Fabled Lands - September 24 - October 6, 2024 - $4349 Per Person

The Amalfi Coast, Southern Italy and Sicily

11 nights

Come along with Your Man in Europe on a truly unique Italian travel experience. The adventure begins with an exploration of ancient Pompeii and a wine tasting lunch on the very slopes of Mount Vesuvius. From there the fabulous Amalfi Coast beckons. The rocky cliffsides, azure waters, and enchanting towns combine to cast an irresistible spell. We’ll also travel to Italy’s best-kept secret: Matera, one of the oldest towns on earth. People have occupied this rocky hilltop place for 9000 years. From fascinating Matera, we’ll take a train to the amazing ferry crossing to Sicily, and on to captivating Palermo. We’ll explore the wonders of Sicily, indulge in incredible cuisine, and experience “another side” of Italy. Stay in unique boutique hotels, travel by high-speed trains and private vans, and delve into the Italy that’s inaccessible on big bus tours and cruises.

September 24, Tuesday - Flights to Rome, Italy (FCO) – overnight flights

September 25, Wednesday -Plan flights to arrive in Rome by 11:00 am. Everyone will be met at the International Arrivals gate. Once the entire groups is assembled we’ll have a quick lunch at one of the handy airport cafes before meeting our shuttle to be transported to our airport hotel very nearby. At our hotel, we’ll enjoy a free afternoon to relax around the beautiful swimming pool, and recover from the long flights. In the evening we’ll get back together to have a “Welcome to Italy” dinner in the hotel’s lovely poolside restaurant.

September 26, Thursday - After sampling the hotel’s excellent breakfast buffet, and checking out of the hotel, our private minibus driver will meet us to travel down to the Amalfi Coast. Along the way we’ll stop for a guided tour of historic Pompeii, and a fantastic wine tasting & lunch at a very special winery on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. In the afternoon we’ll travel on the thrilling cliff-top road along the Amalfi Coast to the seaside town of Amalfi. After our arrival, we’ll have a short walking tour to introduce our Italian “home away from home”. Our wonderful waterside hotel will welcome us with a delicious “Welcome to Italy” dinner together later in the evening.

September 27, Friday - After a lovely breakfast in the hotel’s scenic dining room, guests will have the entire day to explore, shop, enjoy some fun-in the sun at the local beach or at our rooftop swimming pool overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Or take the ferry over to famous Positano – just a short ride away. Lunch and dinner will be on your own today.

September 28, Saturday - Right after another great breakfast, we’ll embark on a voyage to the Isle of Capri ! Our private cruise will pass along the Amalfi Coast on the way to the fabled island – once the exclusive resort of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. During his reign the entire Roman Empire was ruled from this small island. We’ll circle the entire island, exploring hidden nooks, and having great opportunities to swim in the crystal-clear water in incredible lagoons. Every view is a “Kodak Moment”!

Then our boat captain will drop us off at the island’s main port, and allow us time to explore the towns of Capri and Ana Capri. If time allows, we’ll ride the chairlift to the peak of the island, where we can enjoy a tasty lunch on our own at the mountaintop restaurant. In the late afternoon we’ll return to Amalfi. Go out for a nice dinner on your own this evening.

September 29, Sunday – After another scenic breakfast, we’ll check out of our hotel for the next adventure. Our private minibus will take us south to fascinating Matera. This gorgeous Italian city you probably never heard of boasts 9000 years of ancient history and stunning views; and is considered one of the most beautiful places in all of Italy.. A trip to Matera, will take you back in time – ‘way back! A Travel+Leisure Magazine writer says. “I realized I was living in a unique city, and I was fascinated by its millenary history, by the ancestral strength of its stones, by the architectural complexity, and by the genuineness of the food. It is an extraordinarily rich place for travelers who have great artistic and culinary sensibilities. In Matera, we can observe how men have been able, over the centuries, to coexist with the landscape, indulging nature without distorting it.”

Early inhabitants of Matera lived in caves hewn from the stone cliffs – and so will we! Our unique hotel offers state-of-the-art cave rooms for our travel experience. After checking in we’ll go out to explore the town and have a delicious lunch together. Enjoy some free time before getting back together for a memorable dinner together.

September 30, Monday - We’ll enjoy another lovely breakfast at our hotel before venturing out. Today we’ll begin with an expertly guided tour of the ancient city. After the tour everyone will have the rest of the day free to explore the spellbinding town of Matera on your own. A travel expert for Never-Ending Voyage writes “This southern Italian city is one of the most unique and spectacular places we've visited in Italy or anywhere in the world.” Make the most of your visit by really checking out a destination you probably never knew existed. In Matera Italy we’ll be spending a lot of time in caves. We’ll sleep in a cave, eat in a cave, drink an aperitivo in a cave, and even view modern sculpture in a cave.

The ancient neighborhoods, known as “sassi”, are a series of grottoes hewn out of limestone and clinging to the edge of a massive ravine. For years Matera wasn’t well known to foreign visitors, but that has been changing since it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, a European Capital of Culture in 2019, and the filming of the 2021 James Bond film No Time to Die. Visitor numbers have grown recently, and some of the caves in Matera have been transformed into unique hotels and restaurants; but the city still has far fewer tourists than the popular destinations further north.

On your free afternoon consider:

The most famous cave church is Santa Maria di Idris with its dramatic location built into a huge rock on the edge of the ravine.
On the edge of town, on Rione Casalnuovo in Sasso Caveoso, you can peer into uninhabited caves and get a sense of what it was like to live here years ago.
One of the top things to do in Matera is to walk down into the ravine below the city.

It looks daunting, but the walk down into the ravine and the return back up isn’t too difficult.

Lunch and dinner will be on your own today.

October 1, Tuesday - After an early breakfast our private driver will take us to Sapri, a train station on the west cost of Italy where we’ll board our train to an incredible experience: the ferry train to Messina. It’s true – the entire train rolls onto the ferry to cross over to Sicily! Plan to have lunch on your own onboard the ferry. At Messina we’ll transfer to our train to Palermo. After our arrival we’ll settle into our unique boutique hotel. It’s the perfect base for visiting this fascinating city. We won’t venture very far, but we’ll have time for a nice dinner together at a nearby restaurant.

October 2, Wednesday - We’ll savor a fantastic breakfast with Italian coffee and incomparable pastries and fresh fruit before meeting our guide for a great walking tour of the old city – a cultural and historic orientation of our new home-away-from-home.

Palermo was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians as Ziz. Later it became a possession of Carthage, then Greece, and was later part of the Roman Republic and Empire for over a thousand years. From 831 to 1072 the city was under Arab rule until the Norman reconquest, Palermo became the capital of a new kingdom (from 1130 to 1816), the Kingdom of Sicily, and the capital of the Holy Roman Empire under Emperor Frederick II and King Conrad IV. Today Palermo is Sicily’s cultural, economic, and tourism capital. It is a city rich in history, culture, art, music, and food. Tourists from the world over are drawn to the city for its famed Mediterranean weather, delicious cuisine, and wealth of architectural masterpieces – as well as its night life and vibrant music scene.

During the tour we’ll head for an area where vendors will provide samplings of Sicilian cuisine for a “lunch on the go”. The rest of the day will be free time to continue explorations, and have a nice dinner on your own. No doubt, during our walking tour everyone will have spotted several alluring restaurants!

October 3, Thursday - After a splendid breakfast at our boutique hotel we’ll start out early for a full day tour to The Valley of Temples in Agrigento. This UNESCO World Heritage site boasts many of the best-preserved temples of the Hellenistic period. We’ll visit the Temple of Demeter, the Temple of Juno, the Temple of Concordia, the Temple of Zeus, and more. If time permits, we can stop in to see the National Archaeological Museum.

At mid-day we’ll move on to the gorgeous beaches at San Leone, with their intense blue water, and golden sand. Along the promenade there’ll be time to shop and have a seaside lunch together. Afterward we’ll make our way to the famous “Stair of the Turks” to enjoy panoramic views of one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines. After a full day of sight-seeing, we’ll return to Palermo for a free evening and dinner on your own.

October 4, Friday - After another great breakfast at our hotel we will join a fabulous escorted tour to visit to Monreale, a historic hill-town just outside Palermo. It's a picturesque place most famous for the exquisite mosaics in the town's great Norman cathedral. The cathedral and cloisters at Monreale, dating to the twelfth century, are frequently cited as the island's greatest Norman buildings. The upper part of the cathedral's interior is completely covered in gleaming gold mosaics; more than 6,000 square meters of mosaic. They were almost certainly created by Byzantine craftsmen, and the combination of Norman, Byzantine and Islamic art and architecture here is a spectacular example of the influences which created Sicily's Medieval era. Enjoy a lunch on your own there or back in Palermo.

After a half day of sightseeing, we’ll return to our charming hotel to relax, or for more sight-seeing on your own. In the evening we’ll meet up to go out for a memorable dinner together near our hotel.

October 5, Saturday – After a leisurely breakfast at our hotel, everyone will have one last free morning with time to have a lunch in town. Then we’ll head for the Palermo airport to board our short flight to Rome Airport (FCO). Our hotel is the same as the one we began our trip in. It’s the perfect place to unwind from our great travel experience. In the evening we’ll have a lovely “Farewell to Italy” dinner together.

October 6, Sunday – Breakfast is not included today because everyone’s flight schedules will likely vary. The hotel offers a handy shuttle to the nearby terminals. Be sure to reserve seats when you arrive at the hotel. Guests who wish to extend with time in Rome may board a train at the airport to travel directly into central Rome – or arrange shared transportation. Your Man in Europe will be happy to work with plans for anyone who wants to spend more time in Rome.

What’s in store for us?

This tour is custom-planned for a small group of no more than 10 guests. Even if you are a seasoned traveler, you have never experienced Italy like this. We’re sure the journey will captivate you. You’ll be part of a magical adventure - complete with music, gourmet picnics, and surprises that will delight you at every turn. There are no exhausting bus rides or inconveniently-located hotels.

We do our best to set the mood, to weave a spell, and to make yours a total experience. Hotels and most restaurants on the entire tour have been selected for their very specific location or high level of “atmosphere”. The small group size allows us to personalize the experience in a way large groups simply cannot do. We make it easy, comfortable and stress-free. No guest has to worry about the details of where we are going next. You will feel as if you are not a tourist, but a guest of your Italian friends.

Your Tour Guide: Larry Ivy is the Tour Coordinator and guide for Your Man in Europe, and a long-time veteran of European travel and unique private tour-leading. Larry wants just one thing: for you to have “the best time of your life”!

Complete Prices for the September 24 - October 6, 2024 Tour

$ 4349.00 Per Person

* All prices are based on Double Occupancy. Single supplement is an additional $965.

A $500 deposit holds your place on the tour, and is due by February 15, 2024. The balance may be paid in increments on your own schedule, but the final payment is due by July 15, 2024. Make checks payable to “Your Man in Europe” - 2608

S University Drive - Fort Worth TX 76109 USA - Please inquire about other means of payment or visit our website "Tour Details" page for information about PayPal and credit card payments.

Tour Includes: Eleven (11) nights of overnight accommodation (based on double occupancy) in exceptional, very specially selected hotels, ten (10) breakfasts, five (5) lunches, and six (6) dinners; all ground transportation (except October 6th airport shuttle); 1st class rail travel, admissions to all attractions described in the tour itinerary, knowledgeable guide services, and standard gratuities. Guests are encouraged to offer gratuities for outstanding service. There will be no additional charges for the tours and events specifically included by Your Man in Europe. There may be extra charges for optional tours not included in the detailed itinerary.

Not Included: Airfare to and returning from Rome, strongly recommended travel insurance, extra beverages (meals will include one beverage and will be budgeted accordingly); a la cart or premium menu selections beyond the established meal allowances; between meal snacks; gratuities for extra services such as baggage porters, or for superior service (normal gratuities are included in the trip cost); souvenirs; and privately arranged activities. The airport terminal shuttle on October 6 is not included, as flight arrangements may all differ. Also: All overnight accommodations, as well as railroad and minibus travel will be NO-SMOKING.

This tour is strictly limited to a maximum of 10 guests travelling together