Delights of Southern Italy, 12 Days Naples to Lecce with A&K

Day 1

Arrive Naples.

On arrival in the romantic heart of Italy’s Campania region, and gateway to the Amalfi Coast, transfer to your hotel.
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Vesuvio (King Room with Seaview & Balcony)

Day 2

Naples.

Spend the day exploring this exuberant city revered for its food, culture, history and newfound art scene. The historic city centre is the largest in Europe, covering 4,200 acres and representing 27 centuries of history. One of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world with Bronze Age Greek settlements dating back to the second millennium BC, the area was re-founded as Neápolis (‘new city’) in the sixth century BC, becoming a lynchpin of Magna Graecia and playing a key role in the merging of Greek culture into Roman society. As you explore, discover its most famous attractions and squeeze in a typical pizza lunch in the city that invented it.

Admire the Castel Nuovo, the massive fortress built by the Angevins in the 13th century, and the Palazzo Reale, the royal palace dating from the early 1600’s. Head into the old quarter and discover the Spaccanapoli district, the magnificent Duomo cathedral, the Cappella Sansevero with its virtuosic sculptural masterpiece the Cristo Velato, as well as the San Gregorio Armeno street (famous for shops selling nativity scenes). Then a choice between the incredible San Gennaro catacombs or the National Archaeological Museum which holds one of the world’s great collections of Greek and Roman antiquities. Along the way, taste some delicious ‘frittura’, a traditional Neapolitan street food, which combines deep fried eggplant, zucchini, mozzarella, arancini, cauliflower, and potato croquettes.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Vesuvio (King Room with Seaview & Balcony)

Day 3

Naples – Sorrento, Design Your Day

This morning you are transferred south from Naples to the Amalfi Coast with a choice of how you’d like to spend the day. A Pompeii adventure starts off with a traditional light lunch and wine tasting at an organic vineyard near the fertile slopes of majestic Mount Vesuvius. The next two hours are spent exploring on foot the extraordinary ruins of Pompeii which will deliver a rich depiction of life during the Roman Empire. Destroyed by the Mt. Vesuvius eruption in 79 B.C., the excavations reveal temples, forums, amphitheatres, a brothel and the eerie plaster casts of people killed by the falling ash and pumice stone. This amazing experience offers an unparalleled window into the quotidian life of classical antiquity.

Or visit the ruins of Herculaneum starting off with a traditional light lunch and wine tasting at an organic vineyard near the fertile slopes of majestic Mount Vesuvius.
Spend a few hours walking around the site of Herculaneum which was covered by volcanic mud during the 79 B.C. Mount Vesuvius eruption. The mud quickly hardened and, as a result, excavations have been much slower here than at Pompeii, and although the first Herculaneum discovery dates back to 1709, the excavations here are much smaller. The findings, though, are stunning, mainly because Herculaneum is thought to have been a fashionable seaside resort for wealthy Romans, boasting villas even more elaborate than those of Pompeii.

Arrive into the charming town of Sorrento this afternoon.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria (Deluxe Room with Sea View)

Day 4

Sorrento.

Renowned for its ceramics and limoncello, which you’ll sample along the way, take a stroll around Sorrento before a pizza and a mozzarella-making lesson in a local farmhouse overlooking the bay of Naples and Salerno. Surrounded by olive groves, vineyards and citrus groves, you’ll also enjoy a tasting of delicious local products, such as mixed bruschetta, various types of bread, olive oil and pizza.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria (Deluxe Room with Sea View)

Day 5

Amalfi Coast.

Travel the romantic Amalfi Coastal road, the most scenic in Europe, which twists, turns and loops along the full length of the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento to Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. Once reachable only by mule, the isolation of this stunningly scenic region attracted writers and artists in abundance even before the completion of the coastal route in the 20th century.

First stop today is beautiful Positano, synonymous with romance and glamour. Its gleaming colourful houses seem to cascade down the steep hillside, crisscrossed with myriad sets of steep, narrow stairs. Boutiques abound, selling the unique clothing and souvenirs that make this special town a shopper’s paradise. From here continue to Amalfi, the coast’s largest town with its main attraction being the Duomo fronted by a beautifully-coloured 13th century facade. The town became a famous tourist destination in the 20th century when the ‘dolce vita’ arrived from Rome to Capri and Amalfi: film directors and actors came to this Coast to partake in the ‘sweet life’. Make sure you stop at the famous pastry shop, Caffè Pansa Pasticceria. Since its founding in 1830 it has been making chocolate along with Neapolitan staples, like sfogliatelle and baba, for generations. Step inside and be tempted by the display cases filled with chocolates and one of the local specialties – candied citrus peel dipped in chocolate.

Continue towards Ravello, one of the most charming towns on the coast. It offers some of the best views of the famous coastline, with sweeping seascapes and breathtaking scenery. The town’s magnificent villas offer vivid vantage points for the views. Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo are famous for their encompassing panoramas. Villa Rufolo inspired the composer Wagner when he wrote his famed opera, Parsifal. Ravello is still known for its musical events, including the Ravello Festival, which is strongly connected to the composer and his symphonies.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria (Deluxe Room with Sea View)

Day 6

Sorrento – Matera – Fasano.

Today you head east to the Puglia – the “heel” of Italy stopping en route in Matera. Continually inhabited for over 10,000 years, Matera is considered amongst the most ancient cities on earth and is an incredible open-air museum with evidence of habitation from as far back as the Paleolithic era. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a disarming blend of contrasts, an inimitable tangle of cave-dwellings, magnificent baroque palaces and beautiful stone churches which has been declared the 2019 European Capital of Culture. Witness first-hand various stages in the evolution of human history as you make your way through the Sassi: from the dark caves of the Murgia inhabited by our oldest ancestors to the rock-hewn churches of religious communities to the elegant streets of the Piano, rich in 17th century monasteries and palaces.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Borgo Egnazia (La Corte Bella Room) or similar

Day 7

Fasano.

Enjoy today at leisure.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Borgo Egnazia (La Corte Bella Room) or similar

Day 8

Fasano – Alberobello – Locortando – Fasano.

Founded in the 15th century by the Counts of Acquaviva, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Alberobello contains the largest concentration of perhaps the most famous of all of Puglia’s monuments: the cone-shaped dwellings known as trulli. The origin of these charming structures was practical in nature: the counts granted tax-free land and domicile rights to immigrants from surrounding lands on the condition that their houses should be easily demolished in case the King of Naples was to discover out that they were evading taxes. Their construction – without any binding material – ensured that the houses could easily be reduced to a mere pile of stones in a hurry, leaving no trace of their former function.

Continue with your guide to Locorotondo. Officially one of the Borghi più belli d’Italia – the most beautiful villages in Italy – crown-shaped Locorotondo sits majestically atop a hill overlooking the countryside. Whitewashed houses with external stone staircases and balconies adorned with flowers and the pleasures of the slow life all await.
While you are in Alberobello you will be introduced to one of the few remaining “Maestro Trullaro” – a local who maintains the tradition of building trulli the old fashioned way. Learn from the master about these iconic structures and the way they are built.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Borgo Egnazia (La Corte Bella Room) or similar

Day 9

Fasano – Polignano a Mare – Fasano.

Head into the countryside today to a traditional masseria – a typical farmhouse style building famous in Puglia. Surrounded by almond, citrus, and ancient olive trees, the masseria’s organic produce comes straight from the fields with fruit, vegetables, pulses, almonds, figs and other produce grown here. Enjoy a hands-on cooking class with a local chef learning about the local cuisine and trying recipes handed down from generation to generation. Make pasta with spelt flour and transform zucchinis into a delicious lasagne sauce.

This evening enjoy sundowners at Polignano a Mare, a medieval village where white houses huddle at the top of a cliff above vibrant azure waters.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Borgo Egnazia (La Corte Bella Room) or similar

Day 10

Fasano – Ostuni – Lecce.

Journey south today to Lecce stopping en route in Ostuni. Known as the “White City”, Ostuni is a charming example of Mediterranean architecture with gleaming sun-drenched streets and quaint cobbled alleyways. Visit the Rione Terra district which sits at the heart of the medieval walled village. Narrow streets, stairways and arches unfold between the white houses, broken only here and there by ochre coloured monuments. The Ostuni area is also very famous for its monumental olive trees: massive contorted giants that can live for over 3,000 years. Visit a masseria that produces the finest quality olive oil using ancient methods in an ancient underground mill. Continue to Lecce and early this evening head out on a walking tour. The most monumental of all of Puglia’s towns, Lecce is a Baroque delight. From the imposing and harmonious Piazza del Duomo to the gorgeously masterful Santa Croce, seemingly every building, street and angle of the city is imbued with decorative and artistic inspiration. Known as the “Florence of the South,” Lecce is easily explored on foot and later you’ll visit a local cake shop famous for the Pasticciotto Leccese – the local custard-filled treat which is as much a symbol of this part of Italy as the croissant is to France.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: La Fiermontina (Deluxe Room)

Day 11

Lecce – Otranto – Lecce.

The easternmost city of Italy, Otranto has always been the “bridge” that connected Italy to the eastern part of the Mediterranean. Walking through the old town enclosed by Aragonese walls overlooking splendid azure crystalline waters, it’s easy to succumb to the charm of its white houses and alleys paved in stone. Founded by the Greeks, the city assumed increasing importance in the Byzantine period as a commercial, political and religious centre as a major trading port. The whole medieval town centre, appearing like a giant stronghold, reminds visitors of the permanent menace posed by the Turks which culminated in the tragic invasion of 1480. Otranto’s cathedral, certainly the town’s most important monument, houses a spectacular mosaic pavement from the 12th century: a curious blend of pagan, Old Testament and New Testament imagery.

Visit a local dairy farm located along the coastal road known as the Litoranea Salentina. This area is the place where the poet Virgil imagined the landing of Aeneas in Italy in his epic work the Aeneid. Here in this scrubby landscape, steep cliffs covered with myrtle plunge into an incredible azure sea and the farm holds over a thousand sheep which graze on the precious Mediterranean flora.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: La Fiermontina (Deluxe Room)

Day 12

Lecce – Brindisi.

Depart Lecce this morning and privately transfer to Brindisi Airport for your onward flight.
Meals Included: Breakfast