Southern Italy, Sicily & Malta - Classic Group
Southern Italy, Sicily & Malta - Classic Group
$6615
Southern Italy, Sicily & Malta - Classic Group
20 Days Starting in Rome and ending in Valletta
Visiting: Rome, Alberobello, Matera, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Villa San Giovanni, Giardini Naxos, Taormina, Cefalu, Palermo, Agrigento, Ragusa, Syracuse, Catania, Sliema, Valletta, Mdina
Tour operator:
Tour code:
E825ZM119
Tour Overview
Indulge in Italy’s finest cuisine and striking vistas during this 20-day guided tour. When in Rome, toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain on 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 sea of lava in 79 A.D. Stroll through Palermo's old city with a historian. In Malta, home to some of the oldest temples in the world, venture from your waterfront hotel in Sliema to the Valletta and meet a Local Expert for a guided visit through the ancient Fortress City.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome To The Eternal City Of Rome
Location: Rome
Accommodation: Golden Tulip Rome Piram
Meals Included: Dinner with Wine
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 for Insight Vacations guests to the Basilica of Saint Praxedes, welcomed by the Rector of the basilica. Gaze in awe at the world's best-preserved Byzantine mosaics, illuminated for this evening's experience, and see the first sculpture by Bernini. End the day getting to know your fellow travellers over Roman specialties during a Welcome Dinner with wine at a local restaurant.
Day 2: Rome With The Locals
Location: Rome
Accommodation: Golden Tulip Rome Piram
Meals Included: Breakfast
Rome is about art, antiquity, piazzas and pizza, 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 neighbourhoods, 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 neighbourhoods.
Day 3: Vatican And Alberobello
Location: Rome, Alberobello
Accommodation: Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
With your Local Expert, visit the Vatican Museums. Inside the Sistine Chapel, admire Michelangelo’s famous ceiling before visiting St. Peter’s Basilica. Next, journey to Alberobello.
Day 4: The Trulli Of Alberobello Relaxed Start
Location: Alberobello
Accommodation: Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello
Meals Included: 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 Highlight Dinner.
Day 5: Free Time In Alberobello Relaxed Start
Location: Alberobello
Accommodation: Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello
Meals Included: Breakfast
The day is free for you to enjoy this extraordinary town as you wish. Why not join an Optional Experience to the stunning city of Ostuni? With its dazzling white houses and fascinating history, it is a true delight. Your Local Expert experience reveals this town reminiscent of a North African Arab Medina. Admire the stark white-washed buildings, narrow cobbled streets and arched stairways. Set against three hills and perched high above the beautiful sea; 'The White Town' is a photographer's delight. Afterwards, visit a Mill to taste the renowned olive oil produced in this area that incorporates olives from the ancient groves of Puglia. Or, join an optional Masseria Dinner in Puglia, a food lovers' paradise. You’re off to the countryside to a local 'Masseria', a typical ancient fortified 'Farmhouse'. Enjoy an authentic dinner in a 'country roads' experience all served up with great wines form the region.
Day 6: Journey South To Matera Relaxed Start
Location: Alberobello, Matera
Accommodation: MH Matera Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
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.
Day 7: Pompeii And Sorrento
Location: Matera, Pompeii, Sorrento
Accommodation: Majestic Palace Hotel, Sorrento
Meals Included: Breakfast
Journey to the region of Campania to visit 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 the picturesque resort of Sorrento, perched upon the southern cliffs of the Bay of Naples and looking over to Mount Vesuvius.
Day 8: Capri, The Isle Of Dreams
Location: Sorrento, Capri, Sorrento
Accommodation: Majestic Palace Hotel, Sorrento
Meals Included: Breakfast
Cruise by jetfoil across the impossibly blue sea to the sun-drenched island of Capri. On arrival ascend to Capri Town and 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. Descend to the port by funicular before returning to Sorrento.
Day 9: To Sicily And The Taormina Riviera
Location: Sorrento, Villa San Giovanni, Giardini Naxos
Accommodation: Delta Hotels by Marriott Giardini Naxos
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
In the morning, travel along the Purple 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.
Day 10: Taormina And The Dawn Coast Of Europe
Location: Taormina
Accommodation: Delta Hotels by Marriott Giardini Naxos
Meals Included: Breakfast
Your hotel faces east, so early risers may learn why D.H. Lawrence christened this 'The Dawn Coast of Europe.' After breakfast, perhaps take an Optional Experience through the vineyards to Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano. Travel to the old town of Taormina, which clings to the side of Mount Tauro, overlooking the Ionian Sea and Mount Etna. With your Local Expert, visit the Greek theatre set on a cliff and open to the sky. Take a moment to sit in this ancient theatre and admire the view through the crumbling arches to Mount Etna. Stroll through the old town and admire Taormina's grandest building and along the elegant Corso Umberto.
Day 11: Cefalu And Palermo
Location: Taormina, Cefalu, Palermo
Accommodation: NH Palermo
Meals Included: Breakfast
Travel to the quaint fishing town of Cefalu. The town's imposing cathedral was erected to fulfill a vow made by the Norman King Roger II. Stroll down to the medieval stone fountain and seek out the Gothic arch of the Porta Marina for a picture-perfect view of the little harbour. Later, travel onwards to Palermo.
Day 12: Palermo & The Golden Age Of The Normans
Location: Palermo
Accommodation: NH Palermo
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Explore Palermo with Insight Choice. Choose a walking tour with a visit to the spectacular 12th century Palatine Chapel with a Local Expert. Alternatively, join the Anti-Mafia tour of Palermo, part of a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and find out how locals are working together in modern day Palermo. In your free time this afternoon, you could visit Palermo Cathedral which has been altered many times over the years and observe its unique blend of architectural styles. For your dining pleasure, you can experience the foods the locals like to eat and experience how they like to eat it on your Dine-Around Evening.
Day 13: Explore The Valley Of The Temples And On To Ragusa
Location: Palermo, Agrigento, Ragusa
Accommodation: Mediterraneo Palace, Ragusa
Meals Included: Breakfast
Journey to Agrigento. Explore the Valley of the Temples with a Local Expert and see the massive Temple of Concordia and the clifftop Temple of Juno overlooking the sea. Your travels continue to the hilltop town of Ragusa.
Day 14: Ancient Syracuse And Catania
Location: Ragusa, Syracuse, Catania
Accommodation: Katane Palace Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Sightseeing with your Local Expert takes you to Syracuse’s Paradise Quarry with its unusual Ear of Dionysius, an ear-shaped grotto with an unusual echo. See the superb Greek theatre, carved out of solid rock, one of the largest of the ancient world. There is time to explore the atmospheric Old City, a maze of narrow streets lined with palaces, sprawling over the island of Ortygia. It was here that the famous geometrician Archimedes ran naked through the streets, crying ‘Eureka!' Continue to Catania to celebrate your time in Sicily over Dinner with your fellow travellers.
Day 15: Fly From Catania To Malta
Location: Catania, Sliema
Accommodation: Waterfront Hotel, Sliema.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
During your private transfer to Catania airport, appreciate the vistas of Mount Etna one last time. Board your short flight to Malta where on arrival you are met and taken to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to relax and settle into your hotel. Join your Travel Director at 18:30 for Dinner.
Day 16: Free Time In Sliema Relaxed Start
Location: Sliema
Accommodation: Waterfront Hotel, Sliema.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Your day is at leisure. You may want to explore the World Heritage Site of Haġar Qim and Mnajdra temples before proceeding to the idyllic fishing village of Marsaxlokk, enjoy a stroll around the many market stalls whilst admiring the colourful ‘luzzu’ fishing boats in the harbour.
Day 17: Explore Valetta Relaxed Start
Location: Sliema, Valletta, Sliema
Accommodation: Waterfront Hotel, Sliema.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch with Wine
With a Local Expert, you’ll visit the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the impressive St. John's Cathedral, designed in a baroque fashion. Find yourself captivated by the abundance of history as you walk through the elegant streets to see why it is named The Fortress City with its restored golden-stone buildings that mould the cityscape. For lunch feast on a delicious meal made from fresh local ingredients.This afternoon visit the National War Museum. Learn about Malta’s important role in WWII with a lecture from an historian.
Day 18: Free Day In Malta
Location: Sliema
Accommodation: Waterfront Hotel, Sliema.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Today is free for you to relax at leisure on the rooftop terrace. Perhaps take a relaxing stroll along the promenade lined with restaurants and bars. If you’re feeling active, why not take an Optional Experience with lunch on Gozo Island? Calypso Cave, found on the island, is said to be the one Homer wrote about in his acclaimed epic poem, The Odyssey.
Day 19: Mdina The Silent City
Location: Sliema, Mdina, Sliema
Accommodation: Waterfront Hotel, Sliema.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Head to Mdina with a Local Expert in the late afternoon to explore this golden city, known also as the silent city for its shady streets and peaceful atmosphere. Experience Palazzo Falson on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Enjoy dinner at a wonderful local restaurant where you’ll toast to your trip with your fellow travellers.
Day 20: Depart Malta
Location: Sliema
Meals Included: Breakfast
It’s time to say goodbye to this beautiful island and your fellow travellers, as a transfer takes you to Malta International Airport for your onward journey.
Check out our Q&As
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
We regret that no refunds can be made for absences from a tour, including experiences such as missed meals or sightseeing.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Since 1978.
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Insight Vacations is a founding member of the TreadRight Foundation, a joint initiative created by the brands within The Travel Corporation (TTC) almost 15 years ago to ensure our impact through tourism is positive. Our ethos to #MakeTravelMatter guides our decision-making at every level of our business.
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
You have two options as a solo traveller. Either choose to be matched with a same sex partner for a room share - at no extra cost. Or choose a room of your own with a reduced or even free private room upgrade on select tours.
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What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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Saturday - Thursday
Aug 10, 2024 - Aug 29, 2024Book with Confidence
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Low Deposit
Insight Vacations requires a minimum deposit of 350 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of insight vacations charges.
Up to 91 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 90 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 29 days before tour starts: Forfeit 80% of booking price.
At 1 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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Terms and Conditions