Amalfi to Puglia

Amalfi Coast

Highlights: Amalfi Coast, Naples, Positano, Maltera and Monopoli

Enjoy your own private movie backdrop of uninterrupted coastline, clifftop buildings hovering over the sea, prehistoric towns, Roman history, Baroque splendor, dense whitewashed buildings, volcanic vineyards, smurf houses, and so much more. All with the most pleasant welcoming people, world famous cuisine and unique shopping.
Pricing
Call for current rates
Included in Price: Round Trip Air to and from Nashville, Air Taxes and Fees/Surcharges, All Ground Transportation, Hotels, 18 Meals, Daily Tours and Tour Guides, and Hotel Tips.
14 days -18 meals – 10 Breakfast, 3 Lunch, 5 Dinners
Map of Amalfi

A small deposit will reserve your space.  Email Chuck at Chuck@cocositalianmarket.com

Day 1  USA – Naples
Your journey begins with an overnight flight. Buongiorno (Good Morning) Welcome to Italy, a land rich in history, culture, art and romance. Mari Angela picks us up from the airport and once we settle into the hotel. We will help you plan your first relaxing evening in the magical city of Naples.
Day 2  Naples – Welcome Dinner
Naples is a vibrant mecca for locals and travelers alike. Volcanic landscapes give way to medieval architecture and Grecian lanes, creating a unique culture exclusive to Naples. We settle into our new home for the next 2 nights and admire the view of crashing waves and bobbing boats. Tonight we toast to the start of our Italian getaway over dinner, looking out over the deep blue Bay of Naples and the imposing medieval Castel dell’Ovo protruding into the sea.
Welcome to Naples
Sanservero Chapel
Day 3  Naples – Local Tour – Music Concert
After breakfast we explore Naples’ historic city center (UNESCO). Our local guide takes us to the underground ancient ruins and we visit Sansevero Chapel, home to the Veiled Christ statue, rumored to be created by alchemy due to its carved flowing cloth. Mari and I will help you connect with local artisans during our afternoon at leisure. Consider visiting the nearby National Archeological Museum and peruse relics from Pompeii. Tonight’s entertainment is a private concert, performed by the Napulitanata Social Enterprise, which supports Italian heritage.
Day 4  Pompeii – Minori
Say “Arriverderci” to Naples as we take the scenic ride to Pompeii.
You’ll feel the ghosts of the past as you wander through Pompeii with our guide. After an amazing stroll through the public baths and private villas, we’ll get a new perspective on the volcanic countryside with a visit to a nearby winery. Layers of ash have transformed the timeworn soil into a fertile vineyard. Enjoy a wine tasting with lunch before continuing to the beloved Amalfi Coast. Get your cameras ready as we watch the sun fade along the horizon in coastal
Minori, our new home for the next 4 nights.
Pompeii
Majori

 

Day 5  Minori – Maiori
Have a hearty breakfast because today we start with a visit to a fishing village of terraced lemon groves, Minori exudes the quintessential Amalfi vibe. We meet in a garden and learn about Sfusato lemons, used in limoncello. We sample this fragrant liqueur in a pastry shop before hiking along the coast. You’ll trek the famous Path of Lemons – an ancient route that links Minori with the nearby town Maiori. Explore on your own before we meet up returning by boat. I have plenty of suggestions for your leisure time.
Day 6  Minori – Amalfi – Positano
Today we journey by boat to Amalfi, the rocky coast’s namesake town. You will fall in love with this former maritime republic of cobblestone piazzas and towering mosaicked cathedrals. After a few hours enjoying the day we’ll then ferry past tumbling cliffs and pastel-colored houses on our way to Positano. I will help you plan your free afternoon in this resort town, perhaps browsing the posh boutiques or resting along the beach. Later we’ll return to Minori by ferry.
Positano
Ravello
Day 7  Minori – Ravello
Today takes us to Ravello, a picturesque village with the best vantage point of the winding coastline, perfect for a lot of great photos. Next we visit the gardens of Villa Rufolo, making your way through a latticework of hedges and flowers to gaze out at the blue waves below. Ask me what to do with your free time today. Perhaps you’ll hike the half-mile trail down to the gardens of Villa Cimbrone before returning to Minori in the afternoon.
Day 8  Minori – Eboli – Matera
This morning, we meet a local expert for a walking tour in Eboli and glimpse into the area’s war-stricken past at the Museum of Operation Avalanche. Next we continue south to Matera (UNESCO), whose inimitable scenery has been featured in blockbuster films. Walk in the footsteps of ancient ancestors and experience the town’s cave dwellings, your home for the next 2 nights. Each cave is unique, half-excavated and half-carved from the land. In these unparalleled accommodations, you’ll connect with the Italian landscape like never before.
Eboli
Bread making class in Matera
Day 9  Matera
This morning we hike into Matera’s 9,000-year-old history on a guided walking tour along its hillside caves, known to locals as the Sassi. After some time to explore, it’s your choice! Work with your hands at a bread-making class and learn about how the community comes together over food -OR- explore Matera’s prehistoric and medieval heritage on a hike through the surrounding countryside and rock churches. The evening is yours, ask me for dinner recommendations.
Day 10  Matera – Grottaglie – Lecce
This morning, Explore Cross into the Puglia region and spend time in the town of Grottaglie, famous for its ceramic workshops. Stroll by the multicolored artisan shops before continuing to Lecce, a Baroque powerhouse of limestone.  We will get to know the city with a local expert and take in its iconic architecture and papier-mâché craftsmanship.  We then dine our way around Lecce in the evening with a multi-stop dinner in the city center.
Ceramic workshop in Grottaglie
Lecce Winery Dance Performance
Day 11  Lecce – Free Day – Winery – Dance Performance
The day in Lecce is yours! Maria and I will help you plan what you would like to do and see.  Enjoy the city’s charismatic ambience – full of winding lanes, sun-kissed piazzas, and hidden cafes. Perhaps you’ll join an optional excursion to Otranto and a nearby winery, featuring a tasting of wine from the region’s dark-purple grapes. No matter how you spend the day, we reconvene in the evening for a private folk music and dance performance, highlighting the traditional pizzica e taranta. According to legend, spider bites cause the women to dance with feverish energy.
Day 12 Lecce – Ostuni – Monopoli – Calessino Ride
Today we trek to Monopoli, a town reminesant of Greece on Italy’s eastern shore and our home for the next two nights. But on our way we stop in Ostuni, a whitewashed town surrounded by olive trees. There an open-air Ape Calessino, a traditional 3-wheeled car will be waiting for us to zoom you through the town like a local. Once in Monopoli you will love the charming bed and breakfast we have booked for us. Tonight Mari and I will guide you through the town and help you with dinner recommendations.
Ostuni
Alberobello
Day 13 – Monopoli- Alberobello
Say “buongiorno” to Alberobello a whimsical city that hosts a collection of cone-shaped trulli homes. Trulli are one of the most peculiar dwellings in Italy and so unique, UNESCO added them to their World Heritage list. As we meander through a labyrinth of these gnomish houses, you will be astonished at the towns story that built these remarkable mortarless constructions. As the day draws to a close we will prepare for our farewell dinner and toast Italy goodbye and exchange emails with all of our new friends.

Day 14 – Bari – USA

Our tour comes to a close today, after breakfast Mari will take us all to the airport with our last hugs and kisses knowing that we have many fond memories from this incredible trip.