Classical Adventures on the Mediterranean

Basic Inclusions

Detailed Itinerary

Days 1-2: Arrival in Barcelona, Castell de Montjuic, Tapas Dinner

Arrival in Barcelona
A dream materializes as your wide-bodied jet thunders off the airstrip, Europe-bound! Watch the sun rise up to meet your airplane, after a short night. Spain glides by beneath your airplane in shades of sienna. Land in Barcelona, the vibrant capital city of Catalonia and one of the world's cities at the forefront of commerce, fashion, technology, cuisine and the arts. Get set to discover the vibrant capital city of the ancient kingdom of Catalonia. Note its elegant 19th-century boulevards, parks and fountains.

Castell de Montjuic
Visit this military fort first built in the 17th century on a hill some 550 feet above city and sea. Take in the views from its terraces.

Tapas dinner
For dinner this evening, experience tapas, the delightful and varied snack-like servings, which are a specialty of Spain, there's something to please every taste!

Day 3: Barcelona City Sightseeing, Excursion to Montserrat, Flamenco Show

Barcelona City Sightseeing
A tour will introduce landmarks such as the wide avenues called Las Ramblas, the medieval Gothic Quarter around the cathedral, Modernist landmarks such as the Basilica of the Sagrada Família, and Plaça de Catalunya, the lively heart of Catalonia's capital city. A half-day local guide, well-educated and specially-trained on the history and culture of the region, will accompany your group.
Montjuïc Hill
You'll go up Montjuïc Hill for a panoramic view of the city, the colorful harbor district, and the Mediterranean coast.
Visit to Parc Güell
Enjoy a visit to Gaudí's most colorful creations on exhibit in Parc Güell, notably the mosaic-decorated pavilions and the cavernous Room of a Hundred Columns.

Excursion to Montserrat
Enjoy a visit to Catalonia's holiest place, the Monastery of Montserrat, located amidst the serrated peaks of the Montserrat mountain range. Montserrat has served as a place of pilgrimage since the 12th century. After being destroyed by the French in 1811, the monastery complex was rebuilt and repopulated in 1844 and now includes quaint shops and cafés.
Visit to the Basilica of Montserrat
You will enter the Basilica to view La Moreneta (Black Virgin). This revered statue, said to have been carved out of wood by St. Luke around 50 AD, has been on the mountain since it was rediscovered in 880 AD after being hidden from the Moors.
Round trip on the Montserrat Funicular
Enjoy a funicular ride for the last leg up the mountain, which affords stupendous views stretching from the Pyrénées Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea.

Flamenco show
Tonight, enjoy an evening of traditional entertainment. The poet Federico García Lorca called flamenco "the most gigantic creation of the Spanish people." You will long remember its complex and insistent rhythms, castanets, and clacking heels as the highlight of your trip to Spain.

Day 4: Carcassonne, Nîmes

Travel to Nîmes, via Carcassonne
Today's journey takes you to the other side of the Pyrénées Mountains, which mark the border with France. Your destination is the spectacular stronghold of Carcassonne, a fortified city which goes back to Roman times but is better known for its extensive medieval ramparts. Enjoy a stop in the medieval gem of Carcassonne, whose walls rebound with images of knights-in-armor and tales of heroism and romance. This fortified city goes back to Roman times but is better known for its extensive medieval ramparts. The great Narbonne Tower was large enough to store pork from 1,000 pigs and 200 sides of beef, along with enough fresh water to supply the town for six months. See these impressive fortifications which enclose the Château Comtal and old houses piled haphazardly along winding streets. Sit back and enjoy the journey through the Languedoc region, bedecked with vineyards, on your way to Nîmes, a gateway to Provence.

Day 5: NÎmes' Amphitheater and Maison Carrée, Pont du Gard, Aix, Nice

Visits to the Roman Amphitheater and the Maison Carrée
Enter the Maison Carrée, the best preserved Roman Temple, built c. 7 AD. Thomas Jefferson used it as a model for the Virginia State Capitol Building. Then, visit the Roman amphitheater, which is better preserved than Rome's Colosseum.
Travel to Nice via Pont du Gard and Aix
Proceed to the vallée du Gardon, a picturesque region where a small river made its way from the Cévennes mountain range to the Rhône River by carving rows of cliffs. The Romans used two of these cliffs to build one of their best-known structures. Marvel at the Romans' engineering genius at the Pont du Gard, an aqueduct constructed in 19 BC which delivered 44 million gallons of water each day to the Roman city of Nemausus (Nîmes). Proceed toward the familiar silhouette of la Montagne Sainte-Victoire, often featured in Cezanne's paintings. It lets you know that you're arriving in Aixen-Provence. Discover the historic district of the "City of a Thousand Fountains" as you stroll along its best-known avenue, the Cours Mirabeau, past monumental fountains from the 17th century. Other landmarks include the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville with its open-air cafés and the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur, whose Romanesque cloisters house a famous triptych, The Burning Bush, painted in 1476.

Travel to Nice

Day 6: Pisa, Florence, Uffizi Gallery

Travel to Florence, via Pisa
On to Italy, and Pisa! Pause in the city whose navy dominated the Western Mediterranean in the 11th century, before the Arno River silted up and Genoa took over. View the Campo dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles) and its trio of remarkable buildings, the most famous of which being the Leaning Tower (now tilted nearly 13 feet from its vertical axis). Proceed to Firenze, the "Jewel of the Renaissance." Never in the history of mankind has so much genius, in all its forms, been concentrated in one place as it was in Florence during the fifteenth century.

Visit to the Uffizi Gallery
Visit the Galleria degli Uffizi, which is home to the world's most impressive private collection of Italian Renaissance art. See masterpieces by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Lippi, Giotto, Raphael and Tintoretto.

Day 7: Train to Naples, Travel to Pompeii, Travel to Sorrento

Train to Naples
Today, board a high-speed Frecciarossa or Frecciargento train bound for Napoli, a bustling metropolis with a rich cultural heritage set in magnificent scenery on the Bay of Naples. A cheerful melancholy looms over the people of Napoli, expressed by songs such as O Sole Mio and Santa Lucia, which were composed in this city, the birthplace of Bel Canto.

Travel to Pompeii
Travel to the modern town of Pompei. A headset receiver is included. Walk through the Roman city recognized by UNESCO as a treasure of Western Civilization. See how well-to-do Romans lived 2,000 years ago, until Mt. Vesuvius all at once destroyed this city in one day and preserved it for all time.

Travel to Sorrento
Continue to the fabled town of poets and sunsets, also renowned for its embroidery and intarsia (wood-inlay).

Day 8: Isle of Capri, Rome

Travel to Rome via the Isle of Capri
A half-day local guide, well-educated and specially-trained on the history and culture of Capri, will accompany you today. Board a fast hydrofoil for a crossing to the Isle of Capri, which rises over the blue Tyrrhenian Sea near the Bay of Naples. Transfer by funicular to the town of Capri's main square (Piazzetta), passing tropical gardens on the way. On the island stands Villa Jovis, the imperial residence from which Tiberius once ruled his empire. Recall tales of the Emperor Augustus, and of the mischievous Caligula.
Visit to Capri's Gardens of Augustus
From Capri's Piazzetta, it's an easy walk to the Gardens of Augustus, a magnificent public garden landscaped in the 1930s by the German industrialist Friedrich Krupp. Its terraces adorned with colorful and fragrant vegetation are perched atop a cliff with a sheer drop to the sea. The gardens face Capri's southern coast and provide splendid views of the 14th-century Charterhouse of San Giacomo, the Bay of Marina Piccola, down below, and the Faraglioni, the needle-like rocks that soar above the sea.
Hydrofoil Capri-Naples
A fast hydrofoil takes you across the bay to Naples. Board your coach and travel up the autostrada, all the way to Rome

Day 9: Colosseum and Roman Forum, Piazza Navona to the Trevi Fountain Walking Tour, Dinner with Music

Visits to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum
Walk through the best known monuments of Ancient Rome, the Colosseo and the Foro Romano. Once the heart of a vast empire, the Forum was filled with extravagant buildings and crowded with people from all over the known world. A headset receiver is included. A local guide, specially-trained on the history and culture of Rome and its surroundings, will accompany your group. Your combination ticket to the Colosseum and Roman Forum also allows entrance to the Palatine Hill archaeological site and its museum: should time permits, you may want to make your way up the hill to visit the oldest and most prestigious residential area of Ancient Rome.
Tour Director-led walking tour from Piazza Navona to the Trevi Fountain
Enjoy a walk with your tour director along a maze of narrow streets, past picturesque piazzas, restaurants, and gelato shops. Walk through the plaza built on the site of Domitian's Stadium. Lined with grand buildings and trendy cafes, this oblong square is adorned with statues and fountains, notably Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers. The Trevi Fountain, once the the terminal of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct, is now one of Rome's most celebrated sights. It's is at its best at night, when the fountain is illuminated. Throw a coin over your right shoulder and into the spray to ensure your return to this wonderful city!
Dinner with music
Tonight, enjoy dinner while local singers and musicians entertain you with O Sole Mio, Volare and other favorite Italian songs.

Day 10: Departure

Ciao, Europa! Statistics show that visitors do in fact return to Rome, although it may not have anything to do with coins in a fountain. Race the sun and arrive home later today, eager to share your discoveries with family and friends.

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