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| GALLERY [click image to enlarge] |
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| Tour Features: |
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Air transportation from NYC or NEWARK (only included with Air/Land plan) other gateways available upon request |
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First-class hotels for 12 nights |
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Wine, mineral water and coffee or cappuccino served with lunch and dinner meals at hotels and restaurants |
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Touring by private air-conditioned motorcoach |
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Professional Central Holidays Tour Director |
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Travel bag, one per person |
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Document holder and luggage tags |
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Hear Clear - Personalized audio system to hear every word your guide says, even form a distance |
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Hotel taxes and service charges |
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| Bonus Sightseeing: |
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Visit St. Peter's Basilica in Rome |
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Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel |
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Naples orientation sightseeing |
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Guided tour through ancient Pompeii |
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Excursion to Capri by jetfoil |
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Visit Anacapri |
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Scenic drive along the Amalfi coast |
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Visit Ravello |
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Greek Amphitheater of Taormina |
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Visit the ancient city of Syracuse |
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Visit Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina |
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Valley of the Temples in Agrigento |
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Visit Segesta Doric Temple |
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Wine-tasting excursion to Marsala |
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Tour of Palermo |
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Tour of Monreale Cathedral |
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| Optional Services: |
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Land Only Packages: Airport arrival and departure transfers at first and last city of tour may be purchased on request |
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Extra nights at first and last city of tour are also available on request |
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| Dining Plan: |
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12 Buffet breakfasts, 3 dinners at hotels & 4 dinners - 3 lunches at popular restaurants featuring regional cuisine. All meals include wine, mineral water & coffee or cappuccino |
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1 festive dinner in Rome |
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Lunch in Ravello |
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1 dinner in Sorrento |
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Lunch in Cosenza |
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1 dinner in Taormina |
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Lunch in Trapani |
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Farewell dinner in Palermo |
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3 dinners at hotels |
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| Special Include Features: |
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Sightseeing as indicated, including local guide and all entrance fees |
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All transfers and baggage handling (Land-Only rates do not include airport transfers at arrival and departure city) |
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22 included meals consisting of: 12 Buffet breakfasts, 3 dinners at hotels & 4 dinners - 3 lunches at popular restaurants |
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| ITINERARY: |
Day 1/Fri Depart USA
Evening departure. (Package is Land Only - Special Airfare Available)
Day 2/Sat Rome
Morning arrival into Da Vinci Airport. Here you'll be met and transferred by private motorcoach to your hotel in Rome. The balance of the day is at leisure. Tonight, experience a taste of the Roman dining scene on your own, then explore the exciting Roman Dolce Vita and nightlife.
Day 3/Sun Rome
Rome is filled with monuments, fountains, antiquities and other sites worth exploring. Use this free day to discover the ancient and modern aspects of cosmopolitan Rome for yourself. You might also choose to take an optional tour to Ostia Antica, the Castelli Romani, or attend a Papal Blessing. There's only one Rome, so make sure you bring home enough memories to last a lifetime. In the evening, again, discover on your own why Roman trattorias are famous for their fine food and wine.
Day 4/Mon Rome
This morning experience a very special privately guided tour of the priceless collection of art and treasures in the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum. You will be amazed by the beautiful wall frescoes created by Michelangelo, Perugino and Botticelli. The unique ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is surely one of Michelangelo's greatest achievements. Continue to St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the Christian world, built over the tomb of St. Peter. Then proceed to the Piazza Venezia and Roman Forum, with a stop at the Colosseum - a testament to the greatness of Rome's past. Continue your full day tour by viewing the Arch of Constantine, Circus Maximus, the synagogue, Isola Tiberina and Castel Sant'Angelo. Tonight bid arrivederci to Rome at a special dinner with wine in a lovely Roman restaurant.
Day 5/Tue Rome/Naples/Pompeii/Sorrento
This morning drive south along the Highway of the Sun to Naples, where you will have an orientation drive highlighting Via Caracciolo (the seafront promenade), the San Carlo Opera House, Santa Lucia, and the Angevin Castle. Before heading to Sorrento, stop in Pompeii (the ancient city covered by volcanic lava 2,000 years ago), with a guided tour of the remarkably preserved ruins of temples, houses, gardens and public buildings. Then drive along the spectacular coast road of the Bay of Naples to Sorrento, the famous resort town of orange and lemon groves. Dinner at your hotel restaurant is included.
Day 6/Wed Sorrento (Capri excursion)
A morning jetfoil whisks you across the blue Bay of Naples to the fabled Isle of Capri. After a scenic minivan ride, visit Anacapri at the topmost point of the island, where you can gaze at spectacular views from awe-inspiring heights. By minivan, descend to the center of town, visit the Floral Gardens of Augustus, and still have free time for lunch and some shopping before returning to the pier by funicular to board the jetfoil back to Sorrento, arriving in time for dinner at a local restaurant.
NEW! Day 7/Thu Sorrento/Positano (by Cruise) Amalfi/Ravello/Sorrento
Leave Sorrento in the morning for Positano. Brief stop at the Belvedere to enjoy a unique view of the Moorish architecture, blended with pastel-colored houses. Descend to town by minibus, passing elegant boutiques and craft shops, and still have time to visit its charming center. Weather permitting, board a motorlaunch and cruise along the coast to Amalfi. Otherwise, you will reach Amalfi by motorcoach. A guided walking tour of Amalfi's old town will highlight its powerful 11th century maritime republic history, which rivaled Genoa and Venice. Continue to Ravello, arriving in time for lunch at an enchanting restaurant with a spectacular view of the Amalfi coast and the Bay of Salerno. Here your guided tour includes the noble medieval Villa Rufolo, whose tropical gardens inspired Wagner's Opera "Parsifal" (the Wagner festival is now an annual event). Return to Sorrento via Chiusi and the Sorrentina coast to your hotel. Your tour director will be a good source of advice for your evening selection of dinner venues.
Day 8/Fri Sorrento/Basilicata/Calabria/Messina/Taormina
Journey south today, passing Salerno and its bay known for the Allied landing of the 5th Army in 1944. Drive through the region of Basilicata and on to the scenic grandeur of Calabria. Here you will find the real Italy, untouched, authentic, as warm and honest as a loaf of homemade bread. Stop for an included lunch in Cosenza, then continue south in Calabria to Villa San Giovanni, where you board the steamer to cross the Strait of Messina. Messina was destroyed by an earthquake in 1908. It is now a modern town and the gateway to Sicily from the mainland. Taormina is only a few minutes away. Tonight's dinner is at your hotel.
Day 9/Sat Taormina (optional tour of Mt. Etna Volcano)
Morning walking tour of Taormina's charming city center includes the Greek/Roman amphitheater, with its spectacular view of Giardini Naxos; and Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. Balance of the day is yours to relax, or explore the slopes of Mt Etna with our optional tour that also includes an interesting honey-tasting session in Zafferana. Continue climbing to 6,000 feet where you can enjoy the best views, as you drive through the fertile slopes and villages that sit on ancient volcanic eruptions. Tonight you may experience dinner on your own in one of the many colorful restaurants of Taormina.
Day 10/Sun Taormina/Syracuse (optional "Godfather" tour)
Today experience an included excursion to Syracuse. A guided tour of this venerable city highlights the Archaeological Park, Greek Theater, Latomia del Paradiso and Cave of Dionysius' Ear. On the way back to Taormina we offer a once in a lifetime experience! You may take an optional "Godfather" tour, featuring the authentic villages chosen by Francis Ford Coppola for most of the scenes in the Godfather movies. This is a good way to explore the real untouched Sicilian countryside, local lifestyle and culture. This evening savor a special Sicilian dinner with wine, in a restaurant characteristic of this region.
Day 11/Mon Taormina/Piazza Armerina/Agrigento/Palermo
This morning depart for Agrigento, a hillside town facing the sea, famous for its magnificent Valley of the Temples. En route stop at Piazza Armerina, a town of rich history. Located here is the Villa del Casale, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This villa is a supreme example of a luxury Roman villa, which graphically illustrates the predominant social and economic structure of its age. The mosaics that decorate it are exceptional for their artistic quality and invention. Continue past Caltanissetta to Agrigento. Enjoy a guided tour of the valley, one of the most important archaeological areas in the world and another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The visit includes the temples of Concord and Hercules. Arrive in Palermo in the evening and enjoy a relaxing dinner at the hotel.
Day 12/Tue Palermo (excursion to Segesta, Marsala & Trapani)
Journey to Segesta, a large archaeological zone, with a magnificent Doric temple, 420 and 430 BC, located within a beautiful and natural setting, that ranks as one of the best-preserved Greek architectural sites. Continue to the sea town of Marsala, rediscovered in the eighteenth century by English merchant John Woodhouse and known for its sweet wines. Visit a wine cellar and sample some Marsala during a special wine tasting session. Then drive along Trapani's coastline and stop for a special Sicilian lunch in a restaurant by the sea, then return to Palermo. Your tour director can suggest many interesting, quality restaurants, that offer ambiance and traditional local cuisine, for dinner on your own.
Day 13/Wed Palermo (optional tour of Cefalu)
A morning tour of this remarkable city features the Quattro Canti - a splendid example of Spanish Baroque architecture, the Palace of the Normans and its superb Palatine Chapel, the cathedral, and the famous Benedictine Abbey of Monreale. Here you will admire a 12th century cathedral, housing very fine mosaics representing a complete cycle of the Old and New Testaments. Balance of the day is at leisure to relax or take an optional tour with your Tour Director to the picturesque fishing village of Cefalu. In the evening, bid "arrivederci" to your travel companions during a festive farewell dinner with delectable cuisine and sparkling wine in a fashionable restaurant.
Day 14/Thu Palermo to USA (or extend your stay)
Morning transfer to Palermo Airport for your return flight home. (Package is Land Only - Special Airfare Available) Same day arrival into USA.
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| RATES: |
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| Dates: |
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Price: |
| Apr. 18. 08 |
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Land Only from |
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$2449 |
| May. 2. 08 |
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Land Only from |
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$2449 |
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| INFORMATION / RESTRICTIONS: |
Rates are per person, land only, based on double occupancy. Special airfares available. Restrictions apply.
Plus applicable airport taxes and fees.
Supplements & Reductions:
Single Supplement: $ 650.00 per person
Reduction for third person sharing twin-bedded room: $ 150.00
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