Day 1. Arrival – The Islands of Malta

Saturday 17 July: Your tour host, Isabella Dusi, will be waiting to meet you when you disembark with Judith at Luqa Airport, Malta. Our hotel, where we will stay for 3 nights, is centrally situated at the gate to the capital of Malta, the small city of Valletta built after the epic siege of 1565 and named after the defiant French Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, later known as the Knights of Rhodes, and now known as the Knights of Malta. We’ll settle into our hotel and once you have had time to unpack and refresh, we’ll walk to the Upper Barakka Gardens overlooking the astonishing fortifications protecting the Grand Harbour, an impregnable port for many invaders, and an important harbour during the Second World War. We’ll continue our walk to the Grand Master’s Palace, and we’ll make a brief visit to the Archaeological Museum to see the Sleeping Lady to prepare for our visit to the Hypogeum. You will very quickly find your way around Valletta. This evening we’ll sit down to our welcome dinner.
Overnight ****Hotel Grand Phoenicia, Malta.  Welcome dinner with wines included

 

Day 2.  Marsaxlokk and Mdina.

Sunday 18 July: Today we’ll travel on Malta’s yellow, very traditional, very bumpy (I don’t think they have shock absorbers) buses to the morning markets, at Marsaxlokk (pronounced Mar-sa-shlock) harbour.  After a 35 minute ride we arrive at our destination which also happens to be Malta’s main fishing harbour where we’ll find the traditional fishing boats, the Luzzus with their mythical painted prows. It was here that the Turks landed for an attack which ended in the Great Siege of 1565.  Stalls are erected around the quay and it has become a popular market for visitors and locals. After visiting this extended market, we’ll find that its time for lunch.  We are at Malta’s main fishing harbour …….  so let’s sit ourselves in one of the local restaurants and treat ourselves to a typical Maltese Fish Lunch!

In the afternoon we’ll visit another of Malta’s treasures on the yellow bus: the silent sandstone settlement of Mdina, which is the most ancient settlement on Malta. Today we will find a medieval, walled city with beautiful Moorish influences. The name Mdina is a derivation of the Arabic word Medina. You’ll be free in Mdina to find you way about and enjoy a stroll among sandstone palaces and shops.

We return to our hotel in the late afternoon when you will have free time for the remainder of the day and evening to shop and meander around Valletta.
Overnight ****Hotel Grand Phoenicia. Malta. Fish lunch included.

 

Day 3. Harbour Cruise – Cathedral of St John – Underground Hypogeum

Monday 19 July: The hypogeum is Malta’s most impressive and finest temple. The world class archaeological site was discovered by chance, a vast underground necropolis cut into the rock and unsuspecting Maltese citizens lived above it  for centuries. The surreal and sacred atmosphere leaves its mark on every visitor and it is one of the most impressive ancient monuments in the world. A limited number of visitors are permitted to enter the Hypogeum on any one day, and at any one time. Whilst the first half of our group is visiting the Hypogeum, the second half will be in Valletta, at the Cathedral of St John, built by the Knights of Malta where, not only will you find a magnificent baroque church stunningly decorated, but also two masterpieces by Caravaggio, The Beheading of John the Baptist, and St Jerome, painted in the 1500’s. Our two groups will swap locations during the morning so that everyone will have the opportunity to see the heavenly Cathedral and the earthly Hypogeum.

Today we’ll also cruise 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, each resting on promontories opposite Valletta. The Three Cities are connected to the great siege of 1565, miraculously defended by the Knights of Malta, and to the strategic importance of these harbours during World War II. After resisting the great siege in 1565, enormous fortification works were erected, much of which can only be seen from the water.

Today we will be visiting the workshop of a local family bakery to see the loaf Tal-Malti being made by the baker and his family. It is an enticing aroma as the bread is drawn from an ancient stone oven, and an opportunity to see one of the oldest bakeries in Malta still owned by a Maltese family who work hard and long, and whose customers arrive with baskets and bags to pick up Tal-Malti before every meal, sometimes even bringing dinner to be cooked in the bread oven while they wait.
Overnight ****Hotel Grand Phoenicia, Malta.

 

Day 4.  A Fast Journey to Sicily – Valley of the Temples

Tuesday 20 July:  We leave Valletta this morning as we board our super-fast ferry which will skim over the waters and in just 90 minutes will transfer us from Malta to Pozzallo on the south coast of Sicily!

Our coach will be waiting as we disembark at Pozzallo; we’ll have our cases loaded on the coach, make ourselves comfortable for the second phase of our journey, this time by road to the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento. We’ll sit down to a light lunch at a caffè on the outskirts of Agrigento.

Nothing can prepare you for the awesome spectacle of these ancient Greek temples straddling the escarpment above the sea. Temple Concordia is in an incredible state of preservation. 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, admiring and 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 comprehend and be enthralled by the world of the ancients.

As we near the late afternoon we’ll drive on to our hotel located in the centre of Palermo. Arriving in Palermo, once settled into our hotel, your encounter with this chaotic capital begins.
Overnight ****Hotel Vecchio Borgo, Palermo.  Light lunch with wines included.

 

Day 5. Palermo

Wednesday 21 July: Your fascinating encounter with this chaotic capital continues this morning. Palermo suffered Roman conquest, Arab occupation, Byzantine tyranny, Norman invasion, sack by the Barbarians, and the rule of Spanish and French invaders - it is an exasperating metropolis which is as vivacious as it is astonishing, brimming with gracious but blackened monuments alongside centuries of decay. The markets of Palermo are the most colourful in Italy. We'll walk through Ballarò and listen to the bantering as we examine the spectacular produce. It is an explosion of colour and odours with spices and fruits and nuts, butchers slicing every possible kind of beast and fishmongers lamenting their morning catch, laid out and squirming on the table before us. This is the life and soul of Palermo.  During our day, we’ll be focusing on the story of the Sicilian Mafia, what this means to Palermo, and how the fight against organised crime continues in a city under the grip of pizzo – protection payments.

Our day will include a visit to the Palatine Chapel, a masterpiece of Arab and Byzantine art in the palace of the Norman Kings, the tombs of the great Norman King Roger and Queen Constance of Sicily - and we'll definitely taste a real Sicilian cassata and canoli before the day is done at highly rated Caffè Spinnato.
Overnight ****Hotel Vecchio Borgo, Palermo.

 

Day 6. Mazara del Vallo – Donnafugata – Gleaming White Salt

Thursday 22 July: We have two more of Sicily’s finest to visit today so we’ll move on towards Marsala where we’ll visit a marvellous cellar and following an explanation of their regional grape varieties which are far superior to the sweet Marsala wines that flooded the world markets many years ago, we’ll enjoy an exceptional wine tasting, followed by a delicious light lunch at the famed Donnafugata vineyard.

A little further north and along the coast we enter a magical lunar landscape. On this mirror of water soar crystal mountains – this is the Strada del Sale, the road of marine salt, which joins Trapani and Marsala with glassy mounds and where this precious material is extracted as it has been for two thousand years. Here we’ll visit the salt museum at the Phoenician port of Mozia and at the end of the day, make our way home to our hotel in still chaotic Palermo.
Overnight ****Hotel Vecchio Borgo, Palermo. Wine Tasting and Lunch with wines included

 

Day 7. Cefalu – Castelbuono – Flying Palermo to Cagliari, Sardinia.

Friday 23 July: In the early evening we’ll return to Palermo’s airport and board our flight for Sardinia so we leave Hotel Vecchio Borgo this morning, with our luggage and travel the northern coastline along the Tyhrennian Sea. Our first stop will be to visit the great Norman cathedral in Cefalù, a sea side town where you’ll have time to enjoy lunch. The Normans left their imprint on the architecture throughout the Island, the church at Cefalù is one of the highest examples of Norman architecture. Cefalù is a maze of narrow lanes lined with shops and bars leading down to the sea.

Then in the late morning we’ll travel inland through the picturesque Madonie National Park to discover the typically Sicilian village of Castelbuono where our host will introduce us to the gastronomy of the mountains. The village of Castelbuono is hidden in a valley in the Madonie National Park, a cluster of stone houses far away from the noise and frenzy of the city. Lunch today will be splendid. The cuisine of the mountains often includes baked pecorino cheese, tartufo di Madonie, bowls of tangled pappardelle and hand rolled veal sausages.  We’ll assist our host prepare one of Castelbuono’s treats – Testa di Turco (Head of the Turk) which will be our dessert after a wonderful historical and gastronomical visit.

Well, our time on this island is over for now so we’ll make our way back to and around Palermo for the last time, and then on to the airport where in the early evening, we’ll check in and board our flight to our next island, Sardinia.  You will barely have time to make yourself comfortable for this flight because the flight time for this journey is less than 90 minutes!  On to Sardinia where our coach will be waiting at Cagliari airport and transfer us to the village of Santu Lussurgia in central Sardinia, where we will stay for the next three nights.  There is only one flight per day from Palermo to Cagliari - the flight arrives at Cagliari in the mid evening; we continue our journey by coach and travel from Cagliari to Santu Lussurgiu so we must ask you to please be prepared for a late night arrival at our hotel.
Overnight *** Hotel Antica Dimora del Gruccione, Sardinia. Lunch with wines included

 

Day 8.  Santa Cristina Nuraghi – San Salvatore - Oristano

Saturday 24 July:  A late start this morning after yesterday’s late night arrival.

For many thousands of years, the cult of worshipping spring water was practised, venerated under many different names, but continuing virtually uninterrupted from the time of the Nuraghi until the end of the old world. This pagan water worship cult was substituted for Christian, but subsequently suppressed by Islamic rulers, then returned to Christianity in the medieval.  This is a land jealous of its rituals and customs, where silence enshrouds a 3000 year old Nuraghi sanctuary and mystic rituals are still performed in a wild and isolated land of unspoiled beauty. A curious landscape phenomena took place over 3500 years ago and the island is dotted with nuraghi - monuments to an ancient civilisation who constructed them from the 2^nd millennium BC, including cone shaped fortified tower houses and giants tombs which held the remains of these pre historic nuraghi people. We’ll begin our investigation of the Nuraghi settlements of Sardegna, at Santa Cristina, one of the wonders of the prehistoric world.

At the semi deserted village of San Salvatore we’ll walk through one of the last peasant villages on the peninsula of Sinis. The rural life of peasant fishermen who worked on the flat and swampy land meant that at sowing and harvest time they lived in the small hamlet of San Salvatore but when the season was over they retreated to the mountains.  You’ll have time to lunch at a characteristic rural café, on the edge of the village at San Salvatore and  if time permits, before returning to our hotel at Santu Lussurgiu, we’ll pause to visit the regional, small city of Oristano.
Overnight *** Hotel Antica Dimora del Gruccione, Sardegna.  Dinner with wines included at Gruccione

 

Day 9. Orgosolo – The Pastor and his Pigs – The haunting festival at Mamoiada

Sunday 25 July: To find some isolated villages in the Barbagia, a horse or by foot is the only possible way. We’ll travel into the granite mountains which open to spectacular valleys producing wine and olives, and where shepherds make cheese and the women bake typical sweets like sos guelfos and su pistuddi.

Ancient Sardinians were forced to retreat into these mountains by threatening invaders, to live in the impenetrable and forbidding hills. They became reclusive, developing a strictly rural mentality, rarely descending from the mountains. These valleys have hidden many a kidnap victim for many long months, authorities unable to penetrate the mountains and escarpments in the same was as bandits who, in the 1970’s, held magnates and industrialists captive awaiting payment of ransom.

Today we’ll be meeting with a farmer and his family who will treat us to lunch We’ll watch the women make carasau, the traditional bread of Sardegna, and we’ll roast a piglet on the spit out in the woods. Friends will arrive – we’ll find ourselves in the midst of the folkloristic dancers of Sardegna, as well as the singers whose voices, unaccompanied, are as haunting as the impregnable mountains which surrounds us, where the farmer’s pigs roam for months at liberty. This is the genuine Sardegna, and it is an absolute jewel – especially accompanied by the wine of the region, Cannanau, rapidly becoming sought after in the outside world.

This evening you will be participating in one of the most amazing festivals in all of Italy. The festival of Mamoiada reveals the life of an isolated village and their desire to hold on to their cultural identity. Immersed in ancient rituals, the Mamuthones and Issohadres join in singing unknown harmonies, in rhythmic dances, some on horseback in brilliant folk costumes, some, like the Mamuthones wearing wooden face masks, unidentifiable like the Gods, ringing bells and moving orgiastically to the rhythm. This is like nothing you have ever seen before, a procession of masked antique traditional peasant culture to the sounds of trumpets and thousands of tiny bells sown all over costumes, as well as a cavalcade of horsemen and stunningly dressed women answering the call of their ancestors.
Overnight *** Hotel Antica Dimora del Gruccione, Sardegna.  Countryside lunch with wines included

 

Day 10. Bosa – Alghero, Little Barcelona

Monday 26 July:  We leave the Barbagia and Santu Lussurgiu this morning to enter another stunning part of Sardegna, the north west coast and in particular the delightfully Spanish influenced town of Alghero where we’ll arrive in the late afternoon and stay for the next two nights.  Our first part of the journey will be inland until we reach the village of Bosa; here we’ll pause for a caffe and visit the heart, the delightful centre of this coastal fishing village.  As we leave Bosa we join and travel the scenic coastal road north with its white cliffs and secluded beaches but we need to pause once again, this time for lunch at a restaurant in a gorgeous setting overlooking the sea below.

Well satisfied after a very different Sardinian lunch, we move on to the last part of our journey today, to Alghero.
Overnight **** Hotel Catalunya, Sardegna.  Lunch with wines included.

 

Day 11. Alghero

Tuesday 27 July: In northern Italy, in particular if you happen to visit the village of Bolzano in the Dolomite mountains of Italy, one could be thoroughly confused and wonder whether they were in Italy or Germany; the most common language used is German, the street names are in German, restaurant menu’s are in German, etc, etc but no, Bolzano is most definately in Italy.  Alghero, much warmer and seaside, well south of Bolzano and on the island of Sardinia can be just as confusing because here many of the locals speak Catalonian Spanish or a rather different version of Spanish known locally as “Algherese”.   Almost 25% of the population in Alghero speak and use Algherese daily so the Italian government in its wisdom decided to add “Algherese” as a national language used by a minority much the same as it has done with “Sardo” both of which can only be understood by the locals, Algheresi or Sardi.

Alghero’s panorama has so much to offer its visitors; the historic centre enclosed behind thick fortress walls, towers and bastions, sandy beaches and vibrant coloured seas, cliffs that descend onto shale covered secluded beaches and typical Mediterranean vegetation.  You’ll have time to explore this with me, walk the old city’s narrow stone streets bordered by shops offering an extensive range of products, gaze at the unusual gothic-Catalan style buildings and in the windows displaying Alghero’s famous red coral regarded as the most prized coral of the world.

We’ll visit the bustling historic centre this morning to introduce you to this Spanish/Italian village and then leave you to follow your own interests; on the beach, in the sea or relaxing in one of the piazze wondering whether you are hearing people speak Italian or Algherese.
Overnight **** Hotel Catalunya, Sardegna.  Dinner with wines included

 

Day 12. Costa Smerelda - Golfo Arancia - Palau

Wednesday 28 July: We leave Alghero this morning and move to eastern Sardegna to complete our extensive visit of this remarkable and incredibly varied Italian island.

Once upon a time this windy, craggy coastline, dotted with strange rock formations of granite, was nothing but a series of poor fishing villages, until in 1962 a consortium of foreign investors led by the Aga Khan developed a stunning piece of coast with crystal clear water into a chic resort and renamed it the Emerald Coast. As we travel to the eastern coast today we’ll pause at Porto Cervo for a stroll among the classy boutiques and restaurants. Most boating people are out on the water during the day, arriving back into port in the evening. There are a couple of café where you can lunch at Porto Cervo, which is the beating heart of Costa Smerelda – usually beating wildly until 3 am every morning! This is the international jet-setter side of Sardegna – a brief visit fills in the picture!

We’ll check into our hotel at nearby Palau where we’ll stay for the final two nights of our journey.
Overnight***Hotel at Palau

 

Day 13. Yachting around the Maddalena Islands

Thursday 29 July:  For decades an American military base meant that nobody could visit the Maddalena Islands. The base has been closed, dismantled, and the Maddalena is returned to people who love the islands and the water, giving it a whole new identity. Our brilliant excursion today sees us sailing on a beautiful yacht, exclusively ours for the day, among the fabulous islands. Seven islands conserve an aspect almost primordial, and most are uninhabited. 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’ll lunch on board on delicious tomato bruschetta, seafood pasta and sweet treats with wine, pausing for a swim or walk at an island cove, diving from the yacht or going ashore in the dinghy. This is a once in a lifetime experience – to relax on the deck as our captain raises the sails and carries us around this precious jewel – the Maddalena.
Overnight ***Hotel at Palau.  Lunch on board with wines included

 

Day 14.  Corsica - Olbia to Genova – Overnight Cruise

Friday 30 July: This morning we check out of our Palau hotel and after a brief coach journey, arrive at Santa Teresa Gallura’s port where we will board the ferry that in just one hour, across a mouth of Sardinian sea will see us arrive at Bonifacio on the island of Corsica.  Our baggage and hand baggage will be stowed safely on the coach until our return this evening, so that we are free to enjoy our day on the island of Corsica.  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’s port in the late afternoon where our coach will be waiting to transfer us to the port of Olbia and our overnight cruise to Genova.   On board ship and after joining us for an aperitivo, you will be able to choose either the ship’s restaurant or their self service cafeteria for your dinner.
Overnight on board ship. Meals on board ship at your expense.

 

Day 15.  Back to Mainland Italy - Genova.

Saturday 31 July:  If you are leaving the tour when we dock at Genova your 14 nights fantastic Escape to Summer and the Islands tour comes to a close. We bid you farewell at the port and will be happy to help you with taxi transfers to Genova’s railway station or city centre;  the cost of this transfer must be at your expense.

Please note that our anticipated time of docking at Genova’s Port will be approximately 9.30 am this morning.  If you need assistance with your further travel plans please co ordinate these with your booking agent and advise your tour hosts so that they are aware of your on-going travel plans. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure your onward travel plans allow adequate time for transfers, check in, and ticket control especially if you intend to continue travelling today. If your departure plans do not coincide with the remaining group’s departure arrangements we will help with your 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.

THREE NIGHT CINQUE TERRE EXTENSION

Guests continuing the tour will board our waiting coach at Genova’s Port and travel on to Monterosso al Mare; along this route we will pause to visit Santa Margherita and Portofino on the Ligurian coast.  You’ll have ample free time to visit of both these exciting coastal villages, time to shop and lunch before we move on and expect to arrive at our hotel at Monterosso al Mare in the mid to late afternoon.
Overnight:  Hotel at Monterosso al Mare.  Second breakfast on route to Santa Margherita.

 

Day 16.  Cinque Terrre – Monterosso al Mare

Sunday 01 August:  I can think of no better way to introduce you to the Cinque Terre other than to live in one of the five villages and here we are! 

During the next two days you have the opportunity to board a motor launch at Monterosso and journey along this stunning coastline disembarking at any one of the villages so today as we begin to explore the Cinque Terre you’ll have a return boat ticket that includes “soste” which allows those of you with plenty of energy to enjoy one of the walks between the villages.  A walk represents the only means to immerse yourself in the sparse vegetation along the cliff face, and the only way to travel on land from one village to another. The walks are subject to the state of the paths, which in places are narrow and thus continually monitored for erosion, temperature, and wind, because they are exposed to the elements.
Overnight:  Hotel at Monterosso al Mare.

 

Day 17.  Cinque Terrre – Monterosso al Mare

Monday 02 August:  Now that you’ve become familiar with your village, the boating schedule, the walks, etc we’ll set this day aside for you; a day at your complete leisure, to relax, to swim, to add another walk or boating trip to your journal.  We’ll be with you to help you decide or to assist you with any bookings.

As you’ve no doubt noticed there are many bars and pizza restaurants where you will be able to buy lunch. Today is a complete day of relaxation in these glorious surroundings before we meet again in the early evening for our farewell dinner.
Overnight:  Hotel at Monterosso al Mare.  Farewell dinner with wines included

 

Day 18.  Depart Monterosso al Mare for Rome

Tuesday 03 August:  Our time together comes to an end this morning as we leave our hotel and make our way to the Monterosso al Mare railway station for our rail journey to Rome Termini.  Judith and Isabella will accompany you to Rome and will assist you on arrival.