Flavors of Campania: Sorrento, Naples, and the Amalfi Coast

The itinerary for our Flavors of Campania culinary vacation on the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, and Campania follows, but the order of activities may be altered slightly due to weather, season, and opening and closing time of establishments.

Day One – Sunday

• Transfer from the Naples airport or train station to your accommodations at a charming Bed and Breakfast located in Sorrento. Check in to your home for your Amalfi Coast culinary vacation and free time to relax or explore.
• Dinner tonight is at a local restaurant in the city center (wine not included, paid locally).
• Overnight.

Day Two – Monday

• Breakfast.
• In the morning transfer to your first hands-on cooking class at a local villa, where you will cook with the family in the preparation of a full meal. Your class will feature traditional Neapolitan recipes as you prepare a starter, first and second courses, and dessert. Or, some weeks might see the cooking class take place at a local cooking atelier.
• Rest of day at leisure.
• Dinner on your own and overnight.

Day Three – Tuesday

• Today enjoy a full day Amalfi Coast food tour to some of the area’s most famous towns. First stop will be Amalfi, an ancient Maritime Republic that is famous for its beautiful cathedral and its traditions as a fishing village. Stop on the way to see the beauty of this coastline. Next head to Positano, a well-known destination famous for its pebbled beach and steep, narrow streets. Explore the boutiques and cafes, head to the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta to see its tiled dome and 13th-century Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary.
• On the way back to Sorrento stop at the beautiful village of Ravello. Situated on top of a steep cliff, Ravello overlooks Maiori and Minori as well as the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno, which you can see from its famous villas such as the Villa Rufulo.
• Return back to Sorrento.
• Dinner on your own and overnight.

Day Four – Wednesday

• In the morning head off on a “Gozzo” (traditional boat) with a guide for a group tour to the amazing island of Capri. Your full day trip to this paradise will include 3 hours on board and 3 hours ashore where you can explore on your own. Inhabited since prehistoric times, Capri became a Greek colony and then a Emperor’s resort in the early years of the ancient Roman Empire. It was a residence of the Emperor Augustus, and the Emperor Tiberius built several villas, including the Villa Iovis, which has been excavated and can be visited. During the 10th century the people of Capri, fearing pirate raids, transferred their settlements from the seaside to the present towns, Capri (east) and Anacapri (west), high above the shore.
• In the Middle Ages, Capri became part of the Abbey of Montecassino and to the republic of Amalfi before being absorbed into the Kingdom of Naples. There are still the ruins of two medieval castles, the Castiglione and the Castello di Barbarossa, and the oldest church (from the 10th and 11th Centuries) is dedicated to the isle’s patron saint, St. Costanzo. Also worth visiting is the Villa San Michele, built by the Swedish writer Axel Munthe on the site of a Tiberian villa.
• Return back to Sorrento in the afternoon.
• Dinner tonight at a local restaurant (drinks included), and overnight.

Day Five – Thursday

• Breakfast, and check out.
• This morning, depart for an excursion to Pompeii to explore the ruins of the Ancient Roman city that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 BC. You will have a 2-hour guided tour of this famous and remarkably preserved site.
• Later in the morning proceed on your culinary tour of Southern Italy to the Volcano Vesuvio for a wine tasting and light lunch at a local wine estate.
• Continue to Naples and check in to your hotel.
• Dinner tonight will be at a traditional Neapolitan restaurant within walking distance of your hotel (wine included).
• Overnight.

Day Six – Friday

• Breakfast.
• Meet your private guide for a 6-hour walking tour of Naples. You will see some of the city’s famous monuments from the outside, such as the Royal Palace, the Teatro San Carlo, the Maschio Angioino, the Galleria Umberto, and Piazza del Peblescito.
  Walk along the “Spaccanapoli” street in the ancient heart of the city, the east-west Roman road that splits the city in two. You will visit the Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo, Santa Chiara, the Cattedrale di San Gennaro, the Via di San Gregorio Armeno (where artisans craft the iconic presepi , or nativity scenes, of Naples), and the Cappella San Severo to see Giuseppe Sanmartino’s “Cristo Velato” (Veiled Christ), one of the most famous sculptures in Italy.
• During your tour you will stop for tastings of typical Neapolitan street food such as “pizza fritta,” “pizza a portafoglio,” “cuoppo,” and the delicious “sfogliatella.”
• Return to your hotel on your own (either on foot if you still want to explore or by taxi).
• Dinner on your own and overnight.

Day Seven – Saturday

• Breakfast and check out. Transfer either to the Naples train station or Naples airport.