A Mediterranean Cooking Experience at Relais Oasi Olimpia - BEST SELLER

Because this is a very busy week, you may want to consider an extra night at the Relais Oasi Olimpia before and/or after the program. Past clients have found it made their week more relaxing and enjoyable. Arrival and departure transfers will be included for any pre- or post- nights for clients doing the 6-night program. Please inquire for details.

• Six nights accommodations double occupancy with ensuite bathroom
• Arrival transfer from Naples airport around 12:00 noon and from Naples train station (Napoli Centrale) around 2:30 pm (transfer times may vary slightly week to week, please contact us before you finalize your travel itinerary).* If you cannot make the regular transfer times, a special transfer can be arranged at the cost of 120 Eu per car (170 Eu per car if after 6:00 pm), payable directly to the Relais Oasi Olimpia. Please inquire for details.
• Return transfer to Naples train station (Napoli Centrale) or airport around 10 am the day of departure. If you need to schedule an earlier transfer, it will be at an additional cost of 120 Eu per car (170 Euro per car if pickup is before 8:00 am), payable directly to the Relais Oasi Olimpia. Please inquire for details.
• Daily breakfast
• Five dinners
• Four lunches, including one tasting lunch at Rosa's
• Local wine, water and coffee with all included meals (Please note that drinks consumed outside of mealtime are not included)
• Four hands-on cooking lessons
• Excursions and food artisan visits
• Transportation
• Taxes and service charges

During Low Season itinerary items may be switched to take advantage of daylight hours.

Please note: The WOW itinerary does not include the excursion to Capri (although it can be arranged).

Should you wish to take a scenic helicopter ride from Naples, passing over Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii, the hotel has a helicopter pad on which to land. Please inquire for prices and details.

Day One of Four - or Six- night program
Pickup from the Naples airport (around 12:00 noon) or train station (around 2:30 pm). Arrival at the charming hotel Relais Oasi Olimpia where you check in to your deluxe room. If you are not jet-lagged, you may wish to take a short walk into Sant'Agata to do a little exploring. This is a charming little town; perhaps stop with the locals for a coffee and one of the pastry specialties of the region, or just stroll along the old streets. Time to rest before your welcome dinner at the elegant "Villa Oasi" restaurant, enjoying a superb dinner of local cuisine.

Day Two - A lovely buffet breakfast awaits you.
In the morning you will venture out to a local farm, where they have been producing top quality olive oil for years, and where Rosa, the matriarch, has been making mozzarella cheese by hand for six decades; she is one of the true local food artisans. If you like, you can try your hand with the preparation. A tasting of this wonderfully fresh and light cheese follows. Venture out into the garden visit the lemon and olive grove with Rosa’s son, Antonio, who will explain the secrets of making the tasty limoncello liqueur. A light lunch at Rosa’s will follow. Return to the hotel for an afternoon of relaxation. If weather permits, you might want to take a dip in the pool. This evening, your first cooking lesson, followed by dinner with wine.

Day Three – Breakfast: Morning cooking class, followed by lunch.
Afternoon free, perhaps to explore Sant'Agata or Sorrento. If you like, we can make reservations for you to do a wine tasting in a lovely wine shop in Sorrento with Alberio Astarita. Tastings begin at 20 Euros, and he can ship wine anywhere in the US. Or, schedule a visit to a small, boutique leather factory (personal friends of the owner of Oasi) to check out their stunning leather jackets or have one made to order. (They actually supply some of the best stores in Florence!) Dinner tonight on your own. You may wish to try one of the restaurants in Sant'Agata (such as the famous Michelin-star restaurant Don Alfonso). Or, if you have spent your free afternoon in Sorrento or one of the Amalfi Coast towns, you may wish to remain there for dinner.

Day Four - Breakfast followed by an excursion to visit the towns of Amalfi and Positano, or Amalfi and Ravello.
Amalfi is a town that seems to have climbed up from the sea like froth and crystallized onto the land. The town is dominated by the impressive Duomo, rivaling in size the cliffs that rise up behind it. You can sit and observe in the Piazza Duomo or wind upwards through the cobblestone streets, exploring the little shops along the way. Positano clings to the mountainside, navigable by a narrow winding road set against the backdrop of palms and citrus groves. At the city's center is the magnificent Santa Maria Assunta Church with its gaily-colored dome. And Ravello is a charming town also perched on the cliffs overlooking the sea. It is home not only to the best Amalfi ceramics, but also the lovely gardens of the historic Villa Cimbrone. Return to Oasi for your third cooking lesson. Dinner to follow based on your efforts.

Day Five - Breakfast. For those on the four-night program, transfer back to Naples.
Your fourth cooking class, lunch to follow based on your efforts. After lunch a guided visit of Pompeii, the city that was buried alive by the eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79. As you wander among temples, past pottery ruins, and through houses still adorned with frescoes, don't forget to seek out the city's former inhabitants, whose forms were preserved in the hardened volcanic ash. Dinner tonight at a wonderful local restaurant.

Day Six – Breakfast.
Today will be a full-day visit to the enchanting isle of Capri, weathering permitting. (Traditionally the hydrofoils to Capri run approximately mid-May to mid-October, and during the winter only if the temperature is mild and the water calm.) Depart around 7:45 am. You can visit the magical Blue Grotto, walk private paths past secluded villas, and gaze across the aqua water from the harbors. (Please note that in the event of bad weather, Capri excursion will be substituted for a day of shopping and exploring Sorrento, with a light lunch included.) Lunch in Capri on your own. Return to Sorrento around 3:20 pm and transfer back to Oasi. Dinner tonight is a pizza evening. Enjoy various types of pizzas prepared the Neapolitan way by the Oasi chefs and baked in the wood-burning oven.

Day Seven - Breakfast and departure from the hotel to the Naples airport or train station for those ending the six-night program.

Touring Date	Land Only	Land + Air	Single (Land Only)	Single (Land + Air)
5/23/2010 - 5/29/2010	$3,875
7/10/2010 - 7/16/2010	$3,875
7/18/2010 - 7/24/2010	$3,875
10/5/2010 - 10/11/2010	$3,250
Airfare Disclaimer A NOTE ABOUT AIRFARE: We encourage you to buy your airfare from the tour operator, because if your tour cancels then your airlines tickets will be covered. Purchasing flights separately at a lesser rate and incorporating it with a Non-Guaranteed Departure Date can result in loss of total cost of your flight investment. Depending on the fare rules, flights may be Non-Refundable and/or Non-Transferable. Neither the tour operator and/or Atlas Cruises & Tours will be held responsible for loss if a tour is cancelled for Lack of Participation. If you would like to check for discounted fares on Guaranteed Departures or for competitive pricing on air and hotel packages, we invite you to follow this link. Documents TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Necessary Travel Documents such as Passports and Visas is the responsibility of the traveler. Passports must be valid six months from your return travel date.

ABOUT COOKING LESSONS: Your guide on this culinary adventure is Gennaro Avagnale, a young chef from the town of Gragnano, just outside Naples. He began cooking for friends and family at home, and eventually his passion inspired him to journey throughout Italy on a quest to master regional Italian cuisine. His travels lead him through Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Abruzzo, Trentino Alto Adige and Sardegna, where he learned from many of the best chefs in Italy. Gennaro is thrilled to be at Oasi Olimpia and looks forward to sharing his love of Italian cuisine with you.

Cooking classes will be held in the large teaching kitchen built specifically for our culinary program. It features spacious granite counters, a large professional range and an outdoor veranda, where you can enjoy a break between courses. Learn to make such typical southern Italian dishes as Sorrento-style gnocchi, stuffed calamari, and Neapolitan-style artichokes. All dishes use the freshest ingredients (including cheese made fresh by our friend Signora Rosa) and recipes that have been passed down for many generations. After your lesson you will feast on what you have made, so be prepared to cook, eat, drink and laugh!

Please note: this program requires a deposit of US$1000 per person.

Six-night program:

US$3875 per person based on double occupancy

US$550 Single supplement

US$3250 Low season (October through April 25, excluding Dec. 24-Jan. 2 and Easter week)

US$300 less for non-cooking participant, either season

US$625 per person Upgrade to junior suite

US$1000 per person Upgrade to penthouse suite

Four-night program:

US$3250 per person based on double occupancy

US$2800 Low season (only if 6-nt. program is operating)

US$400 Single supplement

US$500 per person Upgrade to junior suite

US$850 per person Upgrade to penthouse suite

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