the main square and wait for the group to return.

When you arrive at the cooking school, it will be time to start preparing the freshest of ingredients for your lunch!
Over the next few hours, you will learn how to make local, seasonal dishes, which will later be served for lunch on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean.

After lunch, take a leisurely stroll to the gardens of Villa Rufolo in the center of town. If you are feeling energetic, climb the tower and descend into the gardens for more wonderful views across the sea, or sit in the shadow of a tree and admire all the natural beauty around you before returning to Maiori.

Dinner in Maiori at leisure and overnight.

Where We Visit: Castelgandolfo Rome

This morning it will be time to leave the Amalfi Coast behind as you head by the Strada del Sole on your way to Rome. Before getting there, you'll stop in the lovely, cool hills that surround Rome, known as the Castelli Romani. This area has long been a favored escape for the Roman elite and even the popes have their summer getaway here, overlooking the beautiful volcanic crater lake: Lake Albano.

To stretch your legs, visit the papal palace and see where centuries of popes have slept, then take an ecological turn in the Barberini Gardens in a golf cart, before heading to the Pope's own farm to prepare lunch! The organic farm is home to many different animals and extensive vegetable gardens, where you will be gathering the ingredients you need to make traditional Roman pasta dishes from scratch. You'll also learn to make a typical dessert of the area and lunch will be accompanied by some of the local wine, produced in the volcanic hills of the Castelli Romani.

The final stop of the day will be your hotel in Rome, where you will have the evening to yourselves.

Overnight in Rome.

Inclusions & Exclusions

What's Included

4 star hotels in great locations
Detailed explanation of sites
English speaking professional tour guide
Excellent Photo Opportunities
Flexible Payment Schedules
Full day excursion to Capri
Internet at All Hotels
Market Tour
Meals as indicated in the itinerary
Personalized Service
Porterage at hotels
Private lunch and wine tasting at a working farm estate
Tastings of local products
The beautiful Cimbrone Gardens at Ravello

What's Not Included

Everything not clearly specified under â€œrates includeâ€.
Food and beverages not mentioned in the program
Gratuities of any type
Travel Insurance

Pricing & Availability

Please contact us today by either phone or email for assistance with this booking.

Email: team@italyvacationspecialists.com
Toll Free: 1-866-779-2565

Quick Enquiry

Client Testimonials

Jesse & Giuseppe,Sandy and I have been looking through my slides of our trip to Southern Italy. We had such a good time with you and Giuseppe that we wanted to let you know again. You were the best guides ever.… Read More
— Bob & Sandy
I am a travel agent with All About Honeymoons and I would highly recommend Italy Vacation Specialists. Jessica was wonderful in helping us plan in a last minute anniversary vacation during high season without any issues. She even checked on our clients while on vacation to make sure things were going well. I plan on using them again soon for all my future bookings!… Read More
— Tammy Joyce, All About Honeymoons
Dear Guiseppe and Jesse, We just returned from our most wonderful vacation to Italy and wanted to first thank you for putting together such a wonderful trip, and second to provide some feedback for the future. Hotels 1. Hotel Sovestro in San Gimignano was wonderful. The staff were very friendly and helpful and made the first portion of our journey very stress free. They made… Read More
— Ron and Deb Crosby
As a travel agent, but also a traveler to Italy, thee is no other company I would recommend than the Italy Vacation Specialists. Not only do they really care about what they are doing, they also really know Italy and try to educate many people about ways they can best see the country and not fall into tourist traps. I have been on 4 trips with the IVS team, firstly when the… Read More
— Laura Chomiak, Travel Agent
This company really knows their stuff and recommended our family to stay longer in each location. We didn't listen to them, but wished we had in every single place we went. They recommended Sestri Levante over the Cinque Terre which was our favourite destination on our entire trip. We visited Rome where we stayed in the outstanding Hotel Locorno where they know the owner there,… Read More
— Sean & Veet Chapman, CGA
The trip was great we appreciate all the hard work you and your team invested to make our experience a once in a lifetime trip. We appreciate all the attention to the details in particular Giuseppe spending the time and the focus with us on the road and as we were exploring your great country.… Read More
— Leon and Michele
In August 2018, my family of four and myself travelled from Vancouver, BC to Rome Italy and spent 3 weeks touring Italy with IVS. This company had come highly recommended by many friends and associates of ours who had used them before and indeed to say they do an outstanding job is an understatement. You can tell while being in Italy that it is one complicated place to run to… Read More
— Vijaya Sunil CPA, CGA
I have traveled to Italy 2x with the IVS for my own pleasure trips and 2x for business with IVS. These guys really pay attention and make your trip go like clockwork. Italy is nuts, just saying! There are so many rules and restrictions now, so we did not want to drive ourselves. Having traveled with them many times and done business on several occasions, most definitely USE t… Read More
— JoAnne Beaudoin, Retired Nurse
In September of 2018 I brought a group of 12 from Venice to Sicily and organized all of my services with the Italy Vacation Specialists. Being a travel agent and in the business, I know how complicated organizing travel arrangements can be in Italy and the IVS team took a huge burden off of me! I would like to start of by saying "THANK YOU" both for the amazing job you did on o… Read More
— Ann Brownell, KHM Travel Group
We're home now from the most amazing trip to Italy! I can't thank you enough for your efforts and coordination of what was without question the finest vacations I've been on to date.… Read More
— Carol Carson