The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was located in Southern Italy from 1734 to 1860. It was the largest, most populous, and wealthiest of the Italian states prior to the unification of Italy. Nearly half of the world's Italians - in Italy and dispersed around the world, trace their roots to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The last dynasty to rule Sicily and almost half of the Italian peninsula as a sovereign kingdom is a branch of the royal houses of France and Spain. Come join us on this unique adventure of discovery!
Featuring Naples (3 nights), Maratea (1 night), Tropea (2 nights), Catania (2 nights), Palermo (2 nights) with visits to Caserta, Reggio Calabria, Castelbuono, and Cefalu'
Included Features
* Ten nights’ accommodation in centrally located hotels
* Private car/van transfer Naples Airport/Naples hotel and departure transfer Palermo Hotel/Palermo Airport
* Daily buffet breakfast, hotel service charges, taxes
* 2 hour morning tour of Naples with English speaking guide/lecturer including a visit of the San Severo
Chapel famous for “the Veiled Christ”
* Private car / van excursion from Naples to Bourbon Caserta to visit the Reggia di Caserta Royal Palace,
with its formal Italian Gardens and Water Park (entrance fee included)
* DOP mozzarella tasting, lunch with wine in Casertavecchia
* Private car / van transfer Naples Hotel-Naples Rail Station and Maratea Rail Station-Maratea Hotel
* 1st class rail Naples to Maratea
* Two hour private guided walking tour of Maratea
* Private car/van transfer Maratea to Tropea
* Two hour private guided walking tour of Tropea with Castle visit
* Private car/van transfer Tropea - Reggio Calabria- Catania
* Two hour private guided walking tour of Reggio Calabria including entrance fee to the Magna Grecia
Museum to admire the famous twin statues “ Bronzi di Riace”
* Two hour private walking tour of Catania including entrance fee to Sant’Agata Cathedral
* Private car/van transfer Catania - Castelbuono - Cefalu'- Palermo
* Winery visit, wine tasting with lunch at the Relais Abbazia di Sant’Anastasia Winery in Castelbuono
* Three hour private walking tour of Palermo with visits of the Ballaro’ Market and the Cathedral
* Street food tastings in Palermo
Itinerary
DAY 1 – NAPLES
Private car/van arrival transfer with English speaking driver Naples Airport/ to your centrally located Naples hotel. Check in and room assignment. Time to relax and adjust to the time difference before starting your self-oriented exploration of the capital of the Campania Region. And former first capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, with its Greek Birth and Roman acquisition. The city of Naples is the third largest city of the country and its port as one of the most active in the Mediterranean Sea.
DAY 2 – NAPLES
Breakfast
Buffet breakfast at hotel and depart for a private guided walking tour of the historical center. We will discover the charm, the history and traditions of this wonderful city: the Santa Lucia waterfront, the famous Piazza del Plebiscito with the Royal Palace, the Galleria Umberto, the San Carlo Opera House, the “ Centro Storico”, a picturesque area in the heart of Naples known for its artisan shops and the Convent of San Gregorio, one of the most important Baroque complexes in Italy. Visit San Severo Chapel to admire the “Veiled Christ “, one of the most famous and impressive works of art in the region. A life –sized marble statue, representing Jesus Christ dead and covered in a transparent shroud carved from the same block as the statue. Afternoon is at leisure to continue your discovery at your own pace.
DAY 3 – NAPLES / CASERTA / NAPLES
Breakfast/DOP Mozzarella Lunch
Buffet breakfast at hotel and depart for a full day private car/van service to Caserta. Enjoy a private two hour walking tour of the majestic Reggia di Caserta, the Royal Palace with its formal Italian Gardens and Water Park, a mini version of the Palace at Versailles. Afterwards for your pleasure we have arranged a delightful lunch in the old section of the city, Casertavecchia, with DOP mozzarella cheese tasting, local specialties paired with wines and dessert. After this delightful venue, enjoy some time for a quick stroll in the village center before returning to Naples.
DAY 4 – NAPLES / MARATEA
Breakfast
Buffet breakfast at hotel and check out. Private car/van transfer to Naples Centrale Rail Station, Board your train for your two hour journey to Maratea, a charming resort town situated on the Gulf of Policastro, affectionately called “The Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Coast”. Upon arrival, private car/van transfer to your centrally located hotel for check in and room assignment. In the afternoon, take part in a private guided walking tour starting from the highest part of the city, Mount San Biagio. Here you can admire the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in all its beauty, a symbol not only of the city, but of the whole Region of Basilicata. The statue of Maratea is 21 meters tall, with a 19-meter arm and a face measuring 3 meters. The statue was made of reinforced concrete covered with a mixture of white cement and Carrara marble, and was created by the artist Bruno Innocenti in 1965. After admiring the statue, your tour continues to the nearby Basilica of San Biagio, patron saint of the town. Popular tradition has it that this church was re-purposed to adapt to the Christian cult. The most important work you will discover in the interior is a fresco of the 15th century which portrays the Madonna with Child, commonly called Madonna of the Pomegranate. The tour then continues through the medieval center, complete with ancient houses, old arches, narrow lanes and small stone paved squares.
DAY 5 – MARATEA / TROPEA
Breakfast
Buffet breakfast at hotel and check out. Depart by private car/van to Tropea, Calabria, considered one of the most beautiful towns in the area. Local myth claims that it was founded by Hercules, who reached these shores from Spain. Other sources say it was settled by Scipio Africanus on his way back to Rome after having defeated Carthage. In reality, the town bears Roman, Byzantine, Norman, Suevian, Angevin and Aragonese traces. Calabria is at the toe of the boot, the extreme south of Italy - lapped by the splendid crystal blue Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas and separated from Sicily by the Strait of Messina. The rocky coasts alternate with sandy beaches and picturesque villages dot the countryside. Calabria is also the cradle of Magna Graecia and land of ancient settlements. Check in and room assignment at your centrally located hotel. Time to relax before taking part in a private two hour walking tour with the Norman Cathedral, the most suggestive panoramic points, the Church of Santa Maria dell'Isola, and historical center with sweeping panoramic sea views.
DAY 6 – TROPEA
Breakfast
Buffet breakfast at hotel and enjoy a full day at leisure to relax at the beach of Tropea or pamper yourself at the hotel’s pool with Finnish sauna, bio sauna, hammam, aromarium, ice fall, salt wall and emotional showers. We can also arrange optional visits to nearby towns or a boat excursion to the Aeolian Islands.
DAY 7 – TROPEA / REGGIO CALABRIA / CATANIA
Breakfast
Buffet breakfast at hotel and check out. Private car/van transfer to Reggio Calabria on the southern tip of the Italian peninsula. Reggio is the place where, some 3500 years ago, the name "Italy" was first used. It had been inhabited by several Ausonian-Italic people before the Greeks settled here in around 743 BC. Rhégion was a Polis of Magna Græcia and an important maritime, commercial and cultural center. Stop for a private guided walking tour including the Museum of Magna Grecia to admire the famous twin Bronze Statues of Riace, full sized Greek Bronzes of naked bearded warriors cast about 460-450 BC discovered at the bottom of the sea near Riace. Following the visit, proceed to the Straights of Messina for a ferry crossing to the Island of Sicily. Disembark in Messina and proceed to your final destination, Catania. Check in and room assignment. Time to relax and unwind. Overnight at hotel.
DAY 8 – CATANIA
Breakfast
Buffet breakfast at hotel followed by a two hour private walking tour of Baroque Catania. Stroll the city center with your professional guide who will fascinate you with the city's history. Your guide will point out monuments built centuries ago that are still standing to this day. Many of the structures you will witness date back to the Greek colonization of the city from the 8th-century B.C. Your tour will last about 2-hours and will include the Piazza Duomo, Pescheria, Castello Ursino, Piazza San Francesco, Via Teatro Greco, Piazza Dante, Via Gesuiti, the Scalinata Alessi, Piazza Università. The Bellini Opera House, Piazza San Placido, Sant’Agata Cathedral and the Via Etnea. Balance of the day is at leisure to continue your self-exploration of the vibrant city, or enjoy an optional excursion to Mt. Etna, the tallest most active volcano in Europe. Overnight.
DAY 9 – CATANIA / CASTELBUONO /CEFALU' /PALERMO
Breakfast -Wine Tasting - Lunch
Buffet breakfast at hotel and check out. Private car/van transfer to the second capital of the Two Sicilies, Palermo. We travel along the island’s northern coast and stop at the picturesque village of Castelbuono. Visit the historic Relais and Abbey of Sant’Anastasia, a country resort winery that produces organic wines from indigenous and international vineyards. Their production philosophy is based on respect for tradition, but also for the ecosystem, using modern winemaking equipment and energy that comes from alternative sources. The wines are a pure expression of the terroir that gives rise to them. Enjoy a local winery visit followed by lunch at the estate. Proceed to Cefalu’, a picturesque fishing village now a seaside resort town located on the north coast of Sicily. Free time for a stroll along the narrow little alleys and visit the historic Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before continuing to Palermo. Check in and room assignment.
DAY 10 –PALERMO
Breakfast /Street Food Stroll & Tasting
Buffet breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a morning private guided tour of Palermo, the synthesis of “planet Sicily,” a rich hybrid of Baroque, Saracen, Norman and Spanish cultures. See il Cassaro, the Quattro Canti, Piazza Pretoria, St. John of the Hermits Cathedral, the Norman Palace, Fontana della Vergogna and colorful Ballaro’ Open Air Market, where you will be enjoying a delectable street food tasting. Balance of the afternoon at leisure.
DAY 11 – DEPARTURE
Breakfast
Buffet breakfast at the hotel and check out. Private car / van transfer to Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport for your return flight to the States, or extend your stay.
Accommodation, Departure Dates and Prices
FIRST CLASS PACKAGE
Grand Hotel Santa Lucia **** in Naples
Locanda delle Donne Monache Hotel **** in Maratea
Hotel Tropis****in Tropea
Hotel Palazzo Marletta **** in Catania –(For Triple occupancy hotel may change)
Hotel Mercure Palermo Centro **** in Palermo
Or similar
PRICING PER PERSON
VALID FOR TRAVEL APRIL 1, 2021 - OCTOBER 31, 2021
Party Size First Class Package
2 $3,899.00
3 $3,099.00
4 $2,949.00
6 $2,649.00
8 $2,499.00
Single Supp. $3,500.00
Extra nights at any of the included hotels are available upon request at a supplementary cost based on travel dates. Vacation may be personalized to suit. Larger parties welcome. Please contact us for a price quote and details.