Day 1:  Welcome to Rome! Introductory Dolce Vita Tour

After relaxing, you will be picked up by your guide, who will accompany you on your “Dolce Vita” Tour. You’ll uncover the secrets locked in Bernini’s work, marvel at the Pantheon, the best preserved ancient Roman monument, toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure your return to the Eternal City, and simply enjoy Rome’s charming streets in a leisurely Italian fashion. By the end of the tour, you will realize that your guide has not only shown you around Rome, but has taught you how to get around almost like a native.

Day 2:  Walk in the Footsteps of the Ancient Romans

Your driver will pick you up at your hotel and accompany you to meet your guide at the Colosseum, one of the ancient world’s largest structures, where Romans once gathered to watch gladiator games, animal contests, and even reenactments of sea battles. A massive stone amphitheater that seated an estimated 60,000 spectators, it was built in only eight years. Your guide will tell you about its design and construction, political purposes, fighters (both willing and unwilling), and eventual demise as an arena. At the Imperial Roman Forum, you will hear about the myths and religions of ancient Rome as you wander through the ruins of meeting halls and temples, such as that of the Vestal Virgins, who maintained Vesta’s sacred fire and were considered to be almost goddesses. The most ancient Latin text ever found, the Lapis Niger (“black stone”), can also be found in the Forum, in the foundation of a column. Your tour will end on the Capitoline Hill, the smallest and most important of the seven hills of ancient Rome, which offers a wonderful view of the city and the Forum.

Day 3, Morning:  Tour The Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica

Your driver will pick you up at your hotel and accompany you to meeet your guide for this signature Your Own Italy tour of The Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica. The art of The Vatican is among the most recognizable in the world. In leading you through the museums, your guide will convey the tantalizing background of these Renaissance masterpieces, the geniuses who created them, and the powers who commissioned them. In the Sistine Chapel, below the largest and most renowned fresco in the world, your tour guide will explain the intriguing history of this work and the hidden messages Michelangelo painted into it. After the museum, you’ll visit St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest Catholic church in the world, where you can see Michelangelo’s magnificent Pietà, Bernini’s acclaimed altar canopy, and the tombs of the Popes, including that of John Paul II.

Day 3, Evening:  Culinary Adventure

Food and Wine Tour in the Trendy Trastevere Neighborhood

Your sommelier/guide will take you on a food and wine tour of trendy Trastevere. This quintessential Roman neighborhood across the Tiber River is a little bit Greenwich Village, a little bit Left Bank, but mainly regular Italian – a place where Roman pappas bring their families for Sunday dinners after church and young Romans lounge in the piazzas on evenings and weekends. Your Own Italy’s four-hour food and wine walking tour presents Trastevere at night. You’ll sample a sumptuous blend of Italian classics like pizza and pasta, real Roman street food, less-known meats and cheeses, and amazing wine in a secret cellar – its history will blow you away. Few activities in Rome deliver as many hidden surprises and enchanting moments as this, in one of our favorite neighborhoods.

Day 4:  Explore ancient Pompeii Enjoy Lunch and Wine Tasting on Mt. Vesuvious then Settle into Sorrento

Your private driver will pick you up at your hotel and take you to Rome’s train station for a high-speed train to Naples. A driver will pick you up – destination Pompeii for a private tour. With its intact streets and buildings, many two stories tall, Pompeii is a trip back through time and into the world of people who were not all that different from today’s. Whether enjoying an affluent citizen’s life in spacious, frescoed houses centered around airy courtyard, or struggling along as a working stiff, eating on the go at a “fast food” restaurant and bathing in public baths, Pompeii’s inhabitants lived their lives in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius, which will be your next stop for lunch and wine tasting at a family-owned winery.

Day 5:  Let the Coast Awaken Your Spirit

Your experienced driver will handle the twists and turns of the winding roads of the Amalfi Peninsula while you sit back and enjoy the breathtaking views. In the tiny jewel of Positano, a small town that clings to a mountain rising from the sea, you will have the opportunity to take in the local style – white linen dresses, artisan sandals, jewelry – in charming courtyard markets, and the local refreshments – including true Italian lemon ice, or “granite al limone” made of fresh local lemons – at bars with terraces overlooking the sea. The colors are so bright and pure that you might have to pinch yourself to remember that this is real reality and not the virtual kind. From Positano you will be taken to Ravello, at the top of Mount Cerreto, where you will lunch at the most spectacular panoramic terrace you have ever seen, then stroll in the lovely gardens of Villa Ruffolo, home of the world-famous summer music festival. Wrap up the day in Amalfi, where you will visit the 11th century cathedral of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of the town.

Day 6:  Dive into the Waters of Capri

Your guide will pick you up at your hotel and accompany you to the port of Sorrento where you will board the ferry to Capri. There your private boat and captain will be waiting to accompany you on a dream like day in the waters of Capri. Be prepared to dive in the pristine blue waters of the world-famous grottos that encircle the base of the famed island. Your captain will navigate to nearly private coves where the colors of the water dance amongst the many hues of the deep blue that characterizes this enchanting island. No need to bring towels or drinks, your captain will have them on board. You will also have snorkeling equipment to use while swimming. Upon docking, dry off and meet your guide will accompany you in a private vehicle up the hairpin, narrow road to Anacapri. On the way, sneak a few peaks
at the white washed villas masked by an abundance of colored flowers. A stroll at the top of the mountain to visit the famed Capri sandal makers as well as a breathtaking view from the enchanting villa San Michele perched on the furthest edge overlooking the bay. You can also choose to go up the funicular to see the views fro the very top of the island. After lunch your guide will accompany you on a walking tour of the town of Capri and its port.

Day 7:  Departure – Arrivederci !

Italy salutes you with a warm and heartfelt “Arrivederci!” See you again! Now that you’ve travelled with Your Own Italy, you have friends in Italy.