Coast to Coast

Summer in the Islands of the Mediterranean

 

with

Judith Cullen

Preliminary Itinerary

Your Hosts:  Luigi and Isabella Dusi

 Saturday 30th May to Thursday 11th June 2009 - 12 nights

Tour price includes:
2 Italy Malta; Sicily internal flights plus 2 Overnight cruises and All Island cruises.

Rome Extension Package No. 1 and No. 2 Available

 

Day 1.  Arrival – Rome – Island of Malta

Saturday 30^th May: Your hosts Luigi and Isabella will meet you at Fiumicino Airport, Rome, at the National Terminal Check-In Counter for our flight to Malta. After introductions, we’ll relax over coffee, and soon it will be time to board our aircraft. On arrival at Luqa Airport, Malta, we will transfer to our hotel, where we will stay for 3 nights.

The Capital of Malta, Valletta, was built by Jean Valetta, French Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, later known as the Knights of Malta, after the epic siege of 1565.

Once settled into our hotel, we’ll walk through this compact city to the Upper Barakka Gardens which overlook the astonishing fortifications protecting the Grand Harbour, an impregnable port for many invaders, and a safe harbour in the Second World War. Unfolding the history of Valletta, we’ll see the Grand Master’s Palace and we’ll visit the Cathedral to see the magnificent paintings by Caravaggio, painted in the late 1500’s: “The Decapitation of John the Baptist”, and “St Jerome”. We’ll make a brief visit to the Archaeological Museum to see the “Sleeping Lady” to prepare you for our visit to the Hypogeum. You will have free time to become familiar with your surroundings, and to sit at Valletta’s historic Café Cordina, inaugurated in 1837. In Malta you will find many British shops, such as Marks & Spencer, as the imprint of Britain on the island is still evident. We’ll gather for our welcome dinner of typical Maltese cuisine.

Overnight ***Hotel Valletta, Malta. Dinner with wine included.

Day 2. Cruising the Grand Harbour

Sunday 31^st May: We’ll set off this morning to the harbour for a cruise of the two natural harbours on either side of Valletta - Marsamxett Harbour and the Grand Harbour. Malta’s maritime towns have merged into a fortified conglomerate known as The Three Cities, resting on the promontories opposite Valletta. A commentary will unfold the history of the Three Cities connected with the Great Siege of 1565 and strategic importance in 1942. After the resistance of the Great Siege by the Turks, the Grand Master decided to construct stronger harbour fortifications. We’ll see many places of interest including historical forts, battlements and hidden inlets which can only be seen from the water. The rest of the day will be yours to explore Valletta. Perhaps a swim and a glass of Maltese wine! This evening you may like to return to the harbour side where many bars and restaurants, over the last few years, have given life to the Grand Harbour at night, transforming the sandstone warehouses into a fashionable and trendy area for food, wine and fun.

Overnight***Hotel Valletta Malta.

Day 3. Hypogeum – Mdina – Maltese Pastries – The Bakery

Monday 1^st June: This morning we’ll visit the Hypogeum, Malta’s most impressive and finest temple. This world-class archaeological site was discovered by chance, a vast underground necropolis is cut into the rock. The surreal and sacred atmosphere leaves its mark on every visitor and it is one of the most impressive ancient monuments in the world. After the hypogeum we’ll visit a local confectionary and pastry shop, famous for Maltese pies and pastries where you can select your lunch.

Mdina is the most ancient settlement of Malta going back 4,000 years to the Phoenicians who realised its strategic importance, fortifying part of the town around 1,000 BC. Today we will find a medieval, walled city, but its history dates back to the classical period when the whole area formed part of a Roman settlement. Mdina’s size was reduced by Arab rulers, who added higher fortifications and a moat. The city’s appearance at that time must have been more like a Moorish fortress in North Africa. The name Mdina is a derivation from the Arabic word Medina. We’ll visit Mdina this afternoon and you will be free to stroll among the delightful sandstone palaces and shops.

We’ll return to our hotel so that you can rest prior to our evening program. Gathering for dinner – a Fenkata – typical Maltese meal, we will follow dinner with a night visit to a traditional baker where we’ll see Maltese bread being made. No mention of Maltese food is complete without the popular loaf called Tal-Malti. It must be eaten fresh, and with a visit to the bakery we’ll be savouring the enticing aroma and the fresh bread straight out of the oven.

Overnight***Hotel Valletta Malta. Dinner with wine included.

Day 4.  Flight to Catania, Sicily – Island of Ortygia – Siracusa –Taormina

Tuesday 2^nd June: This morning we depart Malta and transfer to the airport for our brief flight to Catania on the island of Sicily. Please make sure you have your passport with you for the flight as we are passing from Malta to Italian Sicily. Our destination today is the stunning cliff top town of Taormina, but first we’ll visit one of Sicily’s treasures, and then make our way north to Taormina where we will stay for 3 nights.

The island of Ortygia is connected to the mainland with a bridge. A walk through the alleys of Ortygia will bring us to the piazza and the Cathedral, which was rebuilt after the disastrous earthquake of 1693, and is now a celebration of Baroque architecture. We’ll walk to the mythological Fountain of Arethusa where pure spring water rises into a pool at the edge of the sea. You’ll have time to have your lunch, and after lunch our excursion in Siracusa takes us to one of the most important Greek theatres in existence dating to the 5^th century BC where the great Greek playwrights premiered their tragedies. We’ll visit the latomies – stone quarries – from where millions of cubic metres of stone were extracted with which to build the temples, and the Ear of Dionysus, where, thanks to the extraordinary acoustics, Dionysus could hear the whispers of his imprisoned enemies. Many of the ancient Greek philosophers came to Siracusa which was settled by a Greek colony from Corinth, and to sit in the Greek theatre, where they have sat, is an emotional and exhilarating experience. At the end of our visit we’ll travel to Taormina and check into our hotel and you will be free for the evening to passeggiata with the locals.

Overnight ***Hotel Taormina.

Day 5: Breathtaking Taormina

Wednesday 3^rd June: Today is your day to relax in a breathtakingly beautiful location above the Ionian Sea, boasting wonderful boutiques and shops, as well as café which proudly display Sicilian cakes and pastries. As well as strolling through this enchanting town with stunning views of the coast and Mt Etna, you may like to take the path which winds steeply up the cliff to the Castello, or the longer walk to the pinnacle where the village of Castelmola sits, for glorious views. If you prefer, the funicular rail takes you down to the waterline.

From the time the wealthy set out on The Grand Tour of Italy in the late 1800’s, Taormina was the destination which drew artists and writers seeking a summer hide-a-way in unsurpassed beauty among classical ruins. Soon we will visit the classical Greek theatre at Siracusa. The famous Roman theatre of Taormina in its magical setting with snow capped Mt Etna volcano in the background, is definitely in unsurpassed beauty, but sadly it retains little of its Greek origins after Roman reconstruction. You may like to visit the theatre to enjoy the marvellous views, or the gardens of Lady Florence Trevelyan, the British aristocratic who married the Mayor of Taormina in 1890 and made Taormina her home until she died, establishing an English garden dotted with “follies” in which to entertain her never ending stream of writers, travellers and artists on the Grand Tour of Italy. You are free today to relax and explore Taormina, catch up on postcards, take the cliff walks and sip a Campari or glass of wine in the Wunderbar – made famous by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Overnight***Hotel Taormina

Day  6. Aeolian and Lipari Islands

Thursday 4^th June: Today we are back on the water on a ferry to the Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily. We’ll drive around the tip of north east Sicily to the town of Milazzo and board the boat. The Isole Eolie can sometimes be glimpsed from the coast when it is often clear enough to pick out the white houses on rocky shores. Two of the islands are still volcanically active, and all are buffeted by ferocious storms and often cut off from Sicily in winter. But their charm has survived, fuelled by myths associated with the unpredictable power on the islands. Volcanoes have always been identified with the mouths of hell, and it was here that Jupiter’s son, Vulcan, had his workshop. We anticipate making stops at two of the seven islands, pausing long enough for you to explore.

Aeolian cuisine is quite distinctive, using capers and olives in many dishes, with Malvasia grapes providing one of Sicily’s more ancient wines. Probably the most famous is the island of Stromboli, which is the outermost island, famous because the unpredictable seething crater of the volcano of Stromboli, which takes up most of the island, frequently erupts into a fiery spectacular. Italian volcanoes have always been both famous and feared. Lipari is the main town on the islands, with many hot springs, a beautiful Norman cathedral and old town within walls built after a barbarous pirate raid which completely destroyed the town in 1544. Panarea is the smallest island, surrounded by cliffs, and has become an exclusive tourist resort. We’ll return to Taormina at the end of the day, and tonight we will enjoy a dinner of Sicilian cuisine.

Overnight ***Hotel Taormina. Dinner with wine included.

Day 7. Taormina to Palermo – Valley of the Temples – Overnight Cruise

Friday 5^th June: This morning we depart Taormina and on our route through the heart of Sicily to Agrigento. Nothing can prepare you for the awesome spectacle of the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento, a row of ancient Greek temples straddling the escarpment above the sea. Once a string of twenty three temples put fear into the hearts of seafaring invaders, invoking the help of the Gods in protecting Agrikas from her mortal enemies – Siracusa and Carthage. Walking through the valley, passing almond and orange trees, standing before one temple after another, you will feel the power of the Greeks who settled Agrikas five centuries BC. The temples are one of the treasures of Sicily, not to be missed if you wish to understand the world of the ancients. After our visit we’ll continue our journey to reach Palermo in time to board our ship for our overnight cruise to Cagliari, on the Island of Sardinia. You will be accommodated in first class external twin bedded cabins with private bathroom facilities. Once on board we’ll gather for a drink in the bar and see Mount Pellegrino and Sicily fade into the distance. There is a cafeteria on board where you can purchase snacks for dinner. Meals on board ship at your expense.

Overnight on board cruise ship Palermo to Cagliari, Sardinia.

Day 8. Island of Sardinia - Phoenician Tharros - San Salvatore - Valley of Barbagia

Saturday 6^th June: Our cruise ship will dock early this morning at the Sardinian port of Cagliari. Once clear of the port we’ll pause for a second breakfast, and then travel to the western coast of Sardinia. At the tip of the Sirris Peninsula lie the ruins of the Phoenician port of Tharros.  Much of the city remains submerged beneath the sea, but our visit will show us that excavations have revealed impressive Punic fortifications and a Roman temple and shrine.

After our visit to Tharros we’ll pause for you to lunch at a characteristic rural café, and then at the seemingly deserted village of San Salvatore we’ll walk through one of the last peasant villages on this peninsula. The rural life of the peasant farmers who worked the flat and swampy land meant that at sowing and harvest time they lived in this hamlet, but once the working season was over, they retreated to the mountains. In the village temple, for thousands of years, they practised the cult of worshipping spring water, venerated under different names, but continuing uninterrupted from the time of the Nuraghi until the end of the old world. The pagan cult was then substituted for Christian, subsequently suppressed by Islamic rulers, and returned to Christianity in the medieval.

In the afternoon we’ll leave the coast and move into the hinterland of Sardinia. Ancient Sardinians were forced to retreat inland by invaders, to live in the impenetrable and forbidding hills and valleys. They became reclusive, with a strictly rural mentality, rarely descending from the mountains. The Valley of the Barbagia has hidden many a kidnap victim for many months, the authorities unable to penetrate the mountains and escarpments in the same way as bandits who, in the 1970, held magnates and industrialists captive awaiting payment of ransom. We’ll check into our hotel where we will stay for 2 nights, and begin to investigate the traditional peasant cooking in the Barbagia valley, the true heart of this wild island, as we join for dinner.

Overnight ***Hotel Valley of Barbagia. Dinner with wine included.

Day 9.  Valley of Barbagia – Sardinian Cuisine

Sunday 7^th June: In the Valley of Barbagia the antique traditions of the people have resisted all invasions, ancient and modern. Villages of a handful of citizens hold dear sacred temples and tombs sculpted in granite. To find some isolated villages, a horse or by foot is the only possible access. Many women in the hinterland still dress in black with black kerchiefs around their heads, and they speak a language that evolved from Latin - unfathomable when locals converse. This is where the tragic masks of the mamuthones at Mamoiada, which go back to Dionysian rites, originate. Today our excursion will take us into the wild granite mountains which open to spectacular valleys with vineyards and olive groves where shepherds produce cheese and the women bake typical sweets like sos guelfos and su pistuddi. This is a land jealous of its rituals and customs, where silence enshrouds a 3000 year old nuraghi sanctuary where mystic rituals are still performed. As we go deeper into the valley, chestnuts, hazelnuts and almonds grow, and the people have a rhythmic pastoral life. Today we’ll see preparation of traditional recipes, delve into the nuraghi culture, taste the food and drink the wine, surrounded by unspoiled beauty which has maintained a wild and isolated character.

Overnight***Hotel Valley of Barbagia. Lunch with wines included.

Day 10. Costa Smerelda - Santa Teresa Gallura

Monday 8^th June: Our destination today is a town to the north of the internationally famous and breathtakingly beautiful Emerald Coast of Sardinia – the Costa Smerelda. Once upon a time this windy, craggy coastline, dotted with strange rock formations of granite and low coastal scrub, was nothing but a series of poor fishing villages, but in 1962 a consortium of foreign investors led by the Aga Khan developed the coast into a chic resort and renamed it the Emerald Coast. Sandy beaches and crystal clear waters mean jetsetters and yachting enthusiasts flock to Costa Smerelda. As we travel north we’ll pause at Porto Cervo for a stroll among the classy boutiques and restaurants, where you can have lunch.

But, in contrast to the Aga Khan Resorts, international jetsetters and luxury cruisers which resemble ocean liners, we have seen that Sardinia can be harsh, mountainous, wild and untouched – and Sardinians are strong, self reliant people, especially the women! We’ve discovered the wild isolation of the Barbagia, and now we see the other side of Sardinia.

We’ll travel on and check into our hotel in the small town of Santa Teresa Gallura where we will stay for 2 nights. Santa Teresa Gallura is not an ancient town; in fact, in 2008 it celebrated its 200^th year. Designed to be a small version of “Turin” by King Vittorio Emanuele I of Savoia, it preserves a historic centre with features from the King’s capital - Turin. It’s function, then and now, is as a watchful guardian of the “bocche” or “mouth” of water which separates it from Corsica.

Once settled into our hotel, we’ll visit the heart of Santa Teresa Gallura and passaggiata with the locals, and you will be free to find your own dinner.

Overnight***Hotel Santa Teresa Gallura.

Day 11. The Archipelago of the Maddalena Islands

Tuesday 9th June: For decades an American military base meant that for security reasons nobody could visit the Maddalena Islands. But the base has been closed and dismantled, and the Maddalena Islands are preparing to host the important G8 summit in July 2009, opening this stunning corner of the Mediterranean to visitors and giving it a whole new identity. Our marvellous excursion today sees us sailing among these fabulous islands. The seven islands conserve an aspect almost primordial. After the namesake, Maddalena, Caprera is the next best known island, and it was to Caprera that Giuseppe Garibaldi went, following the unification of Italy, deciding he had finished fighting for Italy and living out his days in peace, if somewhat bitter. A real paradise, turquoise water, crystal clear, with the silence broken only by the seagulls, the extraordinary transparency allows us to see down to the white sand. We will lunch on board, and our day trip will allow time for you visit villages, and if you wish you can swim and relax in these astonishing waters, as we sail the protected waters in the Archipeligo of the Maddalena – a once in a lifetime experience and a brilliant day on our Coast to Coast Island tour. We’ll return to our hotel to prepare for our farewell dinner this evening.

Overnight***Hotel Santa Teresa Gallura.  Shipboard buffet lunch and Farewell Dinner with wines included.

Day 12. Island of French Corsica – Bonifacio

Wednesday 10 June: This morning we check out of our hotel. Baggage and hand baggage will be stowed safely until our return this evening, so that we are free to enjoy our day on the island of Corsica, which is just one hour by boat from Santa Teresa Gallura, across a mouth of water from Sardinia. Please have  your passport with you in case it is requested by port authorities, as we are passing from Italy to France. Corsica has baffled France ever since 1769 when it was sold by Genoa to Louis XV for 40 million franks. Corsicans felt cheated and have been periodically indifferent to mainland France ever since. The island of Corsica was a 12^th century colony of the Tuscan Republic of Pisa, which accounts for the beautifully proportioned Romanesque churches. Corsica offers breathtaking scenery and a wildly beautiful landscape of craggy white cliffs against steep mountains. It is an unspoiled corner of the Mediterranean with a fusion of culture and cuisine resting somewhere between France and Italian traditions.

Bonifacio is the southern most, impressive, and the most visited town in Corsica, dramatically situated on a cliff peninsula. The harbour at the foot of the cliffs teems with café, restaurants and boutiques, whilst yachts and cruisers arrive and depart continuously to visit nearby islands. The citadel above the port was built by the conquering Genoese at the end of the 12^th century. From 1963 to 1983 it was the headquarters of the French foreign legion. We’ll take the local transport to cliff top Bonifacio and stroll among the quaint and picturesque streets. You can choose your lunch of typical Corsican cuisine, and relaxing into the ambience of French Corsica. We’ll return to Santa Teresa Gallura, collect our baggage, and our coach will be waiting to transfer us to the port of Olbia for our overnight crossing to Civitavecchia, Rome. On board ship cafeteria style meals are available for your dinner. Meals on board ship at your expense.

Overnight***Hotel Santa Teresa Gallura.

Day 13. Olbia, Sardinia – Civitavecchia – Termini Railway Station, Rome.

Thursday 11^th June: This morning we’ll dock early at Civitavecchia and a coach will be waiting to transfer us to Termini Railway Station, Rome. On arrival, our 12 night Coast to Coast tour finishes. We will arrive at Termini Railway Station, Rome at approximately 11 am. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure your onward travel plans allow adequate time for transfers, check in, and ticket control if you are travelling on today. If your departure plans do not coincide with group departure arrangements you will need to make your own private arrangements which will be at your expense. Your tour hosts have no control over and take no responsibility for traffic, weather, air line or any other kind of delay on the day of departure.

If you are not adding Rome Extension package No. 1 or No. 2 to your tour, it is your responsibility to advise your booking agent of your onward travel plans so that your hosts in Italy are aware of your post tour arrangements following arrival Termini Railway Station, Rome, at approximately 11 am, on the last day of the tour.