Pompei and Amalfi coast

If you feel like immersing yourself in the history and at the same time in the beauty of Italian landscapes, for a wonderful cultural experience, this is the tailor-made proposal for you.
You will be able to discover the history of the peoples of the ancient Pompeii and enjoy the timeless beauties of the coastal landscapes.
You will be free to choose two of the proposed coastal resorts (Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and Sorrento) to accompany your visit to the archaeological excavations of Pompeii.

Pompeii
Pompeii is located in the Gulf of Naples, on the slopes of Vesuvius. It is a city of ancient origin: it was born as an Osco settlement, it was then inhabited by Samnites and later, from the first century a.D., conquered by the Romans.
Today it is known as the city that hosts one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.
The archaeological excavations, which began during the eighteenth century, have progressively brought to light an urban center that played an important role in the times of the Roman Empire. It had about twenty thousand inhabitants, its streets were animated by artisan shops and traders and many of its citizens lived in luxurious villas, richly furnished and frescoed. Pompeii and the surrounding lands were also a popular holiday resort.
The Roman city was buried by lava following the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 a.D., in its time of maximum prosperity.
Lava and ash created a kind of cover that allowed the city to maintain itself over the centuries and to be protected from the weather, for this reason the city has remained intact until this day and can be visited.
Then, walk around the site, get lost to its homes and frescoes, and you’ll discover the genuine spirit of the past.

Sorrento
Of Greek origin, Sorrento during the nineteenth century established itself as a famous tourist destination.
Today the city has become an international tourist destination, mainly thanks to its central location among the main tourist resorts in the area: Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Capri, Pompeii and Naples.
Sorrento is a quiet center, pleasant in every season for the mild weather, the scent of the gardens and the panoramic terraces.
The heart of the city is Piazza Tasso, dedicated to the homonymous writer, born in Sorrento in 1544.
The historic center still shows the orthogonal route of the roads of Roman origin with thistles and decumani, while towards the mountain it is surrounded by sixteenth-century walls.
The artifacts of the past are preserved in the National Museum of Terranova along with an extensive collection of furniture, porcelain and paintings.
From the 18th century Sorrento also became famous for its great artisan tradition of inlaid wood.
Not to be missed is the Church of San Francesco, from which you can reach the Villa Comunale overlooking the Gulf of Naples.

Positano
Originally a small fishermen village in the heart of the Amalfi Coast, Positano with its colors and its Mediterranean-style houses offers an enchanting view that seems the scenography of a theater. The best way to visit and grasp the nuances of the village is to walk through the narrow streets full of shops, famous for the clothes of the original “Moda Positano”. Shopping among the picturesque shops is a unique experience. Positano, a seductive place like the sirens who, according to the myth, lived on the rocks of Li Galli, the small islands in front of it. From every point of the town you can admire the multicolored majolica dome of the Church of S. Maria Assunta which guards the icon of the Black Madonna, of Byzantine inspiration, dating back to the 18th century. Of considerable artistic and cultural interest, the Roman Archaeological Museum (M.A.R.), archaeological site of a Roman residential villa, discovered under the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, witness of valuable architectural and picturesque testimonies of the past. The Spiaggia Grande is the heart of the town, as well as being one of the longest on the coast, it is one of the most worldly, frequented by artists and celebrities who chose this corner of paradise from the early 1900s. In the second half of the 1500s Positano had built watchtowers, the three most important, that of the Sponda, of Trasita and that of Fornillo, are still visible today.

Amalfi
On a small promontory, Amalfi is the center of the Amalfi Coast, between the ninth and eleventh centuries it was the seat of a powerful maritime republic. In the heart of the city stands the Cathedral consecrated to Sant’Andrea, from the Arab-Norman era, anticipated by a wide staircase and characterized by enamels, mosaics and a golden bell tower. A particularly flourishing city in history, here we can observe two of the paper mills still operational, linked to the production of the precious Amalfi paper, of which you can visit the Paper Museum. Equally beautiful are the characteristic alleys, where you can find the shops of local artisans. Particulary interesting are the Arsenals where the great galleys of the military fleet were built and the Emerald Grotto a few km from Amalfi.

Ravello
After Amalfi we will continue our tour to Ravello situated on a small promontory called Cimbronium, a beautiful terrace overlooking the sea and the villages of Minori and Maiori.
Ravello is not a seaside town, but it is situated on a spur: the view over the Amalfi Coast you can enjoy from here is one of the most picturesque and sublime sights that human eyes can admire.
In the centre of the town, on the right side of the cathedral, a square tower marks the entrance to the Villa Rufolo, a complex of buildings of the second half of the’200, here you can admire the Richard Wagner terrace, so called because it inspired the garden of Klingsor, in the second act of Parsifal, which today hosts the Ravello Summer Festival. Walking to the top of the promontory you will find the majestic beauty of Villa Cimbrone, built on the foundations of an ancient patrician villa, which housed sovereign and illustrious names of science and politics.
The most important point of the villa is the infinity terrace so called from Gore Vidal for his majestic opening above the horizon.