Thanksgiving in Italy
ROME , SORRENTO, NAPLES and the AMALFI COAST
November 19 – 27, 2005
sponsored by tdf




This seven day Thanksgiving vacation in trip Italy includes the following: roundtrip airfare, seven nights accommodations at 4 star and 4 star superior hotels, daily buffet breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 wine tasting and 3 dinners, guided tours of Rome including the Coliseum, Imperial Forum,  Trastevere and Jewish Ghetto, guided tours of Amalfi, Positano and Pompeii, guided tour of Capri including Augusto Gardens, Anicapri and Villa San Michele, Tour of Naples including Museo Archeologico Nazionale and Teatro San Carlo,Rome and Naples airport transfers.



Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday in Italy, starting with three nights in the eternal city of Rome and four nights on the magnificent Amalfi Coast perched above the bay of Naples in Sorrento. Marvel at  Rome’s historic sights and the stunning landscape of Amalfi and Positano, with excursions to Pompeii and to colorful Naples. A highlight is a delightful visit to the Isle of Capri on Thanksgiving Day. Cultural highlights include a musical event in Rome and a joyous Tarantella show in Sorrento. We have arranged a balanced schedule of structured and free time to help optimize your Italian holiday.  
DEPOSIT DUE AUGUST 1, 2005  






1.  Saturday, November 19     Departure
We depart from New York/JFK on Alitalia Airlines nonstop flight to Rome at 11:40pm.



2.  Sunday, November 20     Rome
Upon arrival at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport at 1:30pm, we check into the four-star Hotel Cicerone, strategically located in the Tiber loop where the most important Roman artistic treasures are contained. The Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, Castel Sant'Angelo and the Vatican are all within walking distance, reachable through paths which are real strolls through history and beauty. The afternoon is free to relax and freshen up and perhaps stroll around the neighborhood. This evening our welcome dinner is at a local restaurant.



3.  Monday, November 21     Rome
Our morning begins with a guided tour of ancient Rome. We tour the Coliseum, the famed battleground of the gladiators, the Roman Forum Terrace, the heart of ancient Rome, and the archaeological area of the Imperial forums. We are free for lunch. In the afternoon we explore the Jewish Ghetto and the Trastevere area, starting at Largo Argentina and the Senate House where Julius Caesar was murdered, then crossing Tiber Island to Campo de' Fiori, once the site of executions during the Inquisition and today one of the city's most lively piazzas. On this tour we see the hidden ancient city below the modern street level, and a little bit of every time period in between, from Medieval to Renaissance to Baroque. The evening is free.



4.  Tuesday, November 22     Rome
Today you are free to explore Rome at your own pace and to pursue your own interests in this exceedingly rich environment. For those who prefer a prearranged tour we offer an optional tour to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican City. Tonight we have a musical performance.



5.  Wednesday, November 23     Pompeii/Sorrento
This morning we depart by coach for the Amalfi coast, stopping for a guided tour of Pompeii, the ancient city buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. After lunch (included) we continue to Sorrento for our four night stay at the four-star superior Hotel Imperial Tramontano. Through its long history both as a private mansion and as a hotel the Tramontano has sheltered many luminaries of the literary world including Shelley, Longfellow,   Ibsen, Longfellow and Harriet Beecher Stow. The view across the Bay of Naples to Mt. Vesuvius is outstanding. This evening you are free for dinner.



6.  Thursday, November 24     Thanksgiving Day on Capri
What a treat to spend Thanksgiving Day exploring the Isle of Capri! After breakfast we depart from the Sorrento harbor and continue by ferry to Capri for a full day excursion. We visit both the village of Capri and Augusto’s Gardens and Anacapri where we visit Villa San Michele. The island's beauty is an epic one: cliffs that are the very embodiment of time, bougainvillea-shaded pathways overlooking the sea, trees seemingly hewn out of rock by the Greeks. We are free for lunch on our own with time for individual exploration.  We return to our hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy a festive holiday Thanksgiving feast at one of Sorrento’s fine restaurants.



7.  Friday, November 25     Positano, Amalfi and Ravello
After breakfast at the hotel, we enjoy a guided excursion wending our way along the glorious Amalfi Coast, beginning with a panoramic stop in the fabled resort town of Positano, a Moorish-style hillside village, overlooking  the Tyrrhenian Sea with its legendary Sirenuse Islands (Homer's siren islands in the Odyssey) .We continue to the historical center of Amalfi, with visits to Sant’ Andreas Cathedral, characterized by its black-and-white facade and mosaics, and the Cloister of Paradise, with its ancient columns. We then visit Ravello and savor a delicious lunch at a local restaurant followed by a tasting in a local wine cellar. We return to our hotel in the late afternoon. This evening in Sorrento we attend a Tarantella Show telling the tale of the Kingdom of Naples over the last 500 years.  



8.  Saturday, November 26     Naples
Today we spend the day in Naples, touring the old harbor area. We visit the Museo Archeologico Nazional with its legendary Farnese collection of ancient sculpture. In the afternoon, we take in one of the region's greatest palace-museums, the Museo Capodimonte, housed in one of the Bourbon royal palaces. It holds the city's finest collection of old master paintings and decorative arts. We have free time for lunch on our own, and then we take a backstage tour at the Opera San Carlo. Tonight we have a farewell dinner in Sorrento.  



9.  Sunday, November 26     Return to New York
After breakfast we transfer to the Naples airport for the 11:05am flight to Rome, where we connect to our nonstop Alitalia flight at 1:50pm, arriving at JFK at 5:20pm.





This engaging experience includes:

  • Roundtrip airfare New York-Rome and Naples- New York on Alitalia
  • 3 nights at Hotel Cicerone, Rome
  • 4 nights at Hotel Tramonanto, Sorrento
  • Daily buffet breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 wine tasting and 3 dinners
  • Guided tours of Rome per itinerary
  • Guided tours of Amalfi, Positano and Pompeii
  • Guided tour of Capri per itinerary
  • Tour of Naples including Museo Archeologico Nazionale and Teatro San Carlo
  • Rome and Naples airport transfers
PROGRAM PRICES  
Per person (double occupancy) from New York: $2999 not available after August 1, 2005.  
Land Only: $2599  
Single Supplement: $499  
Air Taxes: $165