Food & Wine: Southern Italy & Sicily

Board your overnight flight to Catania today.

Welcome to Sicily! Meet your fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.

Enjoy a full-day excursion to the Baroque city of Noto and the Avola wine region.

• Stroll along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, visiting Noto Cathedral and sampling Sicilian pastries along the way
• Head to the Avola wine region for a light snack and Nero d’Avola wine tasting
• Transfer to Azienda Casabianca, home to an Italian contessa, for an included countryside dinner at a Sicilian villa

Meet your local guide and set out to discover Catania, which sits at the base of Mount Etna.

• Discover Catania’s historic city center
• Explore the world-famous fish market held near the Baroque Catania Cathedral
• Tour the Museo Storico dello Sbarco, a WWII museum focused on the allied invasion of Sicily

Enjoy a free afternoon in Catania or add an excursion.

Travel to Messina this morning. Then, take a ferry across the Strait of Messina to Calabria. Here, you'll view the iconic Riace Bronzes inside the National Museum of Magna Graecia before continuing on to the Tropea Region and sitting down for an included dinner.

Get to know the region on a sightseeing tour led by your Tour Director.

• View the spectacular Santa Maria dell’Isola monastery perched high above the sea in Tropea
• Stop for a tasting of local pecorino sheep’s cheese, salami and cipolla rossa, the sweet red onions for which Tropea is famous
• Continue on to the coastal town of Pizzo to sample handmade gelato

Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

This morning, pass through the Calabrian countryside to Matera.

Explore Matera, known as “the Subterranean City,” with a local guide. (Depending on the season, this may take place on the afternoon of day 7.)

• View the incredible Sassi di Matera cave dwellings
• Tour Palazzo del Sedile, Ruins of the Castle, Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario and Chiese Rupestri
• Taste regional cheese, bread, and pepperoni cruschi

Enjoy a free evening in Matera or add an excursion.

Transfer to the Benevento region this morning and take a guided sightseeing tour of the area.

• View the Arch of Trajan and Benevento Cathedral
• Enter the UNESCO-recognized Church of Santa Sofia

Later this evening, learn to craft traditional Campanian recipes in a cooking class followed by dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Please note: The order of today's activities is subject to change.

Today, discover more of the Benevento region’s flavors on a tour with a local guide.

• Visit the town of San Marco dei Cavoti to learn about making artisanal chocolates including Croccantino, then enjoy a tasting
• Head to Sannio and explore a vineyard on foot
• Sample Janare wines with an included lunch
• Stroll the medieval streets of Guardia Sanframondi

Please note: The order of today's activities is subject to change.

Visit the Taurasi wine region, where you’ll visit a local vineyard to learn about wine production and taste local varietals. Then continue on to Salerno, a lively port town steeped in cultural tradition.

Today, explore the Cilento region, home to the Mediterranean diet, stopping to visit a mozzarella farm and archaeological museum.

• Tour a local organic dairy farm and savor farm-fresh mozzarella during a light lunch and tasting
• Travel to nearby Paestum for a guided tour of the Greek and Roman ruins
• Visit the Archaeological Museum of Paestum to see the famous frescos of the Tomb of the Diver

Say goodbye to your fellow travelers at a farewell dinner this evening

Transfer to the Naples airport for your flight home or extend your stay to visit Naples.