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8-Nights Country Roads of Southern Italy from $3,350

Insight Vacations

OFFER ID 1546207

Country Roads Of Southern Italy
Indulge in Italy’s finest food and views during this 9-day guided tour. In Rome, discover the city on a walking tour with a Local Expert and see the Vatican City. In Sorrento, settle into a luxurious resort and take in the views of Mount Vesuvius, which buried Pompeii in a sea of lava in 79 A.D. Indulge your curiosity from an insightful MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience in the village of Grottole to viewing the Trulli of Alberobello UNESCO World Heritage Site.


Dining Summary

  • 4 Dinner (D)
  • 8 Breakfast (B)
Choice Highlights
  • Choose between two carefully selected activities
  • Capri: Discover the luxuriant Gardens of Augustus with a Local Expert and admire views of the Faraglioni rocks.
  • Capri: Learn about local traditions as you enjoy a tasting of limoncello.
Additional Included Highlights
  • Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
  • Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
  • We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
  • From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
  • Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
  • If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Authentic Dining
  • Alberobello: Savor a freshly prepared Farm-to-Table meal featuring recipes and flavors typical of the region.
  • Sorrento: Embrace the essence of southern Italy at dinner with your new friends.
Insight Choice
  • Capri: Discover the luxuriant Gardens of Augustus with a Local Expert and admire views of the Faraglioni rocks.
  • Capri: Learn about local traditions as you enjoy a tasting of limoncello.
Insight Experiences
  • Rome: Follow in the footsteps of gladiators for a deeper insight into life in ancient Rome when you enter the Colosseum.
  • Grottole: Meet Andrea for an aperitif and a tour of the village.
Make Travel Matter
  • Grottole: Participate in the fascinating Wonder Grottole Project. This regeneration initiative works to rehabilitate the abandoned historic center and preserve village life. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Top Rated Highlights
  • Rome: Discover ancient treasures of Rome. See Circus Maximus and the Ancient Forum, where Ancient Roman political life and law courts mingled with open-air markets and shops.
  • Alberobello: Led by a Local Expert, explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site showcasing the Trulli of Alberobello. Circular structures with conical roofs that are domed within, built from local limestone and stacked without using mortar.
  • Matera: With your Local Expert, visit the famous Sassi or cave dwellings, which were home to approximately 20,000 people until 1950s and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Pompeii: Walk with a Local Expert through the cobbled streets of this ill-fated town, frozen in time since the first century.
  • Capri: Cruise by jetfoil to this famous isle through beautiful blue Mediterranean waters.
Well-being
  • Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
  • Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.


8 nights from $3,350 per person

Itinerary
Click here for Full Itinerary Details
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Itinerary Details

Insight Vacations: Country Roads of Southern Italy

Day 1 - Welcome to the Eternal City of Rome
2025 marks a Jubilee Year, a momentous Roman Catholic event celebrated every 25 years, turning Rome into a center of celebration. As festivities unfold, itineraries may be adjusted to ensure you make the most of your time as you visit the Eternal City. Welcome to Rome, a glorious city filled with classic antiquities, medieval buildings, Renaissance palaces and Baroque churches. Relax and settle in before joining your Travel Director and getting to know your fellow travelers over a delicious dinner with wine.
Accommodations: Room 007 Select, Rome
Meals: Dinner

Day 2 - Vatican City and Rome with a Local
Rome is about art, antiquity, piazzas and palaces. Join a Local Expert for an in-depth experience bringing millennia of history to life. Journey from the Vatican City across the Tiber River to ancient Rome. See the incredible Circus Maximus. Admire the beautifully preserved Arch of Constantine and discover the history, the construction and the legends of the iconic Colosseum on a guided visit. As you stroll with your Local Expert, imagine the gladiatorial battles and roaring spectators around the arena. Later, perhaps continue your exploration of Rome to see the Pantheon and the stunning piazzas and fountains of the city.
Accommodations: Room 007 Select, Rome
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3 - Alberobello
The brilliant blue sky set against the whitewashed buildings of southern Italy’s towns and villages is sure to inspire any curious traveler. It's a photographer’s paradise around every corner—from field marigolds in early spring to date palms, fig and pomegranate trees, and groves of olives creating picture-perfect settings. Exploring southern Italy offers a chance to step away from the tourist crowds and experience how Italians truly live and enjoy life. Rub shoulders with UNESCO World Heritage Sites and friendly locals who will enchant you with their warmth and hospitality.
Accommodations: Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4 - The Trulli of Alberobello
Admire another of Italy's record number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites with a Local Expert. The Trulli of Alberobello are circular structures with conical roofs that are domed within, built from local limestone and stacked without using mortar. Get up close learning the insights behind these unique structures. Relax this afternoon with your time at leisure or take the opportunity to join an optional experience to explore more of the Puglian countryside and heritage.
Accommodations: Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 - Discovering Lecce
Italy will enchant the most curious of travelers. Enjoy a visit with your Local Expert to one of the most beautiful cities of southern Italy, Lecce. The town is often referred to as the Florence of the South due to its dazzling architecture, ornate Baroque buildings and monuments dating back to Roman times. Amble along its spider's web of streets offering a kaleidoscope mix of long-range vistas and alluring glimpses. Next is the pretty seaside town of Gallipoli where you’ll view the Greek Fountain and medieval castle before making your way to a viewpoint looking out over the Ionian Sea. Later, deepen your discoveries joining an Optional Experience for a Masseria dinner.
Accommodations: Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello
Meals: Breakfast

Day 6 - Journey South to Matera
Visit Matera with a Local Expert for an in-depth exploration of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sassi — a labyrinth of cave dwellings, churches, staircases and arches, hewn out of the solid rock. You may recognize Matera as the biblical backdrop for the film ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Continue to the small village of Grottole. Once a thriving community, it has lost most of its activity and population. Meet Andrea, a local striving to reignite the traditional way of living of the area. On this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience explore the historic old town to learn about the fascinating history of the village. Later, enjoy an aperitif with local snacks helping to preserve the culture. This evening, reflect on your day of discoveries over dinner with your fellow travelers.
Accommodations: UNAHOTELS MH Matera
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7 - Pompeii and Sorrento
Buried in A.D. 79 by the historic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, discover the archaeological site of Pompeii in the region of Campania. Walk with your Local Expert through the cobbled streets to see a city frozen in time. Venture on to the picturesque resort of Sorrento, perched upon the southern cliffs of the Bay of Naples and looking over to Mount Vesuvius.
Accommodations: Isabella, Sorrento
Meals: Breakfast

Day 8 - Capri, the Isle of Dreams
The impossibly blue sea welcomes you to the sun-drenched island of Capri as you cruise by jetfoil. On arrival, meet your Local Expert for an orientation walk through the narrow alleyways. Explore Capri with Insight Choice. Choose to visit the immaculate Gardens of Augustus with a Local Expert and admire the views over the Faraglioni Rocks. Alternatively, enjoy a tasting of limoncello, Capri’s famous lemon liqueur.
Accommodations: Isabella, Sorrento
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 9 - Depart Sorrento
This morning, wave goodbye to your fellow travelers as you depart Sorrento on a coach transfer to Rome airport.
Meals: Breakfast

Featured Destinations
Matera
Alberobello
The center of a triangle made up by Bari, Brindisi, and Taranto, the Valley of Itria has long been known for olive cultivation and the beehive-shaped houses dotting its landscape. These curious structures, called trulli, were built at least as early as the 13th century. The center of the Trulli District, and home to the greatest concentration of trulli, is Alberobello. Here the streets are lined with some 1,000 of the buildings. You might feel as if you've entered into a child's storybook as you walk through the maze of cobbled streets curving through Italy's most fantastic village.
Sorrento
Sorrento is a town of extraordinary beauty and is known as a popular gateway to Italy's most spectacular stretch of coastline - the Amalfi Drive lined with fishing villages and famous resorts. The seaside resort of Amalfi sits with weathered houses scrambling up steep cliffs. Visitors marvel at its location and its magnificent cathedral. The religious sanctuary of Cloister of St. Francis is worth a visit. The tiny, exclusive resort of Positano has its famous world-class hotel, San Pietro. Excavations of the ruined city of Pompeii, which was destroyed in 79 A.D. during the disastrous eruption of Mount Vesuvius, give visitors a vivid impression of life in a very wealthy ancient city and the tragic end of its population. The Isle of Capri ranks as one of the most beautiful islands and has captured visitors for centuries with excellent climate, spectacular landscape and fantastic sea caverns. Capri has lavish villas, elegant hotels, chic boutiques and quaint restaurants. Museo Correale contains a death mask of poet Torquato Tasso and some special editions of his works, pictures, furniture and porcelain.

Excursions

Sorrento: The Ancient City of Pompeii - 6 Hours

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Sorrento: The Ancient City of Pompeii - 6 Hours

Travel outside along the coast today with your driver to the ancient site of Pompeii where your expert local guide will meet you to explore this most famous of places. The extensive and varied ruins of Pompeii now provide us with a rich history of life at the time of the Roman Empire. There are theatres, thermal baths, shops and lavish dwellings, many of which have been incredibly well preserved. After your visit you will have time at leisure for lunch before returning to your cruise ship in Sorrento.

Highlights:
  • Visit the incredibly preserved Roman city of Pompeii
Tour Duration: 6 hours

Tour Can Operate: Morning/Afternoon

Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information

Physical Activity Level: Light

Inclusions:
  • Luxury car or minivan at your disposal during the tour
  • An expert English-speaking guide at the Pompeii site (3 hours)
  • Entrance fees to the Pompeii site
  • All taxes
Exclusions:
  • All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
  • Gratuities

Sorrento: The Iconic Amalfi Coast - 6 Hours

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Sorrento: The Iconic Amalfi Coast - 6 Hours

Today meet your English-speaking driver-guide and private vehicle for a half-day excursion along the stunning Amalfi Coast taking in the villages of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. The Amalfi drive is the most romantic drive in Italy, following the road snaking along the edge of the rocky cliffs that plunge straight into the sea. Amalfi is the coast's largest town and home to the magnificent 10th-century Duomo fronted by a beautifully coloured 13th-century facade. Also be sure to admire the amazing views from Ravello’s Villa Ruffolo.

Highlights:
  • Drive along the magnificent Amalfi Coast, stopping at Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.
Tour Duration: 6 hours

Tour Can Operate: Morning/Afternoon

Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information

Physical Activity Level: Light

Inclusions:
  • Luxury car or minivan at your disposal during the tour
  • An expert English-speaking driver-guide throughout the tour (6 hours)
  • Entrance fees to the Villa Ruffolo
  • All taxes
Exclusions:
  • All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
  • Gratuities

Sorrento: Capri Exploration by Private Motorboat – 8 hours

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Sorrento: Capri Exploration by Private Motorboat – 8 hours

Explore the island of Capri in style today as you take a cruise in your skippered private motorboat. As you circle the Island of Capri you will be able to stop at Marina Piccola, a delightfully picturesque inlet that provides the Caprisi and other sun worshippers with their best beach – it is also safe for swimming. The entire cove is romantically lined with stabilimenti – elegant bathing lidos.
We suggest lunch at Al Gallo D’Oro (payable locally), which serves an excellent selection of local fare.
Travelling west, pass the beach of Marina Grande and of Bagni di Tiberio. Continue to the next stretch of coastline which consists of the high calcareous cliff with fissures and grottoes covered by lush, indigenous vegetation.
Enjoy time at leisure for shopping or perhaps a lazy swim from the boat before cruising back to Sorrento.

Highlights:
  • Private skippered motorboat to explore the beautiful island of Capri, including Marina Piccola and Marina Grande. 
Tour Duration: 8 hours

Tour can Operate: Morning

Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information

Physical Activity Level: Light

Inclusions:
  • 34-foot (1-4 pax) or 43-foot (5-6 pax) private motorboat with English-speaking skipper (8 hours)
  • All taxes
Exclusions:
  • All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
  • Gratuities

Rome

Sprawled across seven legendary hills, romantic and beautiful Rome was one
of the great centers of the ancient world. Although its beginning is shrouded
in legend and its development is full of intrigue and struggle, Rome has always
been and remains the Eternal City.


Rome enjoyed its greatest splendor during the 1st and 2nd centuries when art
flourished, monumental works of architecture were erected, and the mighty Roman
legions swept outward, conquering all of Italy. These victorious armies then
swept across the Mediterranean and beyond to conquer most of the known world.
With Rome's establishment as capital of the western world, a new ascent to glory
began.


Today's Rome, with its splendid churches, ancient monuments and palaces, spacious
parks, tree-lined boulevards, fountains, outdoor cafes and elegant shops, is
one of the world’s most attractive and exciting cities. Among the most famous
monuments is the Colosseum. As you walk its cool, dark passageways, imagine
the voices that once filled the arena as 50,000 spectators watched combats between
muscled gladiators and ferocious animals.


Stop to see the remains of the Forum, once the city's political and commercial
center. In later times, Rome's squares were enhanced with such imposing structures
as the Vittorio Emanuele Monument and grandiose fountains like the Fontana di
Trevi. Join the millions who stand in awe of Christendom’s most magnificent
church and admire the timeless masterpieces of Michelangelo's frescoes in the
Sistine Chapel.


Rome jars the senses and captures the soul. Grasp all you can during the short,
precious time you have available in the Eternal City. With so much to see and
do, a day or two will only allow you a sampling of the city's marvelous treasures.


Caution: As in many big cities and tourist destinations purse snatching
and pickpocketing is common. Valuable jewelry and excess cash are best left
in a safety deposit box in your hotel.


Shopping For most visitors shopping for beautiful Italian leather articles,
designer shoes, fashions for men and women, linens, knitwear, silk scarves and
ties is a favorite pastime. Except for tourist-oriented shops, the majority
of stores are closed on Sundays. Some of the department stores, such as Rinascente,
open in the late afternoon on Sundays.


Cuisine Rome's choice of restaurants is mindboggling as is the variety
of cuisine. Whether your meal is at a top-rated restaurant or a rustic trattoria,
you can be sure that you will enjoy your food, especially when accompanied by
wines from the hill towns surrounding Rome.


Other Sights Rome's attractions are endless, and depending on how much
time you have at your disposal a careful selection has to be made about what
to see. Be aware of horrendous traffic conditions and major construction work
all around the city in preparation of Jubilee 2000, the Holy Year. Some of the
sights not to be missed:


Piazza Venezia - This busy square is easily recognized by its imposing Vittorio
Emanuele II Monument. The white marble structure was inaugurated in 1911 as
a symbol of Italy’s unification.


The Forum - Once the civic heart of ancient Rome, today the remains include
a series of ruins, marble fragments, isolated columns and some worn arches.


Colosseum - No visit to Rome is complete without a stop at this awe-inspiring
theater, which is among the world’s most celebrated buildings. Here ancient
Rome flocked to see gladiatorial contests and numerous other spectacles.


Trevi Fountain - Take a stroll to Rome's famous fountain. A spectacular fantasy
of mythical sea creatures and cascades of splashing water, the fountain is one
of the city's foremost attractions. Legend has it that visitors must toss a
coin into the fountain to ensure their return to Rome.


St. Peter's Square - Part of Vatican City, this square created by Bernini
is considered one of the loveliest squares in the world. Twin Doric colonnades
topped with statues of various saints and martyrs flank either side of the square.
In the center stands an 84-foot obelisk, brought from Egypt in 37 A.D.


St. Peter's Basilica - At the head of the square stands Christendom's most
magnificent church, which was begun in 1452 on the site where St. Peter was
buried. Throughout the following 200 years, such Renaissance masters as Bramante,
Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernini worked on its design and created an unparalleled
masterpiece. Of special note are Michelangelo's Pieta and the bronze canopy
over the high altar by Bernini. The immense dome was designed by Michelangelo.


Vatican Museum - To see this museum's immense collection would take days.
As you enter, there are special posters that plot a choice of four color-coded
itineraries. They are repeated throughout the museum and are easy to follow.
It is a good idea to pickup a leaflet at the main entrance and concentrate on
exhibits of major interest. Of course, the Sistine Chapel is a must. Most likely
you may have to wait in line to enter.


Vacation Details

Valid Date Ranges
09/24/2025 - 10/02/2025
from $3,350 per person *


* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.
Prices Start At
from $3,350 per person
Length
8 Nights
Air City
Call for airfares from your city.
Vacation Rating
Deluxe
Fine dining, on-site bars or lounges and room service with extended hours are characteristic of deluxe establishments. Guest services usually include valet parking, concierge services, baggage assistance and laundry services. Other on-site facilities often include shops and boutiques, full service spas, full fitness facilities with pools and tennis courts. Business amenities may include available up-to-date technology and support staffs available for services. Attention to detail is apparent in the guestrooms which typically have stylish furnishings, quality bedding and bath products and often provide an evening turn down service.
Remarks
Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

All fares are quoted in US Dollars.

OFFER ID
1546207

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