Two Italies
The Amalfi Coast & Umbria
June 16-26, 2013
with Florence option
June 26-30, 2013
You’ll love this unforgettable adventure – an exciting juxtaposition of two very different regions of Italy. Five days on the Amalfi Coast, and five days in Umbria! From mysterious Pompeii to enchanting medieval hill towns . . . and much, much more!
The Amalfi Coast
“So blessed with natural beauties and riches that it is clear that when Nature formed [the Amalfi Coast] she took delight in accumulating all her blessings in a single spot.” ~ Pliny the Younger
The dazzling Amalfi Coast, a World Heritage Site on the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, is one of the most dramatically gorgeous coastlines in the world. It’s also the gateway to the magnificent treasures of Pompeii (another World Heritage Site), the home of Vietri ceramics, and the rich cultural heritage of Italy’s Campania Region.
Your Amalfi Coast Highlights
- Minori, a relaxing, charming seaside town of about 3,000 people and our home base on the Amalfi Coast for five days.
The National Archeological Museum of Naples, the great repository of art and artifacts from the towns buried by Mt. Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 A.D.- Pompeii, the most renowned archeological site, and our single most important source of knowledge, of the ancient Roman world.
- Ravello, arguably the most spell-binding exotic town on the entire Amalfi Coast, especially noted for its two medieval/Saracen villas – the Villa Cimbrone and the Villa Rufolo – with their breath-taking gardens and spectacular vistas of the coastline and sparkling Mediterranean.
- The Ancient Greek town of Paestum, with its Temple of Hera – among the most famous cult-worship sites in antiquity and arguably the oldest, best-preserved, and most beautiful Doric temple in existence anywhere today.
Umbria
“Umbria spawned a super abundance of saints, warriors and artists – so many that almost any town can claim one or more for its own. Nowhere in Italy is there such a compost of prayer, violence and art.” ~ Curtis Bill Pepper
The Italians call Umbria, “Italy’s Green Heart”. Noted for its lush, dramatic countryside, many people compare Umbria favorably to the adjacent region of Tuscany (but much less crowded with tourists). While here we’ll visit Assisi, the home of St. Francis; extraordinary Christian catacombs and early churches hidden under and amidst farmers’ fields; and abandoned Roman ruins.
Highlights of Umbria
- Todi, our home base for five days and one of Italy’s best-preserved and most enchanting medieval hill towns.
- Assisi, one of World Christianity’s three major pilgrimage sites, with the Basilica of San Francesco covered inside with frescoes by Giotto and other illustrious medieval artists.
- A fabulous, memorable spring day in the Umbrian countryside, with the ancient Roman town of Carsulae, destroyed by an earthquake in the 6th century A.D.; a 3rd-4th-century Christian catacomb under a farmer’s field; and an ancient Roman bridge (220 B.C.)
- The Cammino di San Francesco, marked by a series of tiny, remote hillside churches and hermitages visited or established by Saint Francis in the early 13th century.
Two Italies Land Cost
The cost is $4,850 per person and is based on double room occupancy; 12-15 group members; and an exchange rate of 1 euro = 1.34 dollars U.S. Therefore, the cost is subject to change. (Single room supplement: $400; limited number of singles available.) Air transportation to and from Italy is not included.
Your tour cost covers all of this.
- Centrally located 4-star hotels for 10 nights (breakfasts included).
- 3 group dinners.
Private air-conditioned motor coach for airport and group transportation.- All private guided tours.
- All tour-related museum reservations and entrance fees.
- All tips and gratuities.
- Expert bi-lingual tour leader for time in Italy, from airport pick-up to airport drop-off.
Florence optional add-on
To really round out your Italian holiday, nothing can surpass Florence, “the Cradle of the Renaissance!” Arguably the world’s greatest art city, you’ll also delight in fabulous dining, unbelievable selections of Italian wines, and people-watching from the city’s sidewalk cafes.
Fabulous Florence Highlights
- Piazza Signoria (Florence’s civic center since the 13th century).
- Treasures of the Uffizi and Pitti Palace galleries.
- Private visit with local artisan at work (e.g., furniture-maker, mosaic craftsman, jewelry maker).
- The Baptistery with Ghiberti’s Bronze Doors (which Michelangelo called “the Gates of Paradise”) and exquisite Venetian mosaics of the Last Judgment.
- Fra Angelico’s paintings in the cloister of San Marco.
- Michelangelo’s David.
Florence Land Cost
The cost is $2,090 per person and is based on double room occupancy; 10-15 group members; and an exchange rate of 1 euro = 1.33 dollars U.S. Therefore, the cost is subject to change. (Single room supplement: $200; limited number of singles available.) Air transportation to and from Italy is not included.
The cost of your Florence add-on tour covers all of the following.
- Centrally located hotel for 4 nights (breakfasts included).
- 1 group dinner.
- Private group transfers from Todi to Florence and from Florence to airport (Florence /Peretola).
- All private guided tours.
- All tour-related museum reservations and entrance fees.
- All tips and gratuities.
- Expert bi-lingual tour leader for time in Italy.
Payment Schedule & Cancellation Policy
A $1,000 per person deposit secures your place on this limited-space tour. Please send checks payable to Italy Adagio, 2021 21st Avenue, South, Birmingham, AL 35209. The balance of your tour payment is due by November 30, 2012.
Should Italy Adagio receive written cancellation of your trip by November 30, 2012, a full refund of recoverable costs, less a $1000-per-person cancellation fee, will be made. Cancellations received after November 30, 2012, are not eligible for refunds. (If you have any concerns about eventually having to cancel, it is strongly recommended that you purchase trip-cancellation insurance.)