Spring in the Mezzogiorno (Southern) region

with

Beniamino & Anne

Primavera nel Mezzogiorno

Southern Italy

16 days (15 nights)

NZ$12,860pp (small group max 10 persons. - single supplement may apply)

On this tour, you will:

gain real insight into Italian life and customs
enjoy maximum freedom to do what you want to do while being appropriately looked after
enjoy high quality accommodation in a range of different settings. No boring high rises for us!
NOT be getting up every day at 7am and moving on to your next stop
have the opportunity to learn lots of Italian from Beniamino and put your learning into practice
luxuriate on the shores of the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas (a coast to coast of the most comfortable kind)
mingle with the rich and famous on the island of Capri
marvel at the Greek temples at Paestum
visit Beniamino’s birthplace and see the church yard where he gathered edible confetti at his aunt’s wedding
keep a look out for local food producers and learn about the regional cuisine from a real Italian chef – food and wine will be a major feature of this tour
NOT have absolutely everything mapped out for you- there will be surprises along the way that you will want to tell all your friends about when you get home, assuming you still want to go back home by then and MOST IMPORTANTLY you will have fun!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TOUR BOOKLET

Primavera nel

Mezzogiorno

Tour Outline:

Start date: DTA

End date: DTA

Note:The tour package is a land package only. Flights to suit your individual needs can be arranged for you through us or you can make your own flight arrangements if you prefer.

Commencement of the tour: Rome

On our first day the tour group will meet in the late afternoon at a charming hotel in the heart of ancient Rome, where the group will stay for the first night. That night we will enjoy a traditional Roman dinner at a local restaurant. The following morning we will travel to Amalfi where the party will stay for 2 nights.

From Amalfi, as part of the tour you will be taken by boat to Capri for the day. Then we will travel south along the Mediterranean coast where wee will spend another 2 nights.

You will be taken to the temples at nearby Paestum where you will see and learn about some impressive remnants of the Magna Grecia. A star in the local museum is the 5th century BC fresco Tomba del Tuffatore (Tomb of the Diver) discovered in 1968, which is thought to represent the passage from life to death with its depiction of a diver in mid-air.

There will be plenty of time for really seeing and experiencing life in this lovely area, away from the crowds in the usual tourist spots. We’ll be making time for local feasts, which we might need after all our swimming and pottering around the fascinating tangle of narrow cobbled streets with ancient churches and superb ceramics everywhere. You can choose whether to take part in group activities or spend time on your own – it’s completely up to you.

We will then set off from the Mediterranean coast with our driver in our comfortable minibus.

As we make our way through the unspoiled countryside of the Cilento we’ll see some villages tourists don’t usually see such as Padula, home of the impressive Certosa. We will then travel across the Diano valley to pay a special visit to Beniamino's birthplace in Montesano Sulla Marcellana before proceeding across

the border from the region of Campania and into the region of Basilicata. Here we will stay for 5 nights in an Agriturismo in the lush countryside near where Beniamino grew up and explore this ancient land of castles and monasteries.

Beniamino’s book is valuable reading before the tour! You will see where he went to school and where he worked as a shepherd at the age of 9. This is really off the beaten track.

Our next base will be in Matera. On the way there, we will visit Aliano, where in the 1930’s the writer and philosopher Carlo Levi was exiled by the fascists and inspired to write ‘Cristo si e` fermato a Eboli’ (Christ stopped at Eboli). At the time Basilicata was used as a kind of open prison for political dissidents.

I Sassi di Matera is a magical place to visit. It is one of the world’s oldest towns, dating back to the Palaeolithic Age and has been inhabited continuously for around 7000 years. People lived there in caves and UNESCO has named the whole town a World Heritage Site. After publicity resulting from a number of high profile films using Matera as a biblical landscape, the town is now undergoing a transformation and it was designated the European Capital of Culture 2019 by the European Commission.

We will have three nights in Matera in a spectacular hotel and have two full days viewing ancient frescoes and generally marvelling at the sheer antiquity of the place. When we leave Matera we will head for Alberobello. This little town looks like a film set and is home to the famous "Trulli". Initially established as a tax-dodge, these beautiful dwellings are now highly sought after.

After our stop here we will travel on to our final destination on the Adriatic Coast, where we will spend our last two nights.

Think white buildings and blue sea and you’ll be halfway

there. Food, relaxation, sunshine- you won’t want to leave.

There will be time for you to relax. Puglia is made for relaxing. And we want you to be fully rested before we sadly leave this area for Bari. You will be transferred to Bari Airport or Central Railway Station at the end of the tour.

We will assist you with your onward travel plans.

Tour inclusions

All accommodation costs sharing a double or twin room including breakfasts. Note - a single supplement may apply for single travellers wanting their own room. We will discuss this with you prior to confirmation. All accommodation will be of a very high standard
All tour travel costs including de-luxe coach or minibus transport and associated charges such as fuel, tolls, taxes, with local drivers
From our main bases we will undertake sightseeing and it will be completely up to you whether you want to participate or spend the day independently
A boat trip to Capri with a coach and local guide available to us for touring the island
One group dinner including wine and soft drinks at a carefully chosen venue
Entry to Paestum Archaeological site and Museum
Local tour guides - Capri, Paestum, Matera

Tour exclusions

Meals and beverages other than those included
City taxes, room service meals and mini bar refreshments

Telephone/internet charges

Porterage

Gratuities

Individual sightseeing not undertaken as part of the tour