Southern Italy & Sicily 2028
12 days · Spring 2028 (exact dates to be confirmed) · Sorrento, Capri, Bari, Lecce, Alberobello, Reggio Calabria, Taormina, Cefalù, Palermo
A 12-day culinary and cultural itinerary tracking through Southern Italy, across the Adriatic and Ionian seas, down the boot, and across the sea into Sicily.
- Length
- 12 days · Spring 2028 (exact dates to be confirmed)
- Route
- Sorrento, Capri, Bari, Lecce, Alberobello, Reggio Calabria, Taormina, Cefalù, Palermo
- Country
- Italy
- Availability
- Bookable now
- Group
- Intimate group, one microbus
- Guiding
- Sommelier-led, English-speaking
- Indicative price
- $4,500 to $6,000 per person
- Included
- Hotels, tastings, most meals, transport
- Pompeii's Villa of the Mysteries and House of the Vettii
- Monte Solaro and Villa San Michele on Capri
- Hand-rolled orecchiette in Bari Vecchia
- Baroque Lecce and the trulli of Alberobello
- The Riace Bronzes in Reggio Calabria
- Taormina's Teatro Antico and the craters of Etna
- Norman gold mosaics in Cefalù, Palermo and Monreale
As it ran
The itinerary
Day 1
Rome → Pompeii → Sorrento
Transit south from Rome to tour the ruins of Pompeii, focusing on the Villa of the Mysteries and the House of the Vettii, then on to the clifftops of Sorrento. Stay: Villa Manning Relais. Dinner: Osteria Buonconvento.
Day 2
Capri
Morning hydrofoil to Capri. Chairlift up Monte Solaro in Anacapri for views of the Faraglioni, then the gardens of Villa San Michele. Stay: Villa Manning Relais. Dinner: Trattoria da Emilia on the piers of Marina Grande.
Day 3
Sorrento
A leisurely day in Sorrento's historic centre: the Cloister of San Francesco and limoncello under the lemon groves at I Giardini di Cataldo. Stay: Villa Manning Relais. Lunch: Osteria del Buon Umore, a slow food table known for salt baked sea bass and homemade lemon liqueurs.
Day 4
Bari
Across Italy's mountainous spine to Bari. Wander Bari Vecchia, watch orecchiette being hand-rolled on Via dell'Arco Basso, and visit the Basilica of Saint Nicholas. Stay: Dilman Luxury Stay. Dinner: Osteria Le Arpie, tucked away deep in the old town.
Day 5
Lecce → Alberobello
Morning in Lecce, the “Florence of the South”: the Basilica of Santa Croce and the Roman Amphitheater. On to the Itria Valley and Alberobello. Stay: Palazzo Scotto. Lunch: Evo Ristorante. Dinner on your own.
Day 6
Alberobello
Walk the Rione Monti and Aia Piccola districts and their thousand trulli, including the two-storey Trullo Sovrano. Stay: Palazzo Scotto. Lunch: Trattoria Terra Madre, set inside a trullo house.
Day 7
Reggio Calabria
South into the toe of the boot to see the Riace Bronzes at the National Archaeological Museum. Stay: Hotel Albanuova. Lunch: Osteria Malavenda, a great local tavern. Dinner on your own.
Day 8
Strait of Messina → Taormina
Ferry across the Strait of Messina and down Sicily's east coast to Taormina: Corso Umberto and the Teatro Antico above the Ionian Sea. Stay: Casa Turchetti. Lunch: Osteria Nero d'Avola, a slow food champion. Dinner on your own.
Day 9
Etna
An excursion to the lower craters of Mount Etna, or down to the waters of Isola Bella. Stay: Casa Turchetti. Dinner: Trattoria Tiramisù, famous for perfectly grilled local seafood.
Day 10
Cefalù
West along the north coast to Cefalù and its Norman Duomo of 1131, beneath the Byzantine mosaics of Christ Pantocrator. Stay: Le Calette Garden & Bay. Lunch: Osteria Magno, modern twists on classic Sicilian dishes in a centuries old building.
Day 11
Palermo
On to Palermo and the Cappella Palatina inside the Royal Palace, then panelle at the vibrant Ballarò Market. Stay: Palazzo del Poeta. Dinner: Trattoria Ai Cascinari, an institution since the 1940s.
Day 12
Monreale → Departure
A side trip to Monreale's cathedral and its 6,000 square metres of gold mosaics, with the afternoon free or an optional visit to the Palermo Catacombs. Stay: Palazzo del Poeta. Farewell dinner: Osteria Ballarò, set within the ancient stables of a historic palace.
Upcoming departures
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Journeys from $2,500 to $6,000 per person · exact quote on enquiry