Watch our video to learn more!
in partnership with Feast on History
Friday, June 28, 2019 – Sunday, July 7, 2019
(10 days/9 nights)
Rome > Naples > Palermo > Rome
Limited to 14 Guests | Private Transportation | Fully Escorted | All but 6 Meals
Price: $5,150 per person, double occupancy *, **
- Pay in-full by personal check and receive $150 off the cost of your tour.
Go off the beaten path and taste the best of Southern Italy and Sicily. Our Southern Secrets: Campania and Sicily’s Hidden Corners tour will take you beyond the ordinary. Highlights include the Greek temples of Paestum, touring the vines and savoring the wines of the Irpinia wine region, exploring the ancient Phoenician outpost of Mozia, and eating “archeo-cuisine” in the shadow of the Greek-Roman Valley of the Temples at Agrigento. We’ll be mesmerized by the food markets in Palermo, learn to cook regional dishes from a Baronessa at her buffalo farm in countryside of Cilento, and relish freshly-made couscous while gazing at the splendid Trapani Salt Flats.
Hosted by Danielle Oteri of Feast on History and Allison Scola of Experience Sicily, during Southern Secrets: Campania and Sicily’s Hidden Corners, you will be delighted by personalized service, insider knowledge, and uncommon excursions. Refresh your spirit with this stimulating adventure through Southern Italy and Sicily!
* Single Occupancy Supplement is an additional $1000.
** Save $150/person if you pay by personal check.
- Price includes:
- all accommodations
- daily breakfasts, three lunches, and eight dinners
- wine at dinners (equivalent to two glasses per person, per meal)
- all ground transportation by private, air-conditioned coach
- airfare between Naples and Palermo and Palermo and Rome
- enrichment program provided by Danielle and Allison throughout the tour
- all entrance fees, tours, and local guides
- taxes, service charges, and gratuities
- Price does not include international airfare or travel insurance.
- Please contact us before scheduling your flight from Rome on the final day in order to coordinate a smooth transfer.
Secure your place today by calling 646-281-4324 or emailing AllisonScola@ExperienceSicily.com.
To secure your spot, a $2,000 deposit is required, $350 of which is non-refundable.
Contact Us Today!
Day by Day Descriptions
This itinerary is subject to change.
Day 1 | Fri., June 28 | Welcome to Cilento
Our private coach will pick you up in Rome at noon in front of the Westin Excelsior Hotel. We’ll then travel to the Cilento, a part of Campania that is heavily influenced by Greek culture.
We’ll check-in at Borgo La Pietraia, a lush property overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. After you’ve had a chance to rest and take a dip in the pool, we’ll meet for a special welcome dinner at FOOD Restaurant, the property’s fine-dining restaurant led by chef Mario Stellato.
Meal Included for Today: Dinner
Accommodations: Borgo La Pietraia, family-run inn
Day 2 | Sat., June 29 | Cooking with the Baronessa and Paestum
We’ll spend the morning at Masseria Eliseo, a family estate and buffalo farm where we’ll enjoy a five-course cooking class led by Baronessa Cecilia Baratta Bellelli. After lunch in her dining room, we’ll visit the 6th century B.C.E. temples at Paestum. We’ll have a 1-hour tour of the ruins followed by free time to explore.
Meals Included for Today: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodations: Borgo La Pietraia, family-run inn
Day 3 | Sun, June 30 | Cilento Coast
Explore the natural coast of the Cilento and the ancient Greek settlement at Velia where the Eleatic School of Philosophers once lived. We’ll visit the seaside villages where the Mediterranean Diet was first discovered and where the locals have been studied from their extraordinary good health and long lives. In the evening, we’ll have dinner at a restaurant in Borgo Castellabate, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Italy’s most beautiful small villages.
Meals Included for Today: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodations: Borgo La Pietraia, family-run inn
Day 4 | Mon., July 1 | Irpinia Wines and Naples
Pack your bags for our transfer to Naples. First we’ll drive deep into the cool, lush mountains and the territory called Irpinia, one of Italy’s most prestigious wine regions. After a tour of the vines at Feudi di San Gregorio, the largest winemaker in Southern Italy, we’ll enjoy a private lunch and wine tasting in their cellar. We’ll arrive in Naples in time for the evening passeggiata along the Bay. Relax at the hotel, or go out for a late night pizza with our curated list of Naples’ best pizzerias in hand.
Meals Included for Today: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodations: Naples, 4-star Hotel
Day 5 | Tues, July 2 | Welcome to Sicily and Lo Zingaro Nature Preserve
After a morning flight to Palermo from Naples, we’ll settle in to our agriturismo in the village of Scopello. You’ll have time on your own to explore the village and swim in the pool at the agriturismo and wander through the vineyard.
Meals Included for Today: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodations: Scopello, Family-run inn
Day 6 | Wed., July 3 | Erice, Trapani’s Salt Pans, and Mozia
In the late morning, we’ll head to the walled city of Erice, where in ancient times the Goddess of Love ruled, and today, captivating boutiques and sweeping views of the Tyrrhenian Sea will bewitch you. After lunch on your own, as a group, we’ll tour Trapani’s salt pans and take a short boat ride to tour the island of Mozia, which was a Phoenician outpost until the late 4th century BCE. For dinner, we’ll enjoy couscous as the sun sets over the antique windmills.
Meals Included for Today: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodations: Scopello, Family-run inn
Day 7 | Thur., July 4 | Valley of the Temples and Olive Farm
In our private coach, we’ll travel to Agrigento for the day to be inspired by Valley of the Temples with an expert guide. And doing like the Romans and Greeks did, we’ll experience “Archeo Cuisine,” that is, ancient recipes discovered by food historians for lunch. After being mesmerized by the Temple to Juno, the Temple of Concordia, and the Temple of Hercules, to name just three of the seven at the UNESCO site, we’ll stop at an olive farm, where we’ll learn about olive cultivation and enjoy typical cuisine of western Sicily.
Meals Included for Today: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Accommodations: Scopello, Family-run inn
Day 8 | Fri., July 5 | Rest and Relax in Scopello
This morning, we’ll embark from the nearby marina at Castellammare del Golfo for a coastal boat excursion to enjoy swimming in the crystal-clear sea of Lo Zingaro Nature Preserve. In the afternoon, our home base, Scopello will host your wills and desires today. Enjoy the property at our family-run inn—the pool, the sun terrace, and the grapevines on the hillside. Walk to the village for a gelato, and take a swim among the rock stacks at the nearby ancient tuna fishery. For dinner, we’ll meet-up to swap stories of our adventures.
Meals Included for Today: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodations: Scopello, Family-run inn
Day 9 | Sat., July 6 | Palermo Markets and Monreale Cathedral
Bring your appetite, because we’re heading to the center of Palermo where we’ll enjoy a walking tour through the historic, open-air markets while we taste the treasures of the city’s world-renowned street food. After some time on your own, we’ll head to the medieval town of Monreale to be dazzled by the UNESCO recognized Cathedral with its more than 68,000 square feet of mosaic tile designs illustrating scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
Meals Included for Today: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Scopello, Family-run inn
Day 10 | Sun., July 7 | Early Flight from Palermo to Rome
As a group, we’ll have an early-morning departure from Palermo airport to Rome to meet your return flights to the U.S.
Meals Included for Today: “To Go” Breakfast
Accommodations: Scopello, Family-run inn
Secure your place today by calling 646-281-4324 or emailing AllisonScola@ExperienceSicily.com.
Important Notes to Consider
- The tour officially begins with your transfer from the Rome Westin Excelsior Hotel to our inn in Cilento at noon on Friday, June 28, 2019 and officially ends with your flight from Palermo to Rome on Sunday, July 7, 2019.
- Flights from the U.S. will depart the night before our tour begins (on June 27, 2019) and will arrive the morning of June 28, 2019. Our first group event will be meeting at noon on June 28, 2019 at the Rome Westin Excelsior Hotel. Please plan accordingly. The official conclusion of our tour on July 7, 2019 is with check-out of our hotel in Scopello and a private transfer to Punta Raisi Falcone-Borsellino Airport with a coordinated flight to Rome Fiumicino Airport.
- The boutique nature of this itinerary means that it is subject to change as we get closer to departure. Our objective is to include activities and events that are tailored to our guests’ interests. Therefore, in most cases, changes will enhance your experience, as it is our mission to provide you with the most memorable experience in Italy.
- The trip price is for double occupancy and does not include international airfare. There is a single supplement of $1000.
- Complete details about our accommodations will be released once you have paid in full. All information will be emailed to you approximately 30 days before departure.
- Tour price includes costs for all excursions, planned entertainment and ticket prices, tour transportation, and all but 6 meals (consult day to day description for details).
- Tour price does not include international airfare, travel insurance, mini-bar purchases, room service, or personal purchases and gifts.
- The meals included in the tour price include 2 glasses of wine and/or soft drinks per meal. If you wish to enjoy additional wine or other alcoholic beverages beyond this allotment, you are welcome to purchase them separately from the group’s bill.
- The cost of this tour does not include travel insurance; however, it is highly recommended that you purchase a comprehensive plan to cover the costs of your airfare, tour, loss of luggage, and medical expenses. Please ask us for a list of providers.
- Gratuities are included. Any additional recognition of our drivers, hosts, and guides is at your discretion.
- Both Campania and Sicily are large regions that require significant driving. They are also very mountainous and, as a result, has many winding roads. We have designed the itinerary to break up the driving as much as possible, but on some days, long drives will be necessary. If you suffer from motion sickness, please bring motion-sickness medication with you. Please alert Danielle and Allison what will make you more comfortable.
- You must be in good physical health to enjoy this tour. Although we will not be engaging in physically rigorous excursions, there is a significant amount of walking on various surfaces and types of terrain as well as standing for extended periods of time, especially at archeological sites.
- Please inform us in advance regarding any dietary restrictions, food allergies, and other personal concerns.
- Photographs or, in some cases, videos of Participants of Experience Sicily and Feast on History Programs may be used for educational and promotional purposes by Experience Sicily and Feast on History. Participants expressly consent to this manner of promotional use when reservations are completed.
- Experience Sicily appreciates constructive criticism and feedback. If you have any suggestions or issues while on the tour, please approach Allison privately to discuss thoughts and solutions.
Payment Schedule
A deposit of $2,000 per person (the “Deposit”), payable to Experience Sicily, of which $350 is non-refundable for administrative fees, is required at the time of the submission of the reservation application for the program (hereinafter, “the Program”) for each participant (“Participant”). Final payment, by check or wire transfer, must be received 120 days prior to departure.
Responsibility Statement
Scola Communications Solutions, LLC d/b/a Experience Sicily (“Experience Sicily”) acts only as an agent for the various independent suppliers that provide hotel accommodations, transportation, sightseeing, activities, or other services connected with this tour. Such services are subject to the terms and conditions of those suppliers. Experience Sicily, its respective employees, agents, representatives, and assigns accept no liability whatsoever for any injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or any other incident which may be caused by the negligence, defect, default of any company or person performing these services. Experience Sicily does not accept responsibility for losses, injury, damages or expenses of any kind due to sickness, weather, labor strikes, hostilities, wars, terrorist acts, acts of nature, local laws or other such causes. All services and accommodations are subject to the laws and regulations of the country in which they are provided. Experience Sicily is not responsible for any baggage or personal effects of any individual participating in the tours/trips it arranges. Individual travelers are responsible for purchasing a travel insurance policy that will cover some of the expenses associated with the loss of luggage or personal effects.
Changes In Itinerary and Costs
Changes in Itinerary & Costs – Feast on History, Experience Sicily, and our partners are committed to creating an enjoyable Program itinerary. If improvements can be made prior to the commencement of or even during the Program, or if unforeseen conditions make changes necessary, Feast on History and Experience Sicily reserve the right to vary the Program itinerary and/or substitute hotels or accommodations of a reasonably equivalent quality and will not be held responsible for any of these types of changes or occurrences. Individual deviations or additions to or from the scheduled Program itinerary are at the sole expense of the individual Participant. All prices are subject to change without prior notice due to currency fluctuation, fuel prices and/or unforeseen economic circumstances.
Secure your place today by calling
646-281-4324 or emailing
AllisonScola@ExperienceSicily.com.
