Amalfi 2014

Amalfi 2014

”This is a jewel of a trip!  After reading the description and itinerary, I’m ready to go!”

Giada Antonucci

Amalfi Coast 2014 – March 20-29
A Cultural & Gastronomic Experience!

If you’re someone who likes a more leisurely approach to travel  – the chance to really get a feel for the place you’re staying and savor the best it has to offer  – the people, the culture, the land, the food and the wine –  this is a trip for you!

This boutique tour offers a more intimate and immersive way to travel.  Join a small group of fellow Italy enthusiasts and tour the Amalfi Coast, one of Italy’s southern jewels.  Comfort, ease and convenience:  Forget your cares at home, and leave the details to us.  Unpack only once  in our home away from home at the Villa Pane, nestled picturesquely on a hillside in Sorrento just kilometers from the historic downtown city center.

This is a worry-free vacation with flexibility built in – you’ll have plenty of personal time for  exploring the places we visit, shopping, eating, strolling through Sorrento, and having another gelato or espresso – against the backdrop of Mt. Vesuvius, the Gulf of Napoli, lemon groves, and bougainvillea.

Convenient day trips will feature private transportation to and from the villa. Expert English-speaking, local tour guides will bring history and culture to life as we explore the Amalfi Coast’s picturesque towns, islands and cultural attractions.  You’ll be traveling with your own bilingual tour host and private language teacher, Jodina, and the tour includes informal Italian language instruction to help you enjoy your stay even more.   Add mouth-watering factory tours and tastings; cooking classes; delicious meals featuring regional cuisine and local, in-season food; and you have memories to last a lifetime.

10 days/9 nights – March 20-29, 2014 — $2895 / € 2142  per person (double occupancy).
–    Single-Room Occupancy Supplement: $ 550 / € 407 , as available. Don’t have a travel partner?  Let us know — we may be able to match you with a roommate.

– Printable / Downloadable Tour Description & Itinerary, Click Here –

– TRAVEL ITINERARY –

Day 1 – Thursday, March 20
Arrive at Villa Pane, check-in, unpack, and get settled into your home for the next 10 days in Italy!  Stroll the beautiful grounds and relax. Shuttles available to/from downtown Sorrento. Welcome dinner in the evening: orientation, and meet your fellow travelers. Meals: D

Day 2 – Friday, March 21
Our first full day begins with a walking tour of beautiful Sorrento led by a local guide (all guided tours are in English). Approximately two hours, this tour is both practical and cultural – perfect for getting you oriented to your new ‘stomping grounds’. Next we’ll tour a Limoncello Factory. We’ll learn about the commercial production, marketing, and exporting of Sorrento’s signature yellow liqueur, and of course we’ll be tasting . . . limoncello, lemon jam, and baba` (a type of sponge cake made with limoncello or rum). Then we’ll hop a train for a brief jaunt to a cheese factory in the hills just outside town for a tour, tasting and light lunch. The rest of the day is yours to do whatever you please. Dinner on your own, at your leisure. Meals: B-L

Day 3 – Saturday, March 22
Today we’ll take the famous cliff-hugging Amalfi Coast Drive for a breathtaking cruise to explore the scenic coastal towns. Guided tours (plus free time) of Ravello (including visits to the beautiful grounds of Villa Rufolo and Villa Ravello), Amalfi (visit its striking byzantine-style Cathedral and the Amalfi paper museum) and Positano, built into the side of a cliff, where steep steps replace streets. Lunch on your own in Amalfi.  Group dinner in the evening in downtown Sorrento. Meals: B-D

Day 4 – Sunday, March 23
We’ll head by hydrofoil to the enchanting Island of Capri for the day.  Guided tour, lunch and free time to explore. Optional excursion to the Blue Grotto (not incl). Return to the Villa. Special evening meal-event: Castagnata (A chestnut celebration) – a fun and relaxing group evening in the Villa living room playing cards, sipping wine and limoncello, enjoying the fireplace, Neapolitan music, staff dressed in regional attire and an informal dinner of local sandwich and ‘finger food’ specialties and chestnuts (castagne) prepared in a variety of tasty ways. Sure to be an unforgettable evening!  Meals: B, Dinner-Event-Drinks

Day 5 – Monday, March 24
Guided excursion to the archeological zone of Paestum, one of the best collections of Greek temples anywhere, dating back to the 6th century B.C.  On the way home we’ll stop by for a tour and tasting/light lunch at a buffalo mozzarella factory. Evening cooking class, limoncello-making demonstration and dinner at Villa Pane. Meals: B-L-D

Day 6 – Tuesday, March 25
Free Day. This is your day to do whatever you like! Optional activities at your leisure/on request include: local open-air street market, hiking, coffee factory tour, excursion to Mt. Vesuvius. Meals: B

Day 7 – Wednesday, March 26
. . . In Napoli where love is king . . . A trip to this part of Italy wouldn’t be complete without a jaunt to the colorful birthplace of pizza.  Our expert guide, also a teacher of anthropology and mafia history, will show us around. We’ll discover the traditions and culture of Naples, visit the Archeological Museum, and of course we’ll have lunch at a pizzeria! Return to Sorrento. Group dinner in downtown Sorrento. Meals: B-D

Day 8 – Thursday, March 27
Day trip to the charming and uncontaminated island of Ischia!  A guided tour in the morning followed by lunch and then a visit to La Mortella gardens, or optionally, a visit to the spa and hot springs (not incl).  Back to the Villa for a group dinner followed by tasting of the limoncello made during our cooking class on Day 5.  Meals: B-D

Day 9 – Friday, March 28
Excursion to Pompeii, the ancient Roman city destroyed and preserved by 30 feet of ash spewed from an erupting Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.  Free afternoon in Sorrento or at the villa.  Option: Stop off for lunch on the way back in the town of Vico Equense at Pizza a Metro (Pizza by the Meter).  See how they make the pizza – awesome video! Farewell dinner in downtown Sorrento. Meals: B-D

Day 10 – Saturday, March 29
Arrivederci!  Final breakfast and departures.
Transportation to/from Naples airport or Naples Central Station included in tour.

What’s included? / Accommodations / Booking-Payment-Terms ==>

– Trip Presentations!  INFO / Q + A  SESSIONS –

Two sessions: Mon 12/9, 7pm  & Wed 12/11, 1pm, Carlsbad, CA.  Come find out more about the trip & get your questions answered!  Attendance is free and open to anyone.  Complimentary refreshments and snacks will be served.

Location & Directions. Come find out more about the trip & get your questions answered!  Attendance is free and open to anyone.  Complimentary refreshments and snacks will be served.

Special Offer on Language classes in Sorrento:  Option to extend your trip and study Italian in Sorrento either before or after the tour.  Special discounts on language lessons and courses at Sant’Anna Institute Sorrento Lingue school are available exclusively to Italiano With Jodina tour particpants.

Special Prices / Online Class Brochure / Contact the School