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THE HIGHLIGHTS OF SICILY & SOUTHERN ITALY

Day 1 - (Sun.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 - Arrival in Rome, Italy. (Mon.) Time to rest or start exploring the "Eternal City." At 6 pm, 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. (Tue.) 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. (B)

Day 4 - Rome - Naples. (Wed.) 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. (B)

Day 5 - Naples. Excursion to Capri. (Thu.) Speed across the bay by JETFOIL to the Isle of Capri. Ride the FUNICULAR to Capri village for a guided visit of this pretty town. Free time to explore the little shops on the Piazzetta before returning to Naples. (B,D)

Day 6 - Naples'Sorrento - Pompeii - Overnight Cruise to Palermo. (Fri.) 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 AD. 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. (B)

Day 7 - Palermo. (Sat.) 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. Tonight, you may wish to enjoy local specialties on an optional dinner outing. (B)

Day 8 - Palermo. Excursion to Valley of Temples. (Sun.) 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. (B,D)

Day 9 - Palermo'Syracuse - Taormina Area. (Mon.) 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 BC 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. (B,D)

Day 10 - At Leisure in Taormina. (Tue.) 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. (B)

Day 11 - Taormina Area - Matera - Alberobello. (Wed.) By FERRY across the Strait of Messina, land in Calabria; drive along the Ionian coast through Apulia, the richest region of the south. Enjoy a guided walking tour of pretty Matera, then continue to the picturesque town of Alberobello, famous for its unique trulli, whitewashed dry stone circular houses with pinnacled, conical roofs. (B,D)

Day 12 - At Leisure in Alberobello. (Thu.) Full day at leisure with plenty to do. Ask your Tour Director for suggestions. (B)

Day 13 - Alberobello - Rome. (Fri.) Return 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. (B)

Day 14 - (Sat.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)