Italy Culture & Gastronomy Itinerary: Rome, Florence, and the Amalfi Coast

After you are finished with breakfast, you will meet your expert guide outside of your hotel. Together, you will venture off on a delightful tour through the local markets to experience the abundant array of Italian ingredients. Your morning food tour will transition into a tour of Vatican City, where you will experience the heartbeat of Catholicism as you indulge in an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. Following your visit to the Basilica, your tour guide will lead you to the Vatican Museum that displays miles of ancient statues and intricate frescoes. Your tour will culminate in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, which is also the Pope’s personal chapel.

Today, you will have the opportunity to walk alone in the footsteps of Julius Caesar. While the Forum was the center of business in ancient Rome, the Colosseum was the center of entertainment. Your private guide will escort you underneath the Colosseum to navigate the passageways where gladiators once bravely prepared for battle. In the evening, your guide will escort you on a Roman food tour. Antipasti will be your first course, which is known as primi. The second course, which typically contains delectable meats, follows on the heels of the pasta. Your mouth-watering dinner will conclude with a dessert of your choice, such as a cream-puffed pastry, chocolate, ewe’s milk cheese, or a fruity gelato.

This morning, your personal driver will convey you through the valleys and past the medieval towns that sit proudly on prominent hills. Montepulciano is a medieval town that rests on a narrow ridge. You will have the opportunity to explore this delightful town on foot and admire some of the most cherished views in all of Tuscany. Afterward, with an expert guide, you will embark on an exclusive wine tour through the surrounding countryside. Here, you can sample a wide selection of wines and indulge in a light lunch at the vineyards, where the food is always impeccably coupled with the tasty vino. In the evening, your personal driver will escort you to your deluxe accommodation in the center of Florence, where you and your guide can walk to all of the iconic sites.

Today, a private tour guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning and accompany you on a walking tour of all the must-see cultural sites in the city. You will visit the Duomo before admiring Brunelleschi’s magnificent dome that rises from the center of the cathedral. Art lovers will delight in visiting the Uffizi Gallery. Luckily, you can skip the lines of this treasure trove and experience wonderful works of art and frescoed ceilings by the most prominent Italian painters. You will also participate in a private walking tour to the Accademia, where you will come face-to-face with the infamous statue of David.

As morning breaks, your personal driver will meet you outside of your accommodation to guide you to Santa Maria Novella train station, where you will take the train to Naples by way of first-class luxury. Upon arriving in Naples, you will be greeted by a private transfer who will escort you to your luxurious accommodation in the center of Positano. After settling into your hotel, you can indulge in a leisurely walk through the center of town to peruse the family-run boutiques and sample refreshing home-made gelato. In the afternoon, you will meet your driver at your accommodation to embark on a customized Limoncello tour. During your tour, you will immerse yourself in this timeless Italian tradition by venturing into the luscious lemon groves to learn how to choose the perfect lemons that are required to make this delightful drink.

Today, you will join your private guide and travel to the ruins of Pompeii, which sit in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. You can traverse the archaic streets and learn about the once-thriving civilization that was covered by burning fragments of pumice stone on a mid-August day in 79 AD. Following your educational tour of Pompeii, you will bring your appetites to Sorrento, where you will partake in an authentic pizza-making demonstration. During your lesson, you will learn about the fresh ingredients that are flawlessly combined to create some of the most delicious pizza.

The seagulls chirping overhead will signify the beginning of your final day on the Amalfi Coast. You can enjoy your morning with a traditional Italian breakfast and robust espresso before indulging in one more visit to your favorite corner of the enchanting city. You will then meet your private transfer at the boat dock and be escorted to Naples International Airport for your return flight home.