Italy's Golden Riviera with Sorrento, Capri & Rome

9 days from £1443

Rome • Sorrento • Pompeii • Amalfi Coast • Capri • Cassino • Tarquinia • Orvieto

This holiday includes 8 breakfasts and 7 evening meals

The play of sunlight on stucco and stone, red-roofed houses interspersed with the gleaming cupolas of richly ornamental churches, ancient towns and villages set against a verdant mountainside backdrop - all this inspire Italians to claim that the Neapolitan Riviera is their ‘Golden Coastline’. Based in Sorrento and Rome, we savour the lovely environs of the Amalfi Coast, the island of Capri, walk the streets of Old Pompeii and the enticing capital city of Rome.DAY 1 LONDON • ROME • SORRENTO
We begin with Titan HiTours VIP Home Departure Service™™ to London Heathrow Airport for you direct, scheduled Alitalia flight to Rome. On arrival we transfer by coach to Sorrento and the Grand Hotel Vesuvio, which will be our base for the next four nights. Dinner is included at the hotel tonight.

DAY 2 POMPEII
This morning we include a guided tour of Pompeii, the wealthy town that was buried in AD 79 by a massive eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It took just two days to completely engulf the town and its 25,000 inhabitants. First excavated in the 18th century, Pompeii is the most complete record of everyday life in the Roman Empire. We return to Sorrento this afternoon with the opportunity to explore the cobbled streets filled with an abundance of enticing shops. We dine at the hotel tonight.

DAY 3 AMALFI COAST
Today we journey on one of the world’s most beautiful routes, the Amalfi Coast. This 50km stretch of stunning coastline winds its way along the Sorrentine peninsula from Sorrento to Salerno, with breathtaking vistas of land and seascape. There will be time to stop for lunch before arriving in picturesque Ravello, which enchanted some of the greatest composers, including Wagner and Verdi. We include the entrance to Villa Rufolo gardens, from whose Italianate terrace there is a peerless view of the coastline below. After dinner at the hotel, we travel to the centre of Sorrento to see the Tarantella Show, an entertaining local musical, where you will also be offered a welcome drink.

DAY 4 CAPRI
We drive to the port by minibus to take the ferry to the idyllic island of Capri, which allures visitors with its rugged coastline and luxurious vegetation, as it did Gracie Fields, who lived here for most of her life. Accompanied by a local guide, we visit the Villa San Michele at Anacapri and then continue to the centre of the town for further exploration. Late in the afternoon we board the ferry to Sorrento and enjoy another dinner at our hotel this evening.

DAY 5 SORRENTO • CASSINO • ROME
Travelling north today, we take the mountain road to Cassino, which reveals stunning views of the valley below, before arriving at the Monastery of Monte Cassino. Founded in 529 by St Benedict, it was here that the saint drew up the rules of the Benedictine Order. There may also be time for a stop at the nearby Commonwealth cemetery. Continuing on our journey, we later stop for lunch en-route and then follow the Bay of Naples with its superb views, passing hillsides covered with olive groves, orange and lemon trees and vines. We arrive early evening at our hotel on the outskirts of Rome, the well-appointed Hotel Villa Pamphili where dinner is included on arrival.

DAY 6 ROME
Following an early start, we arrive in the centre of Rome and the Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, where you will be met by a local guide, who will accompany you on a tour of the Vatican, including the renowned Vatican Museums. Here you will discover one of the world’s most extensive art collections, the crowning glory of which is, of course, the Sistine Chapel. Your introduction to Rome continues with an included tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and Square and a drive through the streets of Rome for a view of the Colosseum. Time permitting; you are free for your own explorations, before returning to the hotel for dinner.

DAY 7 ROME
This morning you may choose to take an optional excursion to Tivoli and the Villa d’Este. Alternatively, you may wish to spend the whole day at leisure in Rome and there is something to discover around every corner and in every piazza, from the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain to the Pantheon and a stroll along the River Tiber. The best way to see Rome is on foot but there are plenty of cafés to tempt you, so perhaps stop to refresh yourself with an espresso or one of the endless varieties of ice cream along the way! You are free for dinner tonight.

DAY 8 TARQUINIA • ORVIETO
On our way to Tarquinia this morning, we pass Civitavecchia, the port that has served Rome since the reign of Trajan and which is guarded by the Fort of Michelangelo that was begun by Bramante, continued by Bernini and completed by Michelangelo. We stop at Lake Bolsena for lunch and then reach Tarquinia, most famous for the Etruscan burial ground, located nearby. You may wish to visit the Etruscan Museum filled with artefacts ranging from sarcophagi to jewellery before we depart for Orvieto. Located in the wine-clad hills of Umbria and an area that produces the celebrated white wine of the same name, Orvieto, reached by funicular, is crowned by an impressive Gothic cathedral with a colourful façade. After free time to explore, we return to Rome for our last included dinner.

DAY 9 ROME • LONDON
After breakfast, we board our coach to Rome airport for your direct, scheduled Alitalia flight to London Heathrow Airport where our staff will greet you and transfer you to Titan HiTours transport for your journey home to your own front door.Duration 9 days, 8 nights in hotels: 4 Sorrento & 4 Rome.

Titan HiTours VIP Home Departure Service™.

Check-in service by Titan staff.

Scheduled Alitalia flights

Transfers to and from Italian airports.

First class air-conditioned coaching with experienced drivers and the services of a Titan Tour Manager throughout.

Accommodation as specified in brochure or of a similar standard

Excursions, tours and entrances as detailed in the itinerary.

Hotel porterage (1 bag per person).

All airport taxes, security charges and UK Air Passenger Duty and applicable fuel surcharges.

Meals: Breakfast on days 2-9 & Dinner on days 1-6 &8