Rome & Amalfi Coast

Your tour opens in the “Eternal City” of Rome! Tonight, join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner celebrating the start of your Italian journey. (D) Stay: Hotel Imperiale (3 Nights)

Start your day with a locally guided walking tour of Rome's Renaissance and Baroque highlights. Climb to the top of the Spanish Steps for views of the city's skyline and down its famous 135 stairs. Stroll over cobblestone streets and weathered passageways to discover famous sights such as the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon's imposing facade. Finish a full morning of exploration in the oval-shaped Piazza Navona, built upon the site of the ancient Stadium of Domitian. The afternoon is yours. Perhaps you'll meander through Rome's lively Monti district to soak in the local life. (B)

Today, join an expert guide to explore the Imperial Fora. Take in views of the Colosseum's exterior, the remains of the Basilica of Maxentius, and of Trajan's Markets. Your extensive walking tour winds its way through Rome's medieval district, which developed organically from the ruins of the ancient city. This neighborhood is a charming combination of narrow cobbled streets, dark tufa stone, and repurposed Roman ruins.

Make the most of a free afternoon in Italy's capital city. Perhaps you will join an optional food tour dinner and taste your way around Rome's bohemian Trastevere district. (B)

Journey to the Amalfi Coast, an iconic coastline of rocky beaches and towering cliffs. En route, pause at a local winery to savor the area's famous Lacryma Christi wine. Enjoy a typical lunch before experiencing the eerily preserved ruins of Pompeii your way, because it's your choice! Join a local guide for an in-depth tour of Pompeii's best-known monuments -OR- venture further afield to discover the hidden corners of this vast archeological site.

In the late afternoon, settle into the Amalfi Coast, your home for the next five nights. Before gathering for dinner, take some time to explore your hotel, perched in a scenic location above the coastline. (B/L/D) Stay: Hotel Raito, Vietri sul Mare (5 Nights)

Sail along the stunning Amalfi Coast to Positano, with its pastel-colored houses and pebbly beaches. Spend time in this legendary locale, browsing the posh boutiques or resting along the beach before continuing to Amalfi. A former trading hub, Amalfi is now a quiet coastal town of historic landmarks and a black-and-white marble cathedral. Explore on your own before returning to your hotel for an evening at leisure. (B)

Journey along the eastern cliffs of the Bay of Naples to the charming resort town of Sorrento. Wander through its narrow streets, perhaps peeking into the peaceful cloister of St. Francis or sampling some gelato made with local lemons.

This afternoon, visit a traditional terraced farm and see how cheese is still made by hand. Get a taste of the product at a farm-to-table dinner capped with homemade limoncello before returning to your hotel in the late evening. (B/D)

Enjoy a day at leisure to take in the relaxing beauty of the Amalfi Coast. Perhaps you will embark on an optional ferryboat trip to the Mediterranean isle of Capri, where you'll enjoy lunch and a locally guided tour before setting out on your own adventure. A two-hour ferryboat ride takes you back to the hotel in the early evening. (B)

Greet another day on the Amalfi Coast to do as you please. An optional tour takes you to Paestum to see the best-preserved Greek temples outside of Greece, and then to discover one of Italy's most surprising products during a tour of a buffalo milk dairy, where you'll taste freshly made mozzarella with lunch.

Tonight, join your fellow travelers for a farewell dinner and bid salute to the end of your Italian getaway. (B/D)

Your tour comes to a close today. (B)