ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURES

(11 DAYS - 10 OVERNIGHTS)

Tour fully escorted by our experienced multilingual tour manager. Only bed and buffet breakfast basis no meals are included in this tour.

This tour will allow you to admire the great archaeological treasures of Etruscan, Roman, and Greek civilization.

We will take you where the masterpieces born of antiquity are preserved.

The Greek temples in Sicily and Campania, the Roman Forum and dead cities are brought to life. Nowhere can you see so much evidence of three distinct civilizations in one country.

Etruscan treasures abound from Tuscany south to Rome: Volterra; Grosseto; Vulci; Viterbo; Tarquinia; Veio, where the "Apollo", the greatest masterpiece of Etruscan art, was found in 1916; Cerveteri, with Is necropolis, containing the Tomb of the Alcove.

Greek treasures are overflowing in Sicily: Selinunte, Agrigento's Valley of the Temples; Syracuse, where Plato taught and Euripedes and Sophocles originated the dramatic comedy; Taormina, where the marvelous amphitheatre is still used today for musical and dramatic spectacles. Roman treasures extend over so many countries, but in Italy every city, town. and village has legacies of the Romans and Rome is a virtual archaeological feast.

1st day - Palermo

Arrival at airport and transfer to hotel. Remainder of day at leisure.

Overnight stay.

2nd day - Palermo

Full day visit of the beauties of the capital of Sicily. This tour includes: in the morning the Palatine Chapel in the Royal Palace of the Normans today palace of the local parliament, St. John of the Hermits, a former mosque transformed into a Christian church with colorful red domes and a 13th century cloister: then uphill to Monreale to view the Basilica with Its mosaic of the 12th Century, the Cloister and the Belvedere.

All these monuments were built during the rule of the Norman kings in the 12th century with Arab architecture and Byzantine mosaic decorations.

The afternoon itinerary features modern Palermo and its surroundings: drive through the residential area and climb up to Mount Pellegrino overlooking the bay to see the Shrine of Santa Rosalia, patroness of Palermo; then deccend to Mondello, the exclusive beach of Palermo, and return downtown via the extensive Favorita Park including, among other things, a Chinese Pavilion. Overnight stay.

3rd day - Palermo - Segesta - Selinunte -Agrigento

Morning departure to visit the Doric Temple at Segesta, the Doric Acropolis at Selinunte and the unique Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Overnight accommodation at the hotel.

4th day - Agrigento - Piazza Armerina

Morning visit to Agrigento the Greek Akragas famous for the Valley of the Temples the main important are dedicated to the Dioscuris and Jupiter. After independent lunch departure to Piazza Armerina to visit the famous Roman Villa del Casale in its rooms there are wonderful mosaics. Overnight stay.

5th day - Piazza Armerina - Syracuse - Taormina

Morning departure for Siracuse to visit the Monumental Park of Neapolis (Greek Theatre. Dionysius' Ear, Cordary and Salnitro grottoes), Arethusa fountain and Athena Temple.

Upon arrival in early afternoon short tour of Taormina that is local ted in the middle of a wonderful green area on a terrace at 200 mts over the sea level. Taormina is a small city known in the whole world for its beauty. Overnight stay.

6th day - Taormina - Sorrento

Morning departure via Reggio Calabria to visit the local national museum containing the two famous statues of the Bronzi di Riace.

On the way to Sorrento short stop in the late afternoon is foreseen in Paestum to admire the Greek Temples. Arrival in Sorrento in the early evening. Overnight stay.

7th day- Sorrento

Excursion to Capri with departure by steamer to Capri. This beautiful island has been well known since Roman times. Visit of the Blue Grotto, Marina Grande and the small town of Ana Capri. If weather conditions of the sea do not permit us to operate this excursion, will drive along the Costiera Amalfitana to visit Maiori, Minori, Amalfi, Ravello etc. Overnight stay at Sorrento hotel.

8th day - Sorrento - Rome

Departure to Rome in the morning with two included visits. The first stop is at Ercolano. In the afternoon visit more extensively Pompeii to admire the excavations of this once thriving Roman city buried in 79 A.D, by the erupting Mt. Vesuvius. Then continue via motorway to reach the Eternal City in the early evening. Overnight in Rome.

9th day - Rome

Full day sightseeing of Rome including: Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza di Spagna, Foro Italico, Janiculum Hill, Colosseo, view of Roman Forum and the Imperial Forums, Ara Pacis, the museum of Villa Giulia rich of Etruscan treasures, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Overnight stay.

10th day - Rome - Etruscan territory - Rome

Full day visit to Tarquinia (Etruscan Museum and Tombs), then to Vulci and Cerveteri that used to be the very important Etruscan city of Caere the biggest commercial city in the Etruscan period. 2 Kms from Cerveteri there is the necropolis of the Banditaccia full of well preserved and well furnished tombs, many well adorned.

Overnight stay at Roman hotel.

11th day - Rome

Our services end after breakfast with time free for last shopping or last personal visits, transfer to the airports or to the railway stations.