Day
1. Arrival -
Malta
–
Upper
Barakka
Gardens
– Archaeological Museum
Tuesday
15 May: Your tour host will be waiting to greet everyone at
Luqa Airport
,
Malta
. Our hotel for 3 nights is situated at the gate to the capital of
Malta
, the small city of
Valletta
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
the Knights of Malta. 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 and harbour during the Second World War. We’ll visit the
Archaeological
Museum
for an introduction to enhance our coming visit to the Hypogeum.
Overnight
****
Hotel Grand
Phoenicia
,
Malta
.
Welcome dinner with
wines included
Day
2. Cathedral of
St John
-
Grand
Harbour
Cruise – Family Bakery.
Wednesday
16 May: This morning we’ll visit the Cathedral of Saint 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 first
years of the 1600’s. You’ll have free time in
Valletta
until we travel to the port for a cruise around the two natural harbours
on either side of
Valletta
,
Marsamxett
Harbour
and the most famous
Grand
Harbour
.
Malta
’s maritime towns have merged into a fortified conglomerate known as
The Three Cities, miraculously defended by the Knights in 1565.
This
evening we’ll visit a local family bakery to see Tal-Malti being baked.
An enticing aroma wafts as the bread is drawn from an ancient stone oven
at one of the oldest bakeries in Malta still owned by a Maltese family
whose customers arrive with baskets to buy Tal-Malti before every meal,
sometimes even bringing dinner to be cooked in the bread oven.
Overnight
****
Hotel Grand
Phoenicia
.
Malta
.
Day
3. Underground Hypogeum – Three Cities – Sandstone town of
Mdina
Thursday
17 May: The Hypogeum is
Malta
’s most impressive and finest temple. This world class archaeological
site was discovered by chance; a vast underground necropolis. The sacred
atmosphere leaves its mark - it is one of the most impressive ancient
monuments in the world. A limited number of visitors at a time are
permitted to enter on any given day. Our group will divide for two
entries. One group will visit the Hypogeum whilst the other strolls
around one of the Three Cities opposite
Valletta
, and vice versa.
When
both groups have visited the Hypogeum we’ll visit another of
Malta
’s treasures: the silent sandstone town of
Mdina
, the most ancient settlement on
Malta
. Mdina is a medieval, walled city with visible Moorish influences. Once
we have walked through the old town you’ll be free to find you way
about and enjoy a stroll among sandstone palaces and shops.
Overnight
****
Hotel Grand
Phoenicia
,
Malta
.
Day
4. Flight to
Catania
,
Sicily
– Valley of the
Temples
Friday
18 May: We leave
Valletta
early for our flight to
Catania
,
Sicily
. Our coach will be waiting at
Catania
to take us through the heart of
Sicily
to the Valley of the
Temples
. Once at
Agrigento
we’ll have a light lunch at a caffè before we visit the temples.
Nothing
can prepare you for the awesome spectacle of ancient Greek temples
straddling this 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. Walking
through the valley, 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
. In the late afternoon we’ll drive to
Palermo
where we will stay for three nights.
Overnight
****Hotel Quinto Canto,
Palermo
. Light lunch with wines included.
Day
5. Capital of
Sicily
:
Palermo
Saturday
19 May: Your fascinating encounter with this chaotic capital is about to
begin.
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. The Ballerò market of
Palermo
is the most colourful in
Italy
. We’ll hear the bantering as we examine an explosion of colour and
odours; spices, fruits and nuts, butchers slicing every possible
kind of beast and the fishmonger’s catch laid out and squirming on the
table. This is the life and soul of
Palermo
. 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 you’ll definitely want to taste a
real Sicilian cassata.
Overnight
****Hotel Quinto Canto.
Day
6. Cefalù
– Castelbuono – Monreale
Sunday
20 May: This
morning we’ll leave
Palermo
and travel towards the east, visiting Cefalù, a sea side town. The
Normans
left their imprint throughout
Sicily
; the Cathedral at Cefalù is one of the highest examples of Norman
architecture. Cefalù is a maze of narrow lanes with shops and bars
leading to the sea.
From
Cefalù it is a short journey through the picturesque
Madonie
National Park
to the typically Sicilian
village
of
Castelbuono
where our host will introduce us to the gastronomy of the mountains. The
village is tucked into a valley, a cluster of stone houses far away from
the noise and frenzy of the city. The cuisine of the mountains includes
baked pecorino cheese, tangled pappardelle and hand rolled veal sausages.
Our host will prepare one of Castelbuono’s treats – Testa di Turco
(Head of the Turk). Before returning to
Palermo
, we’ll divert to visit Monreale, high above
Palermo
, where you can visit the amazing mosaics in the Cathedral of Monreale,
built in the 1100’s.
Overnight
****Hotel Quinto Canto,
Palermo
. Lunch with wines included.
Day
7.
Marsala
– Donnafugata – Gleaming Salt
Crystals
Monday
21 May: This morning we depart our hotel with our luggage and travel to
the west, facing
Africa
. This evening we return to
Palermo
Airport
and board our flight for
Cagliari
, Sardegna. At
Marsala
we’ll visit a marvellous cantina and following an explanation of the
grape varieties we’ll have an exceptional wine tasting and a delicious
lunch at the famed Donnafugata vineyard.
Along
the coast facing
Africa
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,
glassy mounds where this precious material is extracted as it has been
for 2,000 years. We’ll visit the salt museum at the Phoenician
port
of
Mozia
and at the end of the day make our way back to the
Palermo
Airport
for our flight to
Cagliari
.
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.
You
will barely have time to make yourself comfortable; flight time is 60
minutes! There is only 1 flight each day to
Cagliari
and it will be around 10.30 pm when we arrive. We’ll transfer to a
hotel near the airport.
Overnight
***Hotel Cagliari. Tasting Lunch with wines included
Day
8.
Cagliari
– Nuraghi – Santu Lussurgiu
Tuesday
22 May: Our coach will take us on a short tour of
Cagliari
before we begin our journey into the heart of Sardegna and the
village
of
Santu Lussurgiu
where we will stay for three nights.
For
thousands of years the cult of worshipping spring water was venerated,
continuing virtually uninterrupted from the time of the Nuraghi. This
pagan water worship cult was substituted for Christianity, 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 3000 year
old Nuraghi sanctuaries and mystic rituals are performed in a wild and
isolated land. It is curious phenomena which took place over 3500 years
ago – Sardegna is dotted with nuraghi – monuments to an ancient
civilisation of the 2nd millennium BC. We’ll visit a
Nuraghi settlement which dates back to the prehistoric world.
This
evening we’ll reach our hotel in a tiny unspoiled village, check in,
and have dinner together.
Overnight
***Hotel in Village, Sardegna. Dinner
with wines included.
Day
9. San Salvatore – Oristano
Wednesday
23 May: This morning is yours to explore our village, which is somewhat
isolated from modern life - it is not unusual to see a donkey being led
through an alley or a cobbler tapping, or the women in black from head
to toe darting from doorway to doorway. It merits your time to find your
own secret places. Late this morning we’ll visit the deserted
village
of
San Salvatore
and walk through one of the last peasant villages on the
peninsula
of
Sinis
. The rural life of peasant fishermen who worked on the flat swampy land
meant that at sowing and harvest time they lived in this small hamlet
but when the season was over they retreated to the mountains.
We’ll lunch on panini or salad at a characteristic rural café.
On our return journey we’ll pause at the town of
Oristano
so you can passeggiata through the town or have an evening drink with
the locals.
Overnight
***Hotel in Village, Sardegna. Light
panini or salad lunch with wines included.
Day
10. Orgosolo – A Farmer and his Pigs:
Thursday
24 May: 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 where shepherds make cheese and the
women bake typical sweets like sos guelfos and su pistuddi.
Today
we’ll meet a farmer and his family. We’ll watch the women make and
bake carasau, the traditional flat bread of Sardegna and the farmer will
roast a piglet on the spit. Friends will arrive – we’ll find
ourselves in the midst of the folkloristic dancers of Sardegna, as well
as singers whose voices are as haunting as the impregnable mountains
where the farmer’s pigs roam at liberty. This is the genuine Sardegna
- it is an absolute jewel.
Overnight
***Hotel in Village, Sardegna. Farmer’s
Lunch with wines included
Day
11. Bosa – Alghero : Little
Barcelona
Friday
25 May: Today we reach the
north west
coast and in particular the delightfully Spanish town of
Alghero
where we’ll stay for the next two nights. The first part of the
journey is inland until we reach the sea and the
village
of
Bosa
; here we’ll pause to visit a coastal fishing village.
After Bosa we travel the scenic coastal road north passing rugged
cliffs and secluded beaches but we pause once again, this time for lunch
in a gorgeous setting overlooking the sea. Well satisfied after a very
different Sardinian lunch, we move on to the last part of our journey.
Overnight
****Hotel Catalunya, Sardegna. Lunch
with wines included.
Day
12. Spanish Alghero
Saturday
26 May: In northern
Italy
if you visit
Bolzano
in the
Dolomite
Mountains
you could wonder whether you were in
Italy
or
Germany
. Alghero, much warmer and
seaside, well south of
Bolzano
, can be just as confusing. Here many of the locals speak Catalonian
Spanish; a different version of Spanish. Almost 25% of the population in
Alghero speak Spanish Algherese so the Italian government decided to add
“Algherese” as a national language used by a minority, much the same
as it has done with the “Sardo” language, both can only be
understood by the locals, Algheresi or Sardi.
Alghero’s
historic centre is enclosed behind thick fortress walls, towers and
bastions. Cliffs descend onto shale covered beaches with typical
Mediterranean vegetation. We’ll introduce you to this Spanish/Italian
village, walking the old city’s narrow stone streets, gazing at
gothic-Catalan style buildings and at shops displaying Alghero’s
famous red coral regarded as the most prized of the world.
You’ll
then be free to follow your own interests; on the beach or relaxing in
one of the squares wondering whether you are hearing Italian or
Algherese.
Overnight
**** Hotel Catalunya, Sardegna.
Day
13. Costa Smerelda - Golfo Arancia -
Palau
Sunday
27 May: We leave Alghero this morning and move to north eastern Sardegna
to complete our visit of this remarkable and varied Italian island.
Once
upon a time this windy, craggy coastline, dotted with strange rock
formations, 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 named it
the
Emerald
Coast
. We’ll stroll among the classy boutiques at Porto Cervo. Most boating
people are out on the water during the day, arriving back into port in
the evening. There are a couple of caffé where you can lunch at Porto
Cervo. This is the international jet-setter side of Sardegna – a brief
visit fills in the picture! We’ll check into our hotel at
Palau
where we’ll stay for two nights.
Overnight****Hotel
Vecchia Fonte at
Palau
Day
14. Yachting the
Maddalena
Islands
Monday
28 May: For decades an
American military base meant that nobody could visit the
Maddalena
Islands
. The base has been dismantled and the Maddalena is returned to the
people, giving it a whole new identity. Our brilliant excursion sees us
sailing on a beautiful yacht, exclusively ours for the day, among the
fabulous islands. Seven islands conserve an aspect almost primordial;
most are uninhabited. Turquoise water, crystal clear, with the silence
broken only by the gulls, we’ll lunch on board on delicious tomato
bruschetta, seafood pasta and sweet treats with wine, pausing for a swim
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 the wind takes us around this precious
jewel – the Maddalena.
Overnight
****Hotel Vecchia Fonte at
Palau
. Lunch on board with wines
included
Day
15. French
Corsica
- Overnight Cruise to Genova
Tuesday
29 May: This morning we check out of our
Palau
hotel and after a brief coach journey, we board the ferry that in just
50 minutes will take us to Bonifacio on the French
island
of
Corsica
. In your hand baggage please pack what you will need for the overnight
cruise. All baggage will be stowed until our return from
Corsica
. Main baggage will stay on the coach during the sea crossing.
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 was a 12th century colony of the
Tuscan Republic of Pisa, which accounts for the beautifully proportioned
Romanesque churches.
Bonifacio
is the most southerly, most impressive, and most visited town in
Corsica
, dramatically situated on a cliff peninsula. The harbour teems with café,
restaurants and boutiques, whilst yachts and cruisers arrive and depart
continuously. The citadel above the port was built by the conquering
Genoese at the end of the 12th century. We’ll take a little
train to cliff top Bonifacio and stroll among the quaint and picturesque
streets. You can choose your lunch of typical Corsican cuisine.
We’ll
return to Sardegna in the late afternoon. O
ur
coach will transfer us to Olbia port for our overnight cruise to Genova.
Please bring on board ship only your hand /overnight baggage. On board
ship you will be able to choose either the ship’s restaurant or the
self service cafè for dinner.
Overnight
on board ship. Meals on board ship at your expense.
Day
16. Back to Mainland
Italy
– Genova – Cinque Terre
Wednesday
30 May: We’ll disembark at the port of Genova and travel on to
Monterosso al Mare; along this route we’ll pause to visit Santa
Margarita and Portofino on the Ligurian coast – a couple of jewels of
many along the Ligurian coast. We’ll
arrive at Monterosso al Mare in the mid afternoon. Your tour host and
driver will say goodbye and guests will continue for 3 nights at Cinque
Terre with Judith.
Overnight:
***Hotel Margerita Monterosso al Mare.
Day
17. Cinque Terre –
Monterosso al Mare
Thursday
31 May: There is 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 journey along this
stunning coastline disembarking at any one of the villages. You’ll
have a return boat ticket that includes “soste” which allows those
of you with plenty of energy to walk between the villages.
Walking is subject to the state of the paths which in places are
narrow and continually monitored for erosion because they are exposed to
the elements.
Overnight:
***Hotel Margherita Monterosso al Mare.
Day
18. Cinque Terre –
Monterosso al Mare
Friday
01 June: Now that you are familiar
with your village, the boating schedule, the walks, today is a complete
day of relaxation in glorious surroundings before we meet again in the
early evening for our farewell dinner.
Overnight:
***Hotel Margerita Monterosso al Mare.
Farewell
dinner with wines included.
Day
19. Depart Monterosso al
Mare
Saturday
02 June: Your tour is at an
end this morning as you make your way to Monterosso al Mare railway
station. Some guests may be joining Judith on a 3 night
Venice
add-on to the tour, whilst others may be travelling by train back to
Rome
or another destination. Your rail fare to either
Venice
or
Rome
is included in your tour cost. Please co-ordinate your departure plans
with Judith. Give thought to purchasing your own “snacks” and drinks
whilst on the train; not all trains offer a food and drink service.
HURRY - ONLY 