This 14-day vacation is for those who wish to concentrate on Southern Italy. Included are visits to the St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and Roman Forum in Rome, splendid Reggia of Caserta, the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, the Isle of Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii. Enjoy boat rides across the Bay of Naples and the Strait of Messina, and an overnight ferry crossing from Naples to Palermo, where guided sightseeing features visits to the Palatine Chapel and the Norman Cathedral in Monreale. Exciting included excursions to the Valley of the Temples, and the Archeaological Site of Syracuse, birthplace of Archimedes, complete your exploration of Roman history. Back on the continent, drive through Calabria and Apulia via pretty Matera to Alberobello with its unique trulli houses. Enjoy a full day at leisure here before returning to Rome.

ROME
Welcome dinner at a local restaurant; guided sightseeing including headsets, visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, the Colosseum and Roman Forum
REGGIA OF CASERTA
Visit the palace and gardens
NAPLES
Guided sightseeing, visit the National Archaeological Museum
NAPLES-CAPRI
By jet/hydrofoil
CAPRI
Guided sightseeing; visit Villa San Michele in Anacapri
SORRENTO
Orientation
POMPEII
Guided visit of the excavations including headsets
NAPLES-SICILY
Overnight cruise in two-berth cabins with private facilities
PALERMO
Guided sightseeing, visit the cathedral, the Royal Palace’s Palatine Chapel, the Norman Cathedral in Monreale, and Mondello
AGRIGENTO
Guided walking tour of the Valley of Temples
SELINUNTE
Visit the Dorian Temples and Acropolis
SYRACUSE
Guided visit of the archaeological site
STRAIT OF MESSINA
Ferry crossing
MATERA
Orientation
ALBEROBELLO
Orientation

-MEALS:  12 buffet breakfasts (BB); 5 three-course dinners (D), including a special welcome dinner with wine in Rome
-AIRPORT TRANSFERS Airport transfers may be included when you make your flight arrangements with Globus
-INSIDE VISITS are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges when applicable
-Hotel Accommodations Twin-bedded rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, service charges, and tips for baggage handling
ROME Jolly Villa Carpegna (F), NAPLES Jolly (F), PALERMO Jolly Foro Italico (F), TAORMINA Corallo (F), ALBEROBELLO Astoria (F), ROME Holiday Inn Rome West (F)
-Professional Tour Director while touring
-Private deluxe motorcoach with air-conditioning, extra leg room, and emergency washroom while touring
-Globus travel bag and travel documents

Day 1
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arrival in Rome
Time to rest or start exploring the Eternal City. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)

Day 3 Rome
Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman Legions marched in triumph. Then time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (BB)

Day 4 Rome–Naples
This morning visit splendid REGGIA OF CASERTA, an impressive residence of 1,200 rooms with elegant GARDENS stretching two miles, reminiscent of the French Palace of Versailles. Next, enter lively and colorful Naples. A Local Guide takes you first to the NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, housing some of the world’s greatest Greco-Roman treasures; focus on the well-preserved objects found in Pompeii. Then on to the city center to admire the remarkable Triumphal Arch of the New Castle, St. Charles Theater, the Royal Palace, Galleria Umberto, and the semicircular Piazza Plebiscito. Drive up to Posillipo Hill for a sweeping view of the Bay of Naples. Afterwards, explore the city independently. (BB)

Day 5 Naples. Excursion to Capri
Speed across the Bay of Naples to the Isle of Capri, an ancient retreat for Roman emperors. Sightseeing with a Local Guide includes a visit to VILLA SAN MICHELE in Anacapri. Time to explore pretty Capri town at your own pace before returning to Naples. (BB,D)

Day 6 Naples–Sorrento–Pompeii–Overnight Cruise to Palermo
A beautiful drive along the Mediterranean Coast to the charming resort of Sorrento. Time to check out the local shops before continuing to POMPEII, the Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Your Local Guide will walk you past patrician homes, public baths, and commercial districts strikingly recalling day-to-day life when Rome was at the apex of her power. Tonight board your FERRY for the overnight cruise to Sicily, the great melting pot of the Mediterranean world: Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Saracens, Normans, French, and Spanish have left their marks and contributed to its rich heritage. (BB)

Day 7 Palermo
Start sightseeing with a Local Guide. Visit the ornate Piazza Bellini, the CATHEDRAL, and the Arab-Norman PALATINE CHAPEL in the Royal Palace. Later, drive up to Monreale for a panoramic view of the Conca d’Oro and a visit to the 12th-century NORMAN CATHEDRAL, famous for its 50,000 square feet of precious Byzantine mosaics. End with a visit to the typical and picturesque village of Mondello. Back to Palermo over scenic, history-steeped Monte Pellegrino. Tonight you may wish to enjoy local specialties on an optional dinner outing. (BB)

Day 8 Palermo. Excursion to Valley of Temples
A day devoted to the scenic beauty and ancient Greek treasures of southwest Sicily. Head south to Agrigento and enjoy a walk with your Local Guide through the breathtaking VALLEY OF TEMPLES. Even travelers who have visited Athens and Delphi are awed by the gigantic yet graceful Greek structures that miraculously survived 24 centuries of tormented history. In the afternoon visit the DORIAN TEMPLES and ACROPOLIS at Selinunte, built on a natural balcony overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean. (BB,D)

Day 9 Palermo–Syracuse–Taormina
An easy morning drive through the heart of Sicily to Syracuse, birthplace of the mathematician Archimedes and once a powerful Greek port whose fleet was feared throughout the Mediterranean. It attracted visitors such as the philosopher Plato and later the Apostle Paul, who converted its citizens to Christianity. Enter the ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE with a Local Guide for a visit to the 5th-century B.C. sparkling white Greek Theater, the Garden of Paradise, the Ear of Dionysus, the Altar of Hieron II, the Roman Amphitheater, and the Cordmakers’ Cave. Evening arrival at your hotel in the Taormina area. (BB,D)

Day 10 At Leisure in Taormina
In the morning you may want to sign up for an exciting optional excursion to Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. Afternoon at leisure. (BB)

Day 11 Taormina–Matera–Alberobello
By FERRY across the Strait of Messina, land in Calabria; drive along the Ionian coast through Apulia, the richest region of the south. On to pretty Matera. After an orientation, continue to the picturesque town of Alberobello, famous for its unique trulli, whitewashed dry stone circular houses with pinnacled, conical roofs. (BB)

Day 12 At Leisure in Alberobello
Full day at leisure with plenty to do. Ask your Tour Director for suggestions. (BB,D)

Day 13 Alberobello–Rome
North to the Italian capital, passing through the hilly region of Irpinia. An optional festive dinner at one of Rome’s fine restaurants may be just the way to celebrate the success of your Italian vacation. (BB)

Day 14
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)