Highlights
4 night stay in Castellabate
Visit to Paestum, home to some of the best preserved Greek temples in the world
Visit to a local buffalo/mozzarella producing farm with a tasting and light lunch
Guided tour of Paestum's archaeological area
Winery visit and tasting of wine and olive oil in Capaccio
Private boat cruise along Cilento's coast and grottos
Cooking class in Castellabate showcasing typical Cilento food
2 night stay in Matera
Guided tour of Sassi (Matera Rocks)
Traditional Matera Pasta Cooking Class
4 night stay in Lecce, known as the 'Florence of the South'
Shopping Tour of Lecce with a personal shopper onboard rickshaws
Guided walk through the old town of Gallipoli
Sunset cruise in Gallipoli among the waters of the beautiful Ionian Sea
Visit to Otranto, Italy's most eastern town
Visit to the seaside village Santa Cesarea Terme
Visit to the seaside village Santa Maria di Leuca
Visit to Torre Santa Susana for a winery tasting and light lunch
4 night stay in the UNESCO-listed town of Alberobello
Visit to Locorotondo for a winery tasting and light lunch
Visit to Cisternino listed in Italy's most beautiful villages
Visit to Marina Franca Martina Franca a hilltop village in Val D'Itria
Guided walking tour of Ostuni with its beautiful white-washed houses
Guided walking tour of the fisherman's village of Polignano a Mare
4 night stay in Rome
Guided movie tour of Rome including Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps & Piazza Novana
Guided tour of Ancient Rome including the Colosseum and the Roman Forum
Free time in Rome to explore at leisure
Inclusions
Personally escorted from Australia ‐ Your Sisterhood Tour hostess is on hand to assist with making your holiday a memorable one
Return economy airfares from Melbourne to Italy including taxes (other departure cities and business class upgrade pricing on request)
All transportation including 1st class rail ticket from Bari to Rome
Services of an experienced guide throughout
Quality Accommodation (combination of 3 & 4 star properties) in good locations.
Comprehensive sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees
Breakfast daily and other meals as per itinerary
Meet and Greet prior to departure
Sisterhood documentation and travel wallet
Women's Essential Kit & Sisterhood journal
Small Groups, Personal Service
Tipping - In Italy, although tipping is not compulsory it is expected and appreciated. Sisterhood Womens Travel's tipping system on all group tours involves passengers contributing to a kitty which is paid directly to the Hostess upon departure. Your hostess will then distribute appropriately to the service providers as required. This system avoids the need for you to consider individual tipping situations daily throughout the trip. Approximate Tipping Kitty for this tour - EUR150.00 - This amount will be confirmed with your tour documentation and any unused allowance will be returned.
Notice
*** To get the best experience out of this tour, in some areas we are using smaller properties therefore some of the rooms may be of different standard compared to others.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Monday 2 September 2024
Melbourne - Naples
Welcome to Sisterhood Womens Travel. Meet your tour hostess and fellow travellers at the Melbourne Airport for our flight to Italy. Sit back, relax and enjoy the inflight entertainment of the airlines as we head towards the number 1 travel destination for women!
Day 2 - Tuesday 3 September 2024
Welcome to Italy (D)
Welcome to Italy! Upon arrival into Naples Airport, we'll be met by our tour manager and transferred to Castellabate for our four night stay. Castellabate and its medieval charm retains its ancient gateways and protective city walls, providing a captivating tangle of alleyways, pedestrian lanes and steps interspersed with little piazzas, flower-lined palazzi, and stone archways. The town seems to bask in the sun as it lays itself out on the hillside facing the sea. Its beauty, history and location have put it on the list as a UNESCO heritage site, as well as naming it one of the Borghi Piu' Belli d'Italia (most beautiful villages in Italy).
The remainder of the day is at leisure before a welcome dinner at our hotel tonight.
Overnight - Hotel Hermitage (or similar)
Day 3 - Wednesday 4 September 2024
Castellabate - Paestum - Castellabate (B,L)
Today after breakfast, we travel to Paestum, home to some of the world's best preserved ancient Greek temples. Paestum is also home to a cluster of buffalo farms that produce Italy’s best mozzarella di bufala and here we visit and tour a local buffalo farm/mozzarella producer. This family business has been established since the early 1900s, hand-forming the luscious cheese according to tradition. Following our tour we'll enjoy a tasting and light lunch.
In the afternoon we'll experience a guided tour of the Paestum archaeological site. The ruins of Paestum are notable for their three ancient Greek temples which are in a very good state of preservation.
Returning to our hotel for dinner at leisure.
Overnight - Hotel Hermitage (or similar)
Day 4 - Thursday 5 September 2024
Castellabate - Capaccio - Cilento Coast - Castellabate (B)
Today we'll visit a local winery for a tasting of wine and olive oil. Afterwards, we travel to the beautiful coast and enjoy free time before a private boat tour along Cilento’s coast and grottos. From captivating beaches, crystal-clear waters, picturesque cliffs and hidden coves, the Cilento Coast offers a natural paradise.
Returning to our hotel with dinner at leisure.
Overnight - Hotel Hermitage (or similar)
Day 5 - Friday 6 Sepember 2024
Castellabate (B,L,D)
Today after breakfast, we'll enjoy a cooking class in town and have the opportunity to learn how to make typical Cilento food before enjoying the fruits of our labour for lunch.
We then have an afternoon at leisure to continue exploring Castellabate.
Dinner tonight at our hotel.
Overnight - Hotel Hermitage (or similar)
Day 6 - Saturday 7 September 2024
Castellabate - Matera (B)
This morning we travel to Matera for our two night stay. Matera is the oldest continuously lived in settlement in the world. For approximately 7000 years, people have lived in the Matera Valley in cave houses and eventually the maze of buildings which still exists today. The symbol of the city are the “Sassi”, caves dug into the mountain where the local people lived until they were forced to settle in modern accommodation in the 1950s. Overlooked for many years, the Sassi of Matera entered the World Heritage List as an example of an age-old way of life to be preserved and handed down to posterity.
Remainder of the day and dinner at leisure.
Overnight - Hotel Sassi, Matera (or similar)
Day 7 - Sunday 8 September 2024
Matera (B, D)
Following breakfast, we take a guided tour of Sassi (Matera Rocks). Walk through the town, see the many palazzos and piazzas and view the cave houses for which Matera is famous for.
In the afternoon we'll take part in a cooking class but first, take a quick tour of the farm to really understand and appreciate where the food used in this part of the world comes from.
Meet Silvia, the daughter of the family, who has had over 20 years of seeing her Mamma wow local and international guests with her traditional Matera cooking.
Learn to make fresh pasta, a typical pasta sauce and also a third typical dish from Matera. The family and the farm are all about seasonal cooking, so what is cooked will very much depend on the time of the year. Then it will be time to sit down all together for dinner and enjoy the food made with some delicious local wine and a few extra little treats.
Overnight - Hotel Sassi, Matera (or similar)
Day 8 - Monday 9 September 2024
Matera - Lecce (B)
This morning we depart Matera and head to Lecce for our four night stay.
Distinguished by its columns, arches and numerous rose windows, as well as its typical small squares and unexpected alleyways, Lecce is dotted with marvellous aristocratic palaces and stands out among the most beautiful cities of art in our peninsula.
Known as the "Florence of the South", Lecce amazes, fascinates and conquers with the archaeological remains of Roman rule and the exuberance of 17th-century baroque, known here as "Lecce Baroque", a unique expression of a popular language with Mediterranean roots.
On arrival, the remainder of the day will be at leisure.
Overnight - Grand Hotel Lecce (or simlar)
Day 9 - Tuesday 10 September 2024
Lecce (B)
In the morning, after breakfast, we experience a shopping tour through Lecce with a personal shopper onboard a rickshaw.
A free afternoon to explore.
Tonight, we'll regroup for dinner at leisure to share the day's experiences.
Overnight - Grand Hotel Lecce (or similar)
Day 10 - Wednesday 11 September 2024
Lecee - Gallipoli - Lecce (B)
Today we travel to Gallipoli to experience a guided walk through the old town and see some of the main sights such as the Greek fountain and the Gallipoli Castle.
After the tour we enjoy some free time followed by a sunset cruise, a unique experience among the waves of the Ionian Sea which acquires a very special charm when its waters are illuminated by the setting sun. Enjoy a rich aperitif onboard before returning to Lecce.
Dinner at leisure tonight
Overnight - Grand Hotel Lecce (or simlar)
Day 11 - Thursday 12 September 2024
Lecce – Otranto – Santa Casarea - Santa Maris Di Leuca – Lecce (B)
Today is a full day excursion. Our first stop will be in the town of Otranto, Italy's eastern most town and a picturesque seaside village. Stroll around the town surrounded by old city walls and admire the scenic sea front. From Otranto, we head to Santa Cesarea Terme to enjoy free time and lunch. Santa Cesarea has a wonderful crystal-clear sea, which can be admired in all its lustrous beauty from the town’s high coastline. The sea beds offer magical colours and are among the most beautiful in Salento.
The last stop of the day will be in Santa Maria di Leuca to enjoy the sunset with an aperitif and some canapes. Leuca is marked by rupestrian settlements, crypts, churches, castles, hundred-year-old olive trees, hidden coves and inlets, and a sea that is blue like no other.
Returning to Lecce tonight with dinner at leisure.
Overnight - Grand Hotel Lecce (or simlar)
Day 12 - Friday 13 September 2024
Lecce – Torre Santa Susana – Alberobello area (B, L, D)
This morning we leave Lecce and travel towards Alberobello. Along the way stop at Torre Santa Susana for a tour of a winery and tasting followed by a light lunch to explore the flavours of Puglia.
Later, we arrive in Alberobello, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996 thanks to the unique architectural and historical value of trulli houses. Visiting Alberobello, in the Puglia region, is like travelling to a timeless town.
We have a four night stay in this area and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.
Dinner in the hotel restaurant tonight.
Overnight - Hotel Madonna delle Grazie , Alberobello area (or similar)
Day 13 - Saturday 14 September 2024
Alberobello area – Locorotondo – Martina Franca - Alberobello area (B, L)
The morning following after breakfast, we head to the town of Locorotondo to visit a local winery with a tour and tasting followed by a light lunch.
The next stop will be in the town of Cisternino, a village that features in the list of Italy's most beautiful, where there is time for a stroll through the old town centre to admire the panoramic viewpoints.
Lastly, we visit the town of Marina Franca and stroll through the town. Martina Franca is perched on a hilltop in Val D'Itria, a beautiful valley in Puglia famous for olive oil production and trulli
Return to our hotel with dinner at leisure tonight.
Overnight - Hotel Madonna delle Grazie, Alberobello area (or similar)
Day 14 - Sunday 15 September 2024
Alberobello area – Ostuni – Alberobello area (B)
Today, we have the morning is at leisure before travelling to Ostuni in the afternoon for a guided walking tour of the town. See the white washed houses and some of the main sights such as the Colonna di Santa’Oronzo.
Afterwards there will be time at leisure for shopping before heading back to Alberobello.
Return to our hotel and dinner at leisure tonight
Overnight - Hotel Madonna delle Grazie, Alberobello area (or similar)
Day 15 - Monday 16 September 2024
Alberobello area – Polinagno a Mare – Alberobello area (B, D)
Today, we travel to Polignano a Mare today for a guided walking tour of the town. Take in the main sights of this fisherman’s village and the great views over the Adriatic coast. Walk along the Ponte Borbonico su Lama Monachile and view Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II.
Afterwards we have some free time at leisure before heading back to our hotel.
Dinner in a local restaurant tonight.
Overnight - Hotel Madonna delle Grazie, Alberobello area (or similar)
Day 16 - Tuesday 17 September 2024
Alberobello - Bari - Rome (B)
This morning we farewell the beautiful Puglia region and travel to Bari to board the train to Rome.
On arrival into Rome, we'll be transferred to the hotel for our 4 night stay.
The remainder of the day at leisure with dinner tonight at leisure.
Overnight - Hotel Trevi Collection, Rome (or similar)
Day 17 - Wednesday 18 September 2024
Rome (B, D)
In the morning following breakfast, enjoy a guided movie tour through Rome.
See famous places that featured in movies such as the Trevi Fountain, Mouth of Truth, Spanish Steps, Piazza Venezia, Piazza Navona and the Pantheon.
In the afternoon a guided tour through ancient Rome including a visit to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
In the evening relax at a local restaurant for dinner
Overnight - Hotel Trevi Collection, Rome (or similar)
Day 18 - Thursday 19 September 2024
Rome (B)
Today is a free day to explore at leisure.
Dinner - tonight we'll regroup for dinner and share the day's experiences.
Overnight - Hotel Trevi Collection, Rome (or similar)
Day 19 - Friday 20 September 2024
Rome (B,D)
Another free day to explore at leisure.
Tonight we'll enjoy a farewell dinner at local restaurant to celebrate great times with new friends!
Overnight - Hotel Trevi Collection, Rome (or similar)
Day 20 - Saturday 21 September 2024
Rome - Melbourne (B)
Our last day in Rome! With the day at leisure until our transfer to the airport to begin our journey home.
Day 21 - Sunday 22 September 2024
In Transit (Meals Inflight)
In Transit.
Day 22 - Monday 23 September 2024
Welcome Home
An early morning arrival back into Melbourne. Thank you for joining us for your latest adventure and we look forward to welcoming you back!