Family tour to Italy
| country: | Italy |
| location: | Amalfi Coast |
| departures: | 2010: 3 Apr, 29 May, 7 Aug, 14 Aug, 23 Oct 2011: 16 Apr, 28 May, 13 Aug, 20 Aug |
| price: | From £1065 - £1121 (8 days) per adult and from £1065 - £1121 per child including flights from the UK, from £769 - £819 excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Family tour to Italy
Sorrento & Vesuvius
Our tour includes Sorrento, dramatically positioned on a cliff-top position above the Bay of Naples. We are based in a family friendly hotel on Sorrento Peninsula, a short bus or train ride into the main town which makes a great base to take the short walk up to the crater rim of Vesuvius itself for a peep inside and some superb views right across the bay of Naples!
Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast
One of the highlights is our time at Pompeii, an affluent Roman city frozen in time. Once home to 15,000 citizens, these remains are a true archaeological wonder - a ghostly photograph of the instant when, in 79AD, an entire community was overcome by a blanket of scorching ash. Much of this unique site is preserved virtually intact, from the roadside 'fast-food' taverns, to the many palaces and ornamental courtyards; the plaster casts of the victims and animals gasping for breath add to the eeriness. From our base in the Sorrento Peninsula we drive the short distance to one of the most celebrated stretches of the Mediterranean, the Amalfi Coast. The landscape is ideal for some gentle hikes along this rocky and lush shoreline. We visit a local Agriturismo to see how some local produce is made. The afternoon is spent making pizza or pasta so it's time to become Jamie Oliver for the day, especially as Mum and Dad will be eating your creation afterwards!
Capri & Buffalo's!
Next we journey to the island of Capri, an artist's haven. We take a cruise around the island (or visit the delightful Villa San Michele with its eccentric museum if the boat trip is not running), as well as enjoying some free time to discover the delights of this island. We then visit a buffalo farm to see how mozzarella cheese is made and try the produce as well as seeing the buffaloes themselves and experiencing a working farm in action.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Naples and transfer to the Sorrento Peninsula. |
| Day 2: | We first visit Roman Pompeii, a ghostly photograph of the instant when, in 79AD, an entire city was overcome by a blanket of scorching ash. We also walk to the crater of Vesuvius for a peep inside and superb views right across the bay of Naples. |
| Day 3: | The day starts with a countryside tour of the Sorrento Peninsula with gentle walks along this rocky and lush shoreline. Then to a Agriturismo to watch how local produce is made and finally it is time to make your own pizza. |
| Day 4: | We take the boat to Capri and then cruise around the island (or visit Villa San Michele) with the afternoon free to explore and discover. |
| Day 5: | We drive to Maiori via a stop to admire the views across Positano. The afternoon is free for time on the beach, which is the longest on the Amalfi Coast. |
| Day 6: | We visit a buffalo farm to see how mozzarella cheese is made before discovering the magnificent Greek ruins of Paestum. |
| Day 7: | Amalfi is a long established maritime centre and boasts an impressive 11th Century cathedral which dominates the town. There is a choice in the afternoon of exploring Ravello, visiting a paper mill or walking other coastal trails. |
| Day 8: | Drive to Naples and fly to UK. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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This trip in the Campania region of Italy moves from place to place staying in locally owned hotels – far better than staying in one, large, foreign-owned hotel. Our use of local guides and choosing to eat in local restaurants rather than in just one hotel means that the money we generate is spread as widely as possible, thus benefiting local people more than if we were in just one place.
We explore on foot on the Amalfi Coast and travel by small bus rather than by a large coach and public transport, thus minimising our impact. Our Tour Leaders are all trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference. This then percolates down through those they deal with. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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