Amalfi Food and Wine Adventure

6 nights First Class Hotel on the Amalfi Coast 

11 meals including  Breakfast daily, 4 Dinners and 1 Lunch   

Tours of  

• Positano 
• Amalfi 
• Pompeii and Herculaneum 

Includes

• Pasta making experience 
• Taxes and fees  
• Guides  
• Transportation 

Immerse yourself in the unending splendors of the Amalfi Coast, from ancient ruins to sun-swept coastline and enchanting towns. On our incredible six night journey, you’ll be seduced by this alluring slice of Italy where honored history and rich culture are revealed. Stay in charming Minori, the unspoiled jewel of the Amalfi Coast. Venture out to explore Ravello, Amalfi and Positano, endearing villages perched majestically above the coast. Soak up unspoiled vistas while cruising azure seas, and delve into fascinating legends at Herculaneum and Pompeii, frozen in time by the mudflows of Mount Vesuvius. Unravel history amid Paestum’s Greek temples and tuck into the region’s sensational cuisine, including olive oil and cheese tastings during a rural farm experience. Whether visiting the renowned National Archaeological Museum or discovering Old Naples, your Italian daydreams will come to life! This handcrafted, small-group journey features first-class accommodations and an extensive meal plan. 

Day 1 Arrive  Naples Italy / Minori 

Arrive at Naples Capodichino International Airport. Proceed through immigration to the baggage claim area and retrieve your luggage. After completing customs, please exit the baggage claim area and proceed to the Arrivals Hall, where our representative will meet you. 

Transfer to Hotel Villa Romana. Please note, if you arrive before check-in time, your room may not be immediately available. 

Gather this evening to get acquainted with your fellow travelers and tour guide at a Welcome Reception and Dinner. (D) 

Day 2 start each day with a delicious breakfast served at your hotel

Discover The Charming Amalfi Coast. Experience the serpentine Amalfi Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Not only does the Amalfi Coast boast some of Italy’s most spectacular scenery, but it is also considered by many to be the most magnificent stretch of coastline in all of Europe. The Italians nicknamed this shoreline, “The Divine Coast,” because of its scenic grandeur, amazing vertical landscape and varied architecture. Begin with a walking tour of pretty Positano where gardens climb hillsides and dramatic terraces are draped with pink bougainvillea. This celebrated seaside resort has inspired many artists and writers over the years. Writer John Steinbeck, once a resident, described Positano as “A dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone. Its houses climb a hill so steep it would become a cliff except that stairs are cut in it.” 

See more of the celebrated Amalfi coastline during a cruise in a private boat to the town of Amalfi. During your boat ride, notice the charming villages and pastel-colored villas clinging to the cliffs — a true sight to behold. Arrive in Amalfi and Join friends for lunch at leisure in Amalfi with suggestion from our tour guide. 

After, take a short orientation tour to see the lively piazza and Cattedrale di Sant’ Andrea. 

In the afternoon experience a hands on demonstration of pasta making. A master “pastaio”or pasta maker, will teach you the art of Italian pasta making !

Return to Minori to enjoy a delectable dinner at our hotel restaurant. Dine under a sky of Bougainville and paintings recalling the Roman otium (leisure) The cuisine here has been influenced by the many populations who passed through this fertile land over the centuries. 

There are three dominant elements to the region's cooking: olive oil; the many vegetable gardens arising from this fertile ground; and durum wheat, the base ingredient for bread and many types of pasta. (B,D)

Day 3 Of Pasta and wine 

We travel to day to Gragnano, a lovely little town of the Gulf of Naples, well known all over the world for the production of the Pasta, for the tasty salami and the fantastic Provolone del Monaco, typical product of our mounts. The great maccheroni are made with simple and genuine ingredients (water from the springs of Gragnano, hard wheat bran, passion, amore and fantasy).
There were and are three different kind of production: at home, where women compete in making the fusilli as fast as possible; in family run factories, where the tradition of the pasta pass from father to son always keeping in mind the quality of the product; later came the small industries, that allow all the Italians to have pasta daily. 

Visit of a pasta factory of the area, where the secrets of ancient tradition are kept jealously. Here they use machines, respecting the time of the traditional way of making the pasta, in order to save all the nutritive and organoleptic characteristics of it. 

Enjoy lunch in a restaurant where the pasta is the queen on the tables, on the walls and in the air. Onward for a visit to a winery growing the grapes in the volcanic soil. It has got 60 acres of estate vineyards located at the slopes of the Vesuvius. The volcanic soil is excellent for the growth of the vineyards as it is not hospitable to many of the dangerous parasites of the grapes.
Here we tour the vineyard and the production of the wine before enjoying a taste of three different Lacrima Christy (white, red and rosé). 

Day 4 Sorrento 

After breakfast, enjoy the spectacular views of the Amalfi coast as we make our way along one of the top 10 scenic drives in the world on the way to Sorrento. Enjoy a guided walking tour through the coastal city of Sorrento, a cosmopolitan place full of stylish and typical Italian artisan shops selling local products and wares. The delightful climate attracted Roman aristocrats in ancient times, who came to Sorrento and built magnificent villas. Today Sorrento is a rich and stylish city.  Enjoy free time for suggested lunches before returning to our hotel. (B)

Day 5 Pompeii and Herculaneum 

Discover Herculaneum and Pompeii. Spend a full day exploring the ancient Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii, which were destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79. The small seaside town of Herculaneum was preserved by mudflows while Pompeii, the larger of the two cities, was covered by ash. The resulting preservation of these two cities is unlike anything else in the world. Today, they are famous as an excavation site and outdoor museum that reveal how the people of this ancient Roman settlement lived 2,000 years ago. See everything from mosaics to furniture and frescoes as you tour the Forum, baths and houses, and unearth a history lesson like no other.  

Relax over lunch at a Pompeii restaurant during your excursion. (B,L) 

Day 6 At leisure: Join the trip to the Isle of Capri or choose to stay in Minori  for leisure time today. 

You may wish to walk to the beach or swim in the Mediterranean, take a kayak ride or hike to Ravello, directly above Minori. 

Option: The Isle of Capri. Travel by hydrofoil to the enchanting Isle of Capri, a celebrated resort since the time of the Roman Republic. Sail along the Capri coast, spying hidden swimming coves, caves and grottos, and see why the island is described as “a piece of paradise fallen from the skies.” Back on land, stroll through Capri’s scenic lanes or browse elegant boutiques on Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Camerelle, Capri’s main streets. There are many shops selling souvenirs, bottles of limoncello and colorful ceramics. Pay a visit to the Augustus Gardens, incredible terraced gardens full of bougainvillea vines, marbled statues and lily ponds. The gardens offer a spectacular sea-side spot for viewing the famous Faraglioni, a trio of iconic rocks rising from the sea. Available at an additional cost. (B,D) 

Day 7  Leisure and Lemoncello 

At Leisure. Enjoy time on your own today or suggestion from our guide, such as the “Path of the Gods” trail, visit the Villa Romana e Antiquarium ruins just feet from the hotel.  In the late afternoon Learn about the tradition and secrets behind “Limoncello” production just steps from our hotel. Following the demonstration, enjoy tasting of this famous Italian liqueur. Tonight enjoy and farewell dinner to recount memories made with new friends.(B,D) 

Day 8  Depart for Home or extend your stay 

After breakfast, bid farewell to Sorrento’s charming Amalfi Coast. Member Adventures guests Depart for Naples Capodichino International Airport for your return flights home. Your Travel Director will provide the details. (B, subject to flight time)